Find Your Perfect Beach Read!

It’s officially beach season, and whether you’re looking for a swoony romance, an epic fantasy with a page-turning plot, or a book that will make you laugh out loud, we’ve got your perfect summer read! Keep reading to find your perfect match.

Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby

Wow, did this book have me laughing! I enjoyed this even more than Samantha Irby’s earlier books (who would have thought it could be possible?!) and I gobbled it up in just two days. Irby is truly one of the best humor writers out there. Read for hilarious and incredible essays on shitting in public, Sex and the City, lesbian nun sex, and more!

–Julia

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

I think this is the ultimate summer book. A group of fun, memorable girls, their dog, and the boy who lives next door to the cottage they’re renting for the summer combines to make an unforgettable book that will make you wish you were joining the unforgettable Penderwicks on vacation yourself.

—Camryn

The Guest by Emma Cline

This is highly propulsive fiction for the summertime! A young woman overstays her welcome at her sugardaddy’s house in the Hamptons. She gets the boot, and her slow crawl back to her former lover’s arms is a trainwreck--you can’t look away. This is the rich people behaving badly of White Lotus and the punishing heat of summer. You never know what’s going to happen next.

–Aatia

The Rings of Saturn by W. G. Sebald

This is the quintessential cold, cloudy, windworn, melancholic beach read to end all beach reads, where digressive waves again and again erode each narrative thread as the oceans erode the Suffolk coastline and oblivion erodes our collective memory. Read it with Brian Eno’s “Dunwich Beach, Autumn, 1964” on loop and you’re guaranteed to fall headlong into its meditative mire. Sensitively and skillfully translated by Michael Hulse.

–David

Best Men by Sidney Karger

Your next summer beach read! Perfect for a NYC beach day, this book follows Max Moody (a fitting last name—great for a *light* grumpy-sunshine-trope-lover) at a job he kind of hates, with a best friend who's getting married, and a fellow best-man who may or may not be taking over Max's role as gay-best-friend. With scenes in the Hamptons, Fire Island, the LES, and more, it's a perfect read for New Yorkers to feel right at home.

–Ali

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

A summer read for the epic fantasy lover! To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is all the things a good fantasy series opener should be—immersive, thoughtful, and so captivating that you can’t put it down. Plus there are dragons! This alternate history of New England and its colonization is the perfect beach fodder for fans of Babel and The House of the Dragon.

–Julia

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

This isn’t a traditional page turner, but reading about the girls and their different summers will make it so hard to put this book down, even if your friends are begging you to go swimming. As a plus, this also takes place in the summer, and it is so easy to imagine yourself falling into this friend group.

–Camryn

Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune

Meet Me at the Lake is a quintessential summer romance read. We’ve got a stunning summer backdrop, a second-chance romance, and laugh-out-loud shenanigans. A perfect romance novel to read and finish in one summer day.

–Genni

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

This is set in Brooklyn, and it features two famous writers/former lovers reuniting after years apart. What more could you want? It’s juicy and emotional and romantic. Absolutely all of the best things.

–Camryn

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Full offense, this is Christie’s best mystery. There’s nothing I’d rather read about than a fool going up against Poriot while I dig my toes in the sand.

–Bex

A Novel Obsession by Caitlin Barasch

Mystery, intrigue, stalking, but sadly no murder. I picked this up not really knowing what to expect, but it came recommended based on my call for a book that has "some suspense, but is maybe lighter than a thriller, sort or romantic but not too heavy, maybe murder, maybe not, some likable gray characters, and something to do with books!" This had it all. I was rooting for the main character, even through her many questionable choices. It'll make you want to move to Wales, write a book, and stalk an ex.

–Ali

Small Game by Blair Braverman

Looking for a bit of a thrill while relaxing on the beach? Look no further than Small Game, in which a group of contestants on a survival TV game show (think Survivor, Naked and Afraid) are abandoned in the wilderness when production halts. The book is an intense and fast-paced survival story with a bit of humor and romance; I read it in one sitting, and you will, too!

–Genni