Best Beach Reads 2021
The Guncle by Steven Rowley: Patrick, also known as GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) is the fun uncle to his niece and nephew. But after tragedy strikes, his role with the children will change drastically. An adjustment for all three, Patrick is forced to change his lifestyle when his new parental role turns out far more challenging than the one he plays on a sitcom. Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand: Famous author Vivian Howe is killed in a hit-and-run and sent to the “Beyond,” where she meets Martha, her assigned person to assist with the transition. Martha gives Vivian the opportunity to watch one last summer, offering three opportunities to control the outcome of certain events. From the Beyond, Martha watches her family struggle, but her greatest worry is her final manuscript, which contains a secret from her own youth—one that could be disastrous for her reputation. Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert: Eve Brown is a disaster with a lifeline streak of bad luck. Jacob Wayne is a perfectionist bed and breakfast owner. Do opposites really attract? Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Author of TV-bound Daisy Jones & the Six, Reid welcomes you to 1980s California, during which four siblings—the offspring of notorious singer/playboy Mick Riva—throw their annual end-of-summer party (even Rob Lowe has attended). But before the ill-fated night goes up in flames (literally), generations of secrets, loves and yearnings will come bubbling to the surface. God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney: Luke Nolan is a famous North Texas evangelical preacher with the perfect family…or so it seems. Just five weeks before his eldest daughter’s wedding, Luke’s secrets come to light, revelations that force two of his daughters to flee from the chaos to a ranch inherited from their grandmother. Free from family drama, the sisters will decide which familial bonds are worth breaking. Skye Falling by Mia McKenzie: Best described as a queer, black Fleabag set in Philadelphia, this favorite summer read follows Skye, who is tracked down by a 12-year-old girl years after selling her eggs and pocketing the cash. This girl, “her egg,” makes Skye realize that having a meaningful relationship with another human might not be a bad idea. The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton: Evangelina Cisneros is being held prisoner in Havana. Grace Herrington is a reporter determined to free her. And Marina Perez works undercover for the Cuban revolutionaries. But all three women must come together as war breaks out. Just One Look by Lindsay Cameron: After a tumble down the corporate ladder, Cassie Woodson is stuck reviewing emails for a lawsuit when she stumbles upon a personal correspondence between the law firm’s partner and his wife. Curiosity turns into obsession as Cassie realizes she doesn’t just idolize the wife, she’s capable of doing anything necessary to replace her. Tell Me the Truth by Matthew Farrell: Susan Adler and her partner Liam Dwyer show up to a crime scene where an 18-year-old girl has been brutally murdered. But what’s different about this crime? Every single person in the young woman’s life has motive for her death–and each one holds a deadly secret. While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory: Another rom-com addition to the Guillory-verse follows ad-man Ben and movie star Anna, who script a Hollywood romance for the sake of the spotlight. But when will they realize it’s no longer an act? Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev: As California’s first Indian gubernatorial candidate, Yash Raje has one mantra in life: control your feelings and you can control the world. But when disaster strikes and Yash’s control takes a backseat, there’s only one person his family trusts to help: India Dashwood, the woman he hasn’t seen since their magical night together ten years prior. The Godmothers by Camille Aubray: Why do we love Camille Aubray’s The Godmothers? This feminist mafia tale set in World War II-era Greenwich Village follows four women who married into an opulent Italian family and who must take over the business when their husbands are called to serve. The Paper Palaceby Miranda Cowley Heller: A 50-year-old happily married mother of three has an affair with her childhood love. Over a single Cape Cod summer day (and decades of flashbacks to loves, lies and secrets), she’ll decide whether or not to upend her life. XOXO by Axie Oh: Jenny is a cello prodigy whose one goal is to get into a prestigious music conservatory. The only thing able to get in her way thus far is a handsome man and a night of adventure that goes south when the man mysteriously disappears the next day. Months later when Jenny travels to South Korea to care for her ill grandmother, Jenny finds out why her mystery man disappeared: he’s part of one of the biggest K-pop groups. Between Jenny’s dreams and him being constantly in the public eye, this unconventional romance might not be in the stars after all. Her Last Breath by Hilary Davidson: Caroline sends her sister Deirdre a message before her death: Theo killed his first wife and has gotten away with it and I’m next. After Caroline’s death, Deirdre attends her funeral and confronts Theo only to hear Theo’s side of the story; Caroline was the one having an affair and is not the person we all thought she was. As Deirdre investigates more into who her beloved sister really was, she questions if she or anyone knew the real Caroline. The Ice Swan by J’nell Ciesielski: Wynn MacCallan is a surgeon and the second son of a Scottish duke. After a minor injury brings Princess Svetlana Dalsky under his scalpel, Wynn quickly falls in love with Svetlana, even though she and her family have been forced into hiding in Paris after fleeing the Russian Revolution. In order to protect herself and her family, Svetlana agrees to marry Wynn in hopes that safety will force her to fall in love with him, but, as Paris becomes dangerous territory, the couple wonders if they will ever get a chance to find out. The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams: Mukesh is a widower who lives a quiet lifestyle watching documentaries while his granddaughter Priya spends all her time in her room reading. Hoping to connect with Priya, Mukesh goes to the library and meets Aleisha, a teenager working at the library who hopes she can help Mukesh connect with Priya by passing along a list of books she herself found in the library; a list that provided her the escapism she needed from a painful lifestyle at home. Hoping that the list helps Mukesh, soon the two wayward souls develop a friendship that might just save them both. Shoulder Season by Christina Clancy: The winter of 1981 is about to heat up for Sherri Taylor, a 19-year-old who is uncomfortable in her own skin and alone after her parents’ tragic death. Trading in her church organ for stilettos, Sherri quickly moves into the Playboy Resort for a once-in-a-lifetime experience as a bunny. When she finds herself in a love triangle (and a tragedy that’ll haunt her for the rest of her life), she realizes the glitz and glamour isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The Portrait of a Mirror by A. Natasha Joukovsky: Vivien and Dale are the perfect couple with a wedding date on the horizon living in Philadelphia. Wes and Diana are a privileged New York couple who don’t always agree. When Diana and Vivien cross paths and the two couples become entangled, the summer of 2015 is sure to be one that will not be easily forgotten in this modern retelling of the myth of Narcissus. The Tiger Mom’s Tale by Lyn Liao Butler: Lexa Thomas has always felt like an outsider in her family feeling like she’s either judged for not being Asian enough or not white enough. The only comfort she’s found was when visiting her father in Taiwan. After her father’s unexpected death, he leaves Lexa with the decision to revisit her Taiwanese family. With a cast of characters including two half-sisters who hate one another, a mother, and a man who makes her heart flutter, Lexa returns to Taiwan to face the truth about one summer that changed everything. The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones: What happens when a destination wedding goes all wrong? Welcome to the sunny coast of Portugal, where six friends, including the bride and groom, learn that everyone’s keeping secrets—and a few hidden agendas The Therapist by B.A. Paris: Alice and Leo are off to a great start after moving into a new house in a gated community, but curiosity turns into obsession when Alice begins to investigate what happened to Nina, the therapist who lived in the house before them. Alice’s investigation takes her down a dark path, and each neighbor in this wealthy community holds deadly secrets. So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park: Jessie Kim has lost her job for two reasons: she is a woman and she is Asian. After a heated speech telling everyone exactly how she feels, she moves back to her hometown in Tennessee to live with her parents. Not soon after returning home, she runs into Daniel Choi, a lawyer and her childhood nemesis. Although the two were once enemies, Jessie reluctantly accepts Daniel’s help to relaunch her Korean cooking channel on YouTube, but just as she begins to let her guard down, their rivalry to sparks back up. Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley: Kara Sullivan is a romance author and Bookstagrammer who hasn’t had the best luck in the love department. With her best friend’s wedding approaching and the deadline for her next book right around the corner, this is the absolute worst time for her first love, Ryan, to show up. The good news? The closer she gets to Ryan, the more her creativity sparks. Will Kara get the happy ending she writes about? Everyman by M. Shelly Conner: Everyman is a story about a woman who travels to Georgia in search of the truth about her parents; her mother died during childbirth and she never knew her father. This is a multigenerational story that beautifully deals with history, race, love and loss. If You, Then Me by Yvonne Woon: Xia is a technical prodigy bored of her everyday life. That is, until she finds an app incubator in Silicon Valley and quickly realizes the world has so much to offer. Dive into this coming-of-age rom-com from teen author Yvonne Woon. Next, 25 LGBTQ books for Pride Month that Inform and entertain.
