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Summer Reading

The Ultimate List of Beach Reads for 2023

These books are perfect for a day at the beach, pool, camping, outdoor retreat, or a cozy day on the couch.

Last Updated on March 27, 2024 by BiblioLifestyle

The Best Beach Reads to Escape Into

Are you looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life?  Or maybe you’re in desperate need of a serene, peaceful getaway without having to take out your passport or even leave home?  Then it sounds like you need a book or three from this ultimate list of 2023 beach reads!

While what defines a beach read is unique to each reader, my main requirement is that it entertains or provides me with an escape to a different place or time.  So if that sounds like you, look no further.  From contemporary romance novels to gripping thrillers, the books on this list are perfect for a day at the beach or pool, a tranquil outdoor retreat, or a relaxing day on the couch.  So get ready to fill all those long, warm summer days relaxing with one (or several!) of these exciting page-turners.  So grab your favorite beverage, get comfortable, and get lost in these sensational stories!

P.S. LOOKING FOR MORE SUMMER READING RECOMMENDATIONS?

The Ultimate Books to Read This Summer

TOP 5 BEACH READS FOR 2023

The five beach reads I’m recommending you add to your beach bag are:

  • Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley
  • A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales
  • Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
  • Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum
  • The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams
Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley

Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley

A delectable enemies-to-lovers summertime romcom set in Rome about an American interning at a fashion house who butts heads with the designer’s surly son and sparks fly.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

When a wealthy bachelor drops dead at a ball, a young lady takes on the decidedly improper role of detective in this action-packed debut comedy of manners and murder.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

What’s the harm in a pseudonym? Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American. Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

A whip-smart, propulsive debut about infidelity, backstabbing, and murderous intrigue, set against an exclusive summer haven on Fire Island.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams

The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams

A ravishing summer read that takes readers back to a mid-century New England rich with secrets and Cold War intrigue.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

The Ultimate List of Beach Reads for 2023

Best 2023 Beach Reads - Best Romance Books

2023 BEACH READS – ROMANCE

Love Buzz by Neely Tubati-Alexander

A chance romantic encounter during a wild night at a Mardi Gras bachelorette party sends strait-laced Serena Kahn’s carefully constructed life into chaos.

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Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron

A delightful rom-com of one woman trying to shed her perfect image at a destination wedding with hilarious and moving results.

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The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level.  But only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.

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Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza, Emily Harding

In this witty and romantic debut novel, Jane Austen’s Emma meets the misadventures of Manhattan’s modern dating scene.  As two lifelong friends discover that, in the search for love, you sometimes don’t have to look any further than your own backyard.

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Beach Reads of 2023 - Best Romance Books

Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley

A delectable enemies-to-lovers summertime romcom set in Rome about an American interning at a fashion house who butts heads with the designer’s surly son, and sparks fly.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan

The ultimate summer nostalgia read about an engaged woman who comes face to face with her first love.  Who she hadn’t seen in fourteen years but who she spent every summer with from age five to seventeen when he broke her heart.  Calling into question everything she thought she knew about their love story and herself.

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Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

A ghostwriter and a struggling actor help each other on the page and in the bedroom in this steamy romantic comedy.

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To Have and to Heist by Sara Desai

To exonerate her best friend, one woman must mastermind a jewelry heist during the wedding of the season in this hilarious romantic-comedy caper.

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Best 2023 Beach Reads - Contemporary Fiction

2023 BEACH READS – CONTEMPORARY FICTION

Hayley Aldridge Is Still Here by Elissa R. Sloan

A page-turning novel about a forgotten child star and former Hollywood “It” Girl who is now fighting back against the conservatorship that has controlled her life for the past decade.

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Summer on Sag Harbor by Sunny Hostin

Spirits readers away to the warm beaches of Sag Harbor into a close-knit community of African American elites who escape the city and enjoy the beautiful warm weather and beaches at their vacation homes.

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The Daydreams by Laura Hankin

A deliciously entertaining novel about the stars of a popular teen show from the early 2000s and the reunion special thirteen years after their scandalous flameout. This will either be their last chance at redemption or destroy them all for good.

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2023 Contemporary Fiction Beach Read Books

Yellowface by R. F. Kuang

What’s the harm in a pseudonym? Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American. Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

Summer Stage by Meg Mitchell Moore

A spirited summer page-turner following a family of actors grappling with fame, scandal, and ambition.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

High Time by Hannah Rothschild

A modern English comedy of morals and manners, about a highborn family of outrageous characters, in a story that proves revenge can be sweet.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

Beach Reads - 2023 Thriller Books

2023 BEACH READS – MYSTERY & THRILLER BOOKS

The Nigerwife by Vanessa Walters

This twisty and electrifying debut novel about a young woman who goes missing in Lagos, Nigeria, and her estranged auntie who will stop at nothing to find the truth is perfect for fans of My Sister, the Serial Killer and The Last Thing He Told Me.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

A whip-smart, propulsive debut about infidelity, backstabbing, and murderous intrigue, set against an exclusive summer haven on Fire Island.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard

In this gripping, stylish thriller, two best friends grift their way through the California elite, until a scam goes awry…with devastating consequences.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

Best 2023 Beach Reads - Thriller Books

She Started It by Sian Gilbert

A hot, twisty summer debut thriller about a group of young women whose Caribbean bachelorette party takes a sinister turn.

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Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez

In this shocking thriller, two unlikely mothers race to uncover the truth behind a horrific attack—even after it becomes clear that the truth will destroy one of their families.

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Prom Mom by Laura Lippman

Tells the story of Amber Glass, desperately trying to get away from her tabloid past but compulsively drawn back to the city of her youth and the prom date who destroyed everything she was reaching for.

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2023 Historical Fiction Books - Beach Reads

2023 BEACH READS – HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry

When a woman stumbles across a mysterious children’s book, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II.

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Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

A riveting, roaring adventure novel about a legendary Chinese pirate queen, her fight to save her fleet, and the dangerous price of power.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel

A gripping historical novel about two mothers who must make unthinkable choices in the face of the Nazi occupation.

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Beach Reads - 2023 Historical Fiction Books

Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison

A novel of love and hidden secrets on sun-kissed Laguna Beach as Hazel finds herself torn between pursuing her dream and the dream life she has been granted.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams

A ravishing summer read that takes readers back to a mid-century New England rich with secrets and Cold War intrigue.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

2023 Cozy Mystery Books - Beach Reads

2023 BEACH READS – COZY MYSTERIES

The Late Mrs. Willoughby by Claudia Gray

The suspenseful sequel to The Murder of Mr. Wickham, which sees Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney reunited, and with another mystery to solve: the dreadful poisoning of the scoundrel Willoughby’s new wife.

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Murder on Mustang Beach by Alicia Bessette

When a killer stirs up trouble in the Outer Banks, amateur sleuth and bookseller Callie Padget is on the case, in a new beachside mystery from author Alicia Bessette.

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Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective by Katie Siegel

For anyone seeking to satisfy their Harriet the Spy or Encyclopedia Brown nostalgia, this modern, witty debut based on the popular @katiefliesaway TikTok series stars a twentysomething former kid detective who’s coaxed out of retirement for one last case.

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2023 Cozy Mysteries - Beach Reads

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

When a wealthy bachelor drops dead at a ball, a young lady takes on the decidedly improper role of detective in this action-packed debut comedy of manners and murder.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn

Introduces the irresistible and unforgettable Mrs. Loretta Plansky, a recent widow in her seventies who is settling into retirement in Florida. One night gets a phone call from a voice claiming to be her grandson Will, who desperately needs ten thousand dollars to get out of a jam. Of course, Loretta obliges, but by morning, she has lost everything, but Loretta Plansky refuses to be just another victim.

BUY FROM AMAZON OR BOOKSHOP

What do you think about these 2023 beach reads?

Have you read any of these books?  Are any of these books on your TBR?  What 2023 books would you add to this list?  What makes a good beach read?  Let’s talk about it in the comments.

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Book List - The Ultimate List of Beach Reads for 2023

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