7 Of The Best Beach Reads To Bring With You On Your Next Vacation
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Let’s set the scene. You’re lying on the sand, the sun warming your skin as you crack open your latest book and it’s a real page-turner. You can’t stop reading this thing. It transports you to true and utter bliss as you listen to the waves and sip a tropical cocktail. It’s the dream. And we can help you achieve it with this list of the best books to read on your beach vacation.
When you’re chilling on the Florida shore (or in the Hamptons or on the California coast), you want something light, just the right amount of fluffy, yet still smart. Summer books are all about that balance. You want something witty, maybe a love story, maybe a mystery, something you can giggle about with your best friend — after you make her read it, too, of course. Here are some of our favorite beach reads, from brand-new books to old standby favorites.
1. Tangerine by Christine Mangan
What it’s about: Set in Tangier, it’s a tale of friendship meets identity theft — a wild thriller to satisfy your craving for more books like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl.
Why it’s the perfect beach read: It’s about to be a movie starring Scarlett Johannsen, so you know this will be on the book club list soon. Get ahead of the curve.
2. Sex and Rage by Eve Babitz
What it’s about: A California novel (with little bits of NYC sprinkled in), this story follows Jacaronda through the 1970s party scene as an it-girl, chronicling her failed romances and friendships as she tries to figure out what to do with her life.
Why it’s the perfect beach read: It was written in 1979 but feels like it could have been written by a fellow millennial woman living in 2018.
3. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
What it’s about: The book starts with a broken elevator (as all great love stories do). The main character Alexa agrees to pretend to be a hot-shot surgeon’s fake girlfriend. From there, the fake relationship saga blooms into a charming tale.
Why it’s the perfect beach read: This book is a classic rom-com. If you love everything from Nora Ephron’s library, you’ll be sucked into this novel.
4. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
What it’s about: In case you don’t know the plot from the Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway movie adaption, this book is a chatty exposé and coming of age story set in the world of high fashion magazines in New York City.
Why it’s the perfect beach read: Have you seen the movie? The book is even more fun because you get to know the characters on an even deeper level. Plus, the work talk won’t stress you out ‘cuz you’re on vacayyy.
5. The Bucket List: A Novel by Georgia Clark
What it’s about: The main character finds out, at just 25 years old, that she has the BCRA1 “cancer gene.” She decides to get a preventative double mastectomy but creates a “boob bucket list” to accomplish before the surgery.
Why it’s the perfect beach read: It’s totally sexy (and sex-positive) and will make you think kindly of your own body — something that can be challenging for a lot of us when we hit the beach.
6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
What it’s about: This college tale raises moral questions and probably chills across your spine as the book tells the story of a murder at an elite East Coast school.
Why it’s the perfect beach read: It’s a modern classic by a stellar author (Tartt won a Pulitzer Prize for her recent novel The Goldfinch) that will capture your attention.
7. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
What it’s about: Math whiz Stella, inexperienced at love at 30 years old, hires an escort to help her practice all things involved with dating.
Why it’s the perfect beach read: It’s inclusive (the main character has Asberger’s), original and will make you smile as you’re reading it from pure sweetness.
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