My personal philosophy for beach reads follows a similar trend to my “swimsuit body” philosophy. You want a swimsuit body? Well, then put a swimsuit on your body. You’re done! Want a beach read? Then take a book and read it on the beach. Ta da!
That being said, there is something kind of wonderful about the idea of a book that’s a little lighter, but still engaging and just fun to read. I’m not going on any beach vacations this summer, but I’m sure some of you do…or you just want something a little lighter to read outside on the porch (while sipping on something cold…okay I may need to pause this post to go read). So here are some of my recommendations for some lighter, fun reads for the summer!
Sunday Book Club: Beach Reads
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Short summary: All of the love letters than Lara Jean has written to the boys she has had crushes on get mailed out.
I can’t say enough good things about this book. In fact, I’ve said so many good things about it, that I wrote a whole post dedicated to Jenny Han (the author). Check that out and then check this book out!
The Nest
Short summary: Siblings in a family have been counting on receiving their inheritance (nick-named “The Nest”) to solve all of their problems. Unfortunately an accident (in the first chapter) messes all of that up.
I was actually a little nervous to read this book. Why? Well I don’t have the best record with loving “books of the summer.” The Vacationers from last year? Meh. We Were Liars, the twist wasn’t mind-blowing. I think what I loved about The Nest though was that the characters were so well developed. You could equally sympathize and be annoyed with a character while just wanting to read more.
Attachments
Short summary: While monitoring emails (as part of his job), Lincoln starts to be captivated and entertained by the email correspondence of two friends.
This book is so cute! If I’m recommending something by Rainbow Rowell, I tend to go for her YA books, since I love them so much, but this book is the perfect light and funny beach reach.
The Assistants
Short summary: An executive assistant starts robbing her company to pay off her (and others) student loans.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to recommend it, because I had mixed feelings about it. Why? Well, everything that The Nest did, this book didn’t. It was really missing the meat and character development that I really want to get out of a story. But! (Yes there’s a but), this story is fun and an easy afternoon read. Plus, it’s always fun to think about what would happen if your student loans magically got paid off.
Twenties Girl
Short summary: The spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie appears and demands that Lara find a missing necklace. Sadie is feisty with firm options about fashion and love that she loves to share with Lara.
This book was a lot of fun. Sophie Kinsella’s main characters can sometimes grate on my nervous, but Sadie was that voice of reason for the main character that I always feel like is missing. It was a lot of fun to listen to Sadie and Lara sparring and see the road that Lara goes down to find this necklace.
Read Bottom Up
Short summary: A relationship told from beginning to end through emails.
Do you ever wonder what it would look like if you could not only see all of the emails you’ve been sending to your friend about your relationship but you could also read everything that your boyfriend is sending to his? This book tells the story of a relationship exactly like that. It was so interesting to hear the different interpretations of events and hear what’s really going on in the other person’s head.
The Royal Wedding
Short Summary: Mia from The Princess Diaries is getting married!
Was anyone else in love with The Princess Diaries series? If you weren’t, first go read those for fun. Then come back to me. Yes, I know that Mia got married in the second movie, but this book is a much more fun version of that (Plus, she’s marrying Michael in this one, not some rando). Even though it’s years later, Mia is still the entertaining, stubborn girl she was before.
The Rosie Project
Short Summary: A socially inept professor decides that it’s time for him to find a wife. While he’s on that hunt, he tries to help Rosie (a disqualified candidate) find her biological father.
Maybe it’s just because I have a soft spot for socially awkward people (love you, Carnegie Mellon), but I found this book so endearing. I repeatedly found myself laughing Don’s social ineptitude and how he would randomly find ways to turn it around and make it work for him.
What will you be reading this summer? Do you have a list of books you want to read? Let me know! I’m always looking for new book recommendations!
