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Consider this your definitive reading guide for whiling away those hot summer days.
10 Beach Reads to Keep You Entertained This Summer
Consider this your definitive reading guide for whiling away those hot summer days.
Picking a holiday read is such a fine art. You want to choose a book that is going to be
engrossing and captivating and that will occupy you no matter your location, whether you’re off to a beachside resort, a city break, a weekend escape in the country or even just a night off in a hotel staycation. But you also want something that isn't so serious that it will spoil your holiday.
Whether you’re after a romance story, a juicy memoir, or an engrossing novel, we’ve collated a list of fabulous reads to take away with you on your next vacation or that will simply take you on a literary adventure.
1. Dear Dolly: On Love, Life and Friendship by Dolly Alderton
We’ll read anything Dolly Alderton writes, and that includes this heart-warming book of advice, collected from her beloved column in the British newspaper The Sunday Times. In that column, Alderton answers questions from readers about everything from romance to relationships, singledom, fertility, family interactions and friendship. In trademark Alderton style, her responses are full of wit and wisdom and feel like hearing from your wisest big sister. We love this book and it makes for comforting reading for your next trip.
2. Elektra by Jennifer Saint
Fans of Greek mythology will swoon over ARIADNE author Jennifer Saint's latest novel. This captivating story serves as a feminist reimagination of the story of Helen of Troy through the lens of three women from the House of Atreus; Elektra, Cassandra, and Clytemnestra. Elektra is written lyrically and serves as an accessible yet highly intelligent retelling of Greek mythology.
3. Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados
The debut novel for Marlow Granados truly lives up to the name, and we felt happy every hour we spent reading it. If you're looking for a book that's audacious and beautifully written, this is the book for you. This captivating and fun novel of youth well spent shares the story of the escapades of a young woman in her 20s who has moved from London to New York City during the summer.
4. Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Nobody tells a story like Taylor Jenkins Reid, the author of books including Daisy Jones and the Six and Malibu Rising. Her newest book was published in September and follows Carrie Soto, a retired former tennis champion who comes back for one last tour. It’s such a fun and enjoyable read for anyone who loves tennis – one part of the book is even set at the Australian Open.
5. Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier
Set in suburban Los Angeles, this short novel tells the story of a troubled 18-year-old girl who is pregnant and confused. She becomes infatuated and obsessed with one of her pizza delivery customers, a stay-at-home mother who is new to the neighbourhood. It's a humorous and moving portrayal of a flawed young woman navigating her place in the world.
6. A Visible Man by Edward Enninful
We love taking a juicy memoir away with us for a holiday and this year it will be the first book from Edward Enninful, the editor of British Vogue. This book is phenomenal, charting his story as a young boy in Ghana all the way to the streets of London, where he became first a model and then a celebrated fashion stylist, best friends with Naomi Campbell and rising through the ranks of the style scene. Enninful has worked all around the world and seen it all, and this book is his way of telling his very unique and inspiring story. A must-read for fashion fans.
7. The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
This magical novel moves between postcolonial Cyprus and London, exploring themes of generational trauma and belonging. The book follows two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, who meet at a taverna on the island they both call home. The book also follows the journey of the family’s fig tree who plays a significant narrator role in the story.
8. It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
You’ve seen it all over TikTok and Instagram, now’s your chance to dig into the sensation that is Colleen Hoover yourself. The American author has published some 18 books, all of them bestsellers, and all of them climbing the charts courtesy of their popularity on TikTok. Every one of her books is a juicy, compelling romance and this one is no different. Technically, it’s a sequel to one of her earlier novels but that’s no problem. The story tells the events of a romance from one partner’s perspective, so you can start fresh here – and read the prequel next if you find yourself truly engrossed.
9. Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan
Perhaps one of the best summer reads of all time, and only a small novella, so you can race through it over the course of a single afternoon. Set during a summer in the south of France, when a precocious teenager joins her womaniser father at their house by the coast, it’s got a little bit of everything you could want in a summer read: love, family drama, ritzy parties and the glittering ocean. Addictive and glamorous and oh so chic.
10. Love Marriage by Monica Ali
Monica Ali is the celebrated author of Brick Lane who returned to the bestseller shelf this year for the first time in a decade with Love Marriage, an unputdownable read about a young South Asian woman and her accomplished doctor boyfriend trying to overcome the hurdles put in place by both their families as they journey towards the aisle. This is a love story but a modern one, about the ways we love and live, with our partners and our families, in the world today. It’s beautifully written, very clever and endlessly inspiring, with plenty of topics for a book club to sink their teeth into.
