Best Beach Reads 2025
The Ultimate Beach Reads 2025 book list features all the new release books Jackie and I read and loved this year. We also think these books are perfect for the beach or pool. The selection process has become more vigorous than ever, but we wanted to make sure that only the best beach reads are on this list!
Believe it or not, this is my 9th year assembling the best beach reads into one post. Over those 9 years, I’ve learned a thing or two from our readers. You have all told us you don’t love navigating the list and seeing tons of books you can’t yet read.
This year, Ultimate Beach Reads 2025 will be updated 2 times. The first publication will have two books per genre, the update before Memorial Day will add two more books, and finally, right before July 4th, we will release everything else for the rest of the summer. With so many amazing books on this list, you might just need a bigger beach bag.
*Post contains affiliate links. Purchases made through links result in a small commission to us at no cost to you. Some books have been gifted. All opinions are our own.
Fiction Beach Reads 2024
Plot
Duc is the founder of a chain of sandwich shops around the country. He has 5 estranged adult children and a wife he has not seen in years. When he decides to retire, he gives conditions to his children. His four daughters must revitalize failing shops within a year, but his only son will inherit everything if he gets married. The catch? Whoever does it first wins the whole inheritance
But the store each sibling is given unlocks bigger mysteries, and soon, everyone will learn the real reasons for this bazaar scheme and the secrets their mother and father kept hidden.
Trigger Warnings
Racism, Hate Crimes
Why Kirsten loves it
I love a sibling drama, but I was not expecting to fall in love with this story so deeply. I didn’t want it to end. I loved each sibling’s journey. I loved learning the back story between Duc and Evelyn…and I craved a Bánh Mì the entire time! Gifted by Simon & Schuster & Simon & Schuster Audio
Find this book in: Sibling Books / Books About Food / Best Beach Reads 2025
Plot
Leah is an OB who has just taken over her family practice when she gets vertigo and collapses. She needs to take a break from work and decides to prove the astrologist who said she is having problems because she is living out of alignment with her star sign, wrong. Her journey takes her all over the world to find her star twins.
She travels to Italy and Turkey while she comes to terms with her life as it is and the mother she thinks abandoned her. She has to examine the choices she made and the things she has sacrificed to please her father. Are these the things she still wants in her life or is there room for more?
Why Jackie loves it
While I was expecting a romance from this book, it was really more of a novel about self-discovery. There was a small romance as a secondary plot point, but the real story is about Leah learning to love herself. Rosen does this in such a fun way that I was so happy to go along with Leah for the journey. It is a perfect book for the beach, but it may make you hungry!
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025
Beach House Rules
Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
Year: 2025
Genre: Fiction
More info: New York Times Bestselling author
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 14+
Plot
Charlotte Sitterly has reached a low point when she enters the bank begging for a job after she and her daughter, Iris, have been locked out of their house by the FBI. She is surprised when Alice, a local “black widow,” invites her and Iris to come stay at her house. Charlotte accepts and finds herself living at the “mommune”.
They are surprised at how much they enjoy their time together as they figure out their next steps. The mommune decides to convince Juniper Shore that Charlotte’s husband is innocent. Iris decides to do some sleuthing of her own to prove her father’s innocence.
Why Jackie loves it
I am being honest when I say there is nothing Kristy can write that I will not read! Every one of her books captures family relationships and dynamics like nobody else. This book captured friendship, family, and mother/ daughter relationships perfectly. It was sweet, funny, emotional, and a total page-turner. Gifted by Simon & Schuster Audio
Find this book in: Books About Mothers and Motherhood / Friendship Books / Beach Reads 2025
Historical Fiction Beach Reads 2025
The Book Club for Troublesome Women
Author: Marie Bostwick
Year: 2025
Genre: Historical Ficiton
Age Range: 16+
Plot
It is 1960, and Margaret Ryan seems to have it all. But the house, husband, three kids, and prestigious neighborhood don’t feel like enough for her or her friends Viv and Bitsy. Margaret decides to start a book club as an excuse to meet their newest neighbor, Charlotte, and soon they discover that they want more from the life they have been told is the American dream.
Why Kirsten loves it
Women supporting other women is always a theme I love to see in literature. In a time when a woman couldn’t open her own checking account without her husband’s permission, that theme is crucial for each of these women. As they individually deal with stepping into the limelight and out of the shadows, collectively they support and uplift each other when each stumbles.
I loved the peek into the past and comparing it to how far we’ve come as a country towards women’s rights (a trend I hope doesn’t backslide.) The friendships, drama, and descriptions in this story kept me riveted. It’s one of my favorite books of the year for sure!
Why Jackie loves it
I could not wait to read this book and it did not disappoint me. I loved the relationship between the women and I love the fact that their relationship starts with a book club. It is uplifting to see positive and supportive female relationships. I have been loving historical fiction novels this year and this one is a must-read. The audiobook version of this book was a delight to listen to #gifted
Find this book in: Books about Friendship / Books Set in the 1960s / Best Beach Reads 2025
Austen at Sea
Author: Natalie Jenner
Year: 2025
Genre: Historical Fiction
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Charlotte and Henrietta Stevenson have accomplished as much as they can as women in 1865. They have been corresponding with Sir Frances Austen, Jane Austen’s brother, who is in his 90s, and he has invited them to England. Nicholas and Haslett Nelson are brothers who are rare book dealers and have also been invited to England by Sir Francis Austen.
The sisters sneak away to sail to England without a chaperone. The Nelson brothers, Louisa May Alcott, Sara-Beth Gleason, and Justice Thomas Nash are all on the ship with the sisters. This is just the beginning of the story.
We follow the characters at sea and in England, where the sisters find themselves navigating more than just Jane Austen. We also get a behind-the-scenes look at a group of justices who have weekly meetings to discuss Austen’s works.
Why Jackie loves it
I love the fact that the book was inspired by actual correspondence between Admiral Sir Frances Austen and two Boston sisters, as well as two Philadelphia book dealers. The book is a wonderful tribute to Jane Austen. I also loved “meeting” Louisa May Alcott before she became a famous writer. I loved the Audio version of this book as well. #gifted
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025
Summer Fiction 2025
One Golden Summer
Author: Carley Fortune
Year: 2025
Genre: Romance
More info: #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
Spice Rating:đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Alice is a photographer who has lost her drive and vision for her art. She longs for the inspiration she felt when she was behind the lens the summer she was 17. That summer, she spent time at the lake with her Nan and took a photo of three teens in a yellow boat – the picture that ultimately changed her life and jump-started her career.
Now, her Nan is recovering from a broken hip, and Alice takes her back to the lake at Barry’s Bay so Nan can recover. Alice immediately sees Charlie, one of her photography subjects, in the same yellow boat. She is shocked to discover he is helping out as her rental cabin’s caretaker for the summer. When he discovers her summer bucket list to restart her inspiration, he is determined to help her check off every box.
Why Kirsten loves it
I’m clearly living under a rock because I didn’t realize that this is the same Charlie from Carley’s breakout hit Every Summer After. I ADORED this book just as much as I adored that one. Alice and Charlie’s chemistry was organic and off the charts. Both characters showed so much growth throughout the summer that I couldn’t help but cheer them on and it was great to get a peek at what Percy and Sam are up to as well.
Find this book in: Carley Fortune Books in Order / Best Beach Reads 2025
Songs of Summer
Author: Jane L. Rosen
Year: 2025
Genre: Romance
More info: Fire Island Book 3 or 3
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Maggie May Wheeler owns the record shop that was her parents before they both passed away. Now, before she gets engaged to her childhood best friend, she wants to find her birth mother. The search leads her to Fire Island, where her mother is a guest at a wedding. She wants to find out more about the women who gave her up.
When she arrives at Fire Island, a local invites her to the wedding as his date, and the two have immediate chemistry. Maggie is immediately torn between her feelings for this new man and the man at home, who is family to her.
Meanwhile, on Fire Island, we get to visit with old favorites like Ben, Addison, and Shep, and meet some wonderful new characters like his two daughters, Beatrix and Victoria.
Why Jackie loves it
I love Fire Island and the characters, and this book did not disappoint. The book is perfect for the beach with a storyline that is full of heart, but never too much. My favorite touch is that each chapter is the title of a song and there are fantastic tracks. Someone created a Spotify playlist, and I highly suggest putting it on while reading the book. It is literally the soundtrack of summer!!!
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025
Sweet Romance Beach Reads 2025
Plot
Katie Vaughn is a video producer about to lose her job. So she decides to take a job profiling a Coast Guard rescue swimmer named Hutch. The only problem is that Katie cannot swim- nothing she can’t fake, right? Next thing she knows, she is dealing with helicopter flights, conga lines, a rescue Great Dane, and Hutch’s Aunt Rue. She’s also facing her body issues head-on and helping Hutch reconnect with her boss, and his brother, Cole.
Trigger Warnings
Body Disorder
Why Kirsten loves it
I love the crazy antics of this book, the setting of the Florida Keys, and the quest for Katie to come into her own. Hutch is pretty dreamy, too. But my favorite part was Katie learning to accept and LOVE her body after the shameful way she had been body shamed in the past. #Gifted by Macmillan
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025
Plot
Zeke is home to buy his late father’s boat, while Lexi has no time for dating. A one-night stand seems perfect until neither of them tied the boat house to the dock, and they find themselves miles out at sea in the morning. Now, they are stuck together while they try and get back to shore.
Why Kirsten loves it
I love how Zeke and Lexi’s relationship developed throughout their time at sea. Not only were they compatible in a crisis, but their slow-burn chemistry was paced in a way that felt realistic to the situation. I would NOT recommend this book for those afraid of boats, but I think it’s a delightful romance worth throwing in your beach bag this summer! #gifted by PRH Audio
Find this book in: Boat Books / Best Beach Reads 2025
Steamy Romance Beach Reads 2025
Promise Me Sunshine
Author: Cara Bastone
Year: 2025
Genre: Romance
Spice Rating:đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
In this wonderful romance story, Bastone deals with the heavier topic of grief as our main character Lenny is still distraught by the death of her best friend. As a temporary nanny, she meets Miles, her charge’s uncle, who is newly involved in his half-sister’s life and looking to connect with his neice.
As Lenny helps Miles connect with his new family, he helps her tackle her grief head on, making himself available to her at all hours of the day when she’s at her lowest. Their love story grows from a place of truly seeing each other.
Trigger Warnings
Grief
Why Kirsten loves it
This book broke my heart and put it back together again. The tenderness and compassion I had for all the characters while reading this delightful story really speaks to the author’s talent. I cried numerous times while reading because their sorrow felt like my own and so did their happiness. It was a marvelous book.
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025 / Books About Grief
Say You’ll Remember Me
Author: Abby Jimenez
Year: 2025
Genre: Romance
More info: New York Times Bestseller
Spice Rating:đź’‹đź’‹đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
Samantha and Xavier’s meet-cute isn’t one you’ve ever read before. Her rescue kitten needs surgery for its bottom, and Xavier, the vet, isn’t exactly nice about how he delivers. After Samantha is able to fund the expensive surgery (and Xavier contributes to her go-fund me), she’s back in his office and he’s asking her on a date.
And what an EPIC first date it is. The catch? She’s moving to LA in the morning to help care for her mom, who is suffering from early-onset dementia, and he’s deeply in debt with the opening of his vet clinic. But they can’t seem to get one another out of their heads.
Trigger Warnings
Dementia, Mentions of Child Abuse
Why Kirsten loves it
I’m a recent convert to the Abby Jimenez craze, and this book didn’t disappoint! I cried, I giggled, I swooned. It was so nice to see a healthy relationship tackling something as relatable as the challenge of long distance. It’s a great one for the beach and has my favorite written first date ever! #gifted by PRH Audio
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025
Thriller Beach Reads 2025
Plot
Three longtime childhood friends reconnected via text and are finally getting together for a girl’s weekend in the Hamptons. But when someone they pulled a prank on during their weekend getaway is found murdered, May, Kelsey, and Lauren all begin to suspect each other of keeping secrets.
Why Kirsten likes it
The first thriller I read in 2025 is a definite contender for our yearly beach reads post. Between the setting and the quick pace, it’s a perfect one to throw in a beach bag. #gifted by PRH Audio
Find this book in: Books Set at the Beach / Best Beach Reads 2025
Plot
Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella are known as The Five by reporters and TikTokkers alike after they go missing from a small private college in Northern California, on parents’ weekend. What happened to them? Agent Keller is hoping to find out just that.
Told from the perspective of each family and Agent Keller, this beachy thriller has multiple points of view and a load of secrets to uncover. We see into each parent’s personal lives, the students in their current setting, and stories from their freshman year, and Agent Keller’s homelife in a way that adds depth to the story and keeps you guessing.
Why Kirsten loves it
Some books can’t pull off this many narrators, but Parents Weekend does. I loved learning about the secrets of each family, what baggage the kids are bringing with them into college, and how their past experiences shaped them at school. I could totally see this story being adapted as a TV series, it’s utterly addicting – an excellent beach read! #Gifted by Macmillan
Find this book in: Books Set in College / Best Beach Reads 2025
Mystery Beach Reads 2025
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man
Author: Jesse Q. Sutano
Year: 2025
Genre: Mystery
More info: Vera Wong #2
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range:15+
Plot
Vera has been living her best life since the body was found in her teahouse. Vera has maintained the relationships with everyone from the first book. Her son even has a girlfriend, officer Selena Gray. Vera is happy to help cat sit at Tilly and Selena’s place, and it’s not her fault that she finds a briefcase filled with cases. Even if she does have to spend 15 minutes picking the lock open.
And if one of those files just happens to be the body of a friend of a troubled young woman, how can she not help everyone and solve the case of his murder? As she investigates further, it seems nobody is telling the truth
Trigger Warnings
Spoiler: physical and emotional abuse
Why Jackie loves it
I felt like I learned so much about Vera in this book, and I love her even more than I did after the first book. This book deals with more serious topics but does so in a sensitive way. #gifted
Find this book in: April 2025 Book Releases / Best Beach Reads 2025
A Most Puzzling Murder
Author: Bianca Marais
Year: 2025
Genre: Not so Cozy Mystery
More info: Author of Hum if You Don’t Know the Words, one of Jackie’s Top 10 All-Time Favorite Books
December 2024 Beyond the Bookends Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Destiny Whip, an enigmatologist who has not left her house in a year, receives a mysterious job offer to be the Scruffmore family historian, a job she did not apply for. Try as she might, she can find no information about the family, but the invitation is a hidden message that promises to reveal family secrets. The best part? You, as the reader, get to partake in solving the clues.
Destiny is enticed by the idea of learning more about herself and follows the clues to Eerie Island. When she arrives, she discovers why the Island has the name “Eerie” and finds hidden messages, a looming murder, and a magical royal family. As her visions reveal a death that hasn’t happened, she must race to solve the mystery before it’s too late.
Why Jackie loves it
I love a great puzzle, and this book not only has that, but it also allows you to interact with Destiny via email if you need help solving the clues. I did this for the fun of the interaction! There is also some choose-your-own-adventure in the story. This is the most fun I have had reading a book in ages. I added sticky notes in the pages because, even though Marais encourages you to mark within the pages, I could not bring myself to do it. If you are reading digitally, there is a printable to help you work out the puzzles!
Find this book in: Cozy Mystery Books / Best Beach Reads 2025
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Beach Reads 2025
The Rose Bargain
Author: Sasha Peyton Smith
Year: 2025
Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
More info: Cruel Prince meets The Selection
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 16+
Plot
Think of this book as The Selection but with Fae! The queen has ruled for hundreds of years after she ended a war. Now, every citizen in England is granted one wish from the fae queen. Girls bargain for a gift to help them make a good match and men bargain for wealth and status. However, with each gift comes a price (like the tip of a pinky finger or a few teeth). This year the stakes are the highest because the fae prince is looking for a wife.
Ivy needs that match more than ever. Her sister made a bargain she cannot remember, and it has nearly destroyed her family. To save her family from ruin, Ivy will compete with other women to win the prince’s heart.
Why Jackie loves it
I immediately wanted to read this when I heard “The Selection”, but this book is sooo good with its unique storyline. I love the alternate English history rather than a dystopian setting. The characters in the book are fun to read and I could not put this book down. There were some unpredictable elements in the story that made it even more fun and I am already dying to read the next one.
Why Kirsten loves it
This is everything my ballgown-loving heart wanted it to be. I swooned over the romance, hated the main villian, and was utterly gobsmacked by the ending. I can’t wait for the sequel!!
Find this book in: Books Like The Selection / Adult and YA Fae Books / The Ultimate List of YA Fantasy Books / Books With Flowers in the Title / Best Beach Reads 2025
The Sirens
Author: Emilia Hart
Year: 2025
Genre: Fantasy
More info: April 2025 Good Morning America Book Club Pick
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range:16+
Plot
The story is told in three timelines. In 2019, Lucy wakes up from a dream to find she is strangling her ex-lover. When she flees to her older sister’s house on the coast of Australia, her sister, Jess, is missing. As she wonders if her sister is in danger and where she could have gone without her phone, she starts to hear rumors of strange things happening in the little town.
In 1999, Jess is a 16-year-old who had been diagnosed with a rare allergy to water. She is struggling to find her place and to express herself through her art.
In 1800, Twin sisters Mary and Eliza were forced onto a convict ship headed to Australia. They were told to stay away from the water after their mother drowned. On the horrible boat journey, they begin to feel a call to the water.
Trigger Warnings
Inappropriate student/ teacher relationship
Why Jackie loves it
Hart has a way of writing intricate relationships that feel authentic and alive. The multiple timelines never felt confusing and added to the need to turn the page. There is just enough fantasy to appeal to fantasy lovers, but not too much to scare away those who are not usually pulled to the genre. #gifted
Find this book in: Popular Nonlinear Narrative Novels / April 2025 Book Releases / Best Beach Reads 2025
Non-Fiction Beach Reads 2025
Raising Hare
Author: Chloe Dalton
Year: 2025
Genre: Memoir
More info: International Bestseller
Age Range: 14+
Plot
During the Covid lockdown, Chloe discovered a leveret, aka a baby hare, and decided to rescue it from death. She nursed it to health, working hard not to domesticate it, and watched it grow and thrive, eventually having babies of its own in her backyard in the English countryside.
Why Kirsten loves it
This cozy read is a bestseller in the UK for a reason. Chloe’s narrative was soothing and interesting as she details the hurdles and highlights of rescuing a leveret and watching it mature. I felt her compassion and care in her narrative — it gave me new respect for these wild creatures. #gifted by Penguin Random House
Find this book in: Nonfiction Animal Books / Best Beach Reads 2025
From Here to the Great Unknown
Author: Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
Genre: Nonfiction
Year: 2024
More info: October 2024 Oprah Book Club Pick
Age: 16+
Plot
Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir, lovingly finished by her daughter Riley upon her death, tells her story for the first time. Born to one of the most famous musicians in the world, she explores growing up at Graceland, her marriage to Michael Jackson, and what it was like living in the Hollywood scene.
Why Kirsten loves it
I was utterly enthralled by the audiobook version of this book. Julia Roberts narrates Lisa Marie’s words, Riley narrates her own voice, and there are recordings Lisa Marie made scattered throughout as well.
Since Lisa Marie passed before finishing this project, Riley’s words are woven throughout — finishing stories, giving context, and bringing her perspective to her mother’s version of events. Riley showed her mother so much grace and love while acknowledging how unique and difficult Lisa Marie’s life was.
Find this book in: Celebrity Memoirs / Giftable Books / Best Oprah’s Book Club Books / Best Beach Reads 2025
Young Adult Beach Reads 2025
Sunrise on the Reaping
Author: Suzanne Collins
Year: 2025
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
More info: Prequel to the Hunger Games
Age Range: 12+
Plot
This prequel to The Hunger Games is Haymitch’s story. It is the 50th annual Hunger Games, and in honor of the quarter quell, twice as many tributes will be selected. Haymitch just wants to make it through the day and be with the girl he loves, but instead, he is sent to the Capitol.
This is where Haymitch meets Effie and so many more characters from Catching Fire. There were glimpses of Hamitch’s games, and this heartbreaking novel puts it all front and center
Why Jackie loves it
This prequel to The Hunger Games gave me perspective on why Haymitch is the way he is- Lonely, miserable, drunk, and alone. If you thought the deaths in the previous Hunger Games books were sad, then be prepared to sob. I have a new understanding of President Snow and everything Haymitch ever said to Katniss about the Capitol and how to win the games. This was the book I needed to put the series into perspective for me.
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025
While We’re Young
Author: K.L. Walther
Year: 2025
Genre: YA Romance
More info: Bestselling author of Summer of Broken Rules!
Spice Rating:đź’‹
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This is a perfect pick for anyone who loves Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (and who doesn’t?). Grace, Isa, and Everett used to be inseparable until Everett broke up with Isa in Freshman year. The threesome never recovered. Now, Grace loves Everett and Isa is hanging out with James, Grace’s brother. When Grace decides to take a senior skip day she includes all the Philly greats in this epic day.
But will they be able to talk about the secrets they are keeping from each other? Will this be their last hurrah?
Trigger Warnings
Death of a parent, depression
Why Jackie loves it
This is everything I loved about Ferris Bueller and more. There were nods to the characters I loved so much from the movie, but there was also a much deeper look into the pressures on teens to be outstanding. These characters are fully developed and I loved their relationships with each other. Note that this does have references to a sexual encounter between two 18-year-old consenting characters.
Find this book in: Best Beach Reads 2025
Helpful Tips
- Pick your beach read based on the genre you are most interested in.
- Each of these books is engaging, but easily put down if you want to participate in beach or poolside activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good summer reads for 2025?
We have a list of dozens of selections, but our current favorites are:
1. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
2. The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith
3. Swept Away by Beth O’Leary
Depending on which genre you like, this is part one of a list of dozens of the best summer reads for 2025. So, whether you like fiction, fantasy, women’s fiction, or non-fiction, this list will have a book you love.
Related Content
Epilogue
What do you think of the beach reads 2025 list? Do you like the new way we are releasing them over 3 separate updates? Do you have any guesses for what will make the list later in the spring?
