This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, Sass Magazine may receive a small commission at no cost to you. We only suggest products we love!
Summer is the time of year that literally begs you to kick off your flip-flops, spread out your towel, and dive into a stack of the best beach reads for summer. From juicy romances and sharp thrillers to thought-provoking literary gems, these buzzy new releases are made for poolside lounging, long weekend escapes, and those sweet moments when your out-of-office is finally on. This is your ultimate list of summer beach read book recommendations—no overthinking required.
You Might Also Be Interested In:
Best Beach Reads for Summer 2025
Here’s our favorite beach reads of 2025—perfect for sunny days and ocean breezes. Dive in and enjoy!
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Genre: Romance
For someone who likes: Every Summer After and nostalgic second-chance love
When Alice returns to Barry’s Bay, she’s reunited with the boy from an old photograph—now grown, gorgeous, and impossible to ignore. Ultimately, this beach read is a sun-soaked, heart-squeezing romance about the one that never quite left your memory.
BUY IT!The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
Release Date: July 8, 2025
Genre: Fantasy Romance
For someone who likes: Fourth Wing or A Court of Thorns and Roses
An assassin falls ill and must turn to a healer from a rival magical order. Meanwhile, with a deadly plague spreading and sparks flying, this enemies-to-lovers romantasy is full of tension, magic, and slow-burn attraction.
BUY IT!
Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood
Release Date: May 27, 2025
Genre: Romantic Comedy
For someone who likes: The Spanish Love Deception and destination weddings gone rogue
Maya is a flustered grad student, Conor is her older brother’s best friend, and unfortunately…he’s also the brooding biotech hottie she can’t stop thinking about. Now, trapped together in a Sicilian villa during a chaotic wedding week, their forbidden chemistry crackles like an Aperol spritz on the verge of spilling. This beach read is the perfect mix of heat, humor, and heart.
BUY IT!Summer in the City by Alex Aster
Release Date: March 25, 2025
Genre: Romantic Comedy
For someone who likes: The Hating Game and big city enemies-to-lovers vibes
A screenwriter with writer’s block and a billionaire ex-hookup-turned-neighbor clash (and spark) in a glittery NYC summer. Naturally, it’s sharp, sexy, and packed with banter—the rom-com equivalent of a rooftop cocktail.
BUY IT!
With a Vengeance by Riley Sager
Release Date: June 10, 2025
Genre: Thriller / Historical Mystery
For someone who likes: Murder on the Orient Express, slow-burn revenge, and twisty cat-and-mouse games
Anna Matheson boards a 1950s luxury train with one mission: confront six people who destroyed her family—and make them pay. However, when another killer starts picking off passengers, she must unravel the plot faster than the train can reach Chicago or end up as collateral on her own quest for justice. This thrilling beach read will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
BUY IT!Fox by Joyce Carol Oates
Release Date: June 17, 2025
Genre: Literary Thriller / Psychological Suspense
For someone who likes: The Secret History, morally gray charmers, and dark academia meets true crime
When a charismatic teacher vanishes from an elite boarding school and body parts are discovered in the woods, suspicion swirls like fog through the ivy. Meanwhile, with Francis Fox’s backstory as unsettling as his smile, this twisty, addictive novel is as elegantly written as it is disturbingly unforgettable.
BUY IT!
Sounds Like Love by Ashley Poston
Release Date: June 17, 2025
Genre: Magical Realism / Romance
For someone who likes: The Dead Romantics, musical soulmates, and slow-burn summer longing
Joni is a hit songwriter who can’t seem to write, until a haunting melody—and the mysterious musician tied to it—pulls her back home to the fading beach town she once fled. Along the way, with a touch of the magical and a whole lot of heart, this music-fueled summer romance asks: what if the song stuck in your head is actually your destiny?
BUY IT!The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick
Release Date: June 17, 2025
Genre: Speculative Fiction / Literary Fiction
For someone who likes: The Measure, emotional journeys like The Midnight Library, and road trips of the heart
In a surreal California desert, a controversial clinic offers patients a chance to sleep through their grief—literally. Meanwhile, as four strangers and one little dog head west with aching hearts and hidden secrets, this poignant novel becomes a hopeful meditation on healing, human resilience, and the mysterious paths we take to find peace. This beautifully written beach read invites you to reflect and find comfort with every page.
BUY IT!
Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell
Release Date: June 24, 2025
Genre: Domestic Thriller / Psychological Suspense
For someone who likes: Behind Closed Doors, The Last Thing He Told Me, and mysterious men who are too good to be true
When a grieving widow reconnects with an old friend, her daughter’s instincts scream that something is off. At the same time, a nearby wife begins to suspect her husband is hiding more than frequent business trips. With three women, one man, and a web of secrets ready to snap, this summer thriller will have you side-eyeing every handsome stranger in a linen shirt.
BUY IT!The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
Release Date: June 24, 2025
Genre: Literary Fiction / Coming-of-Age
For someone who likes: Nightcrawling or The Mothers
After Adela is sent to rural Florida, she finds sisterhood among teen moms defying expectations and raising kids from the back of a red truck. Ultimately, gritty, lyrical, and full of heart, this is a fierce story of survival and found family.
BUY IT!
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst
Release Date: July 8, 2025
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction / Survival Memoir
For someone who likes: Into the Wild or Unbroken
In 1972, a couple set sail to escape it all—then a whale strike left them adrift in the Pacific. As a result, this true survival story is part shipwreck thriller, part raw portrait of love at its breaking point.
BUY IT!A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Release Date: July 15, 2025
Genre: Fantasy / Cozy Magical Fiction
For someone who likes: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Legends & Lattes, and stories where found family is the real magic
Exiled and magic-less, Sera Swan runs a quirky enchanted inn—and maybe, just maybe, gets a second chance at power, love, and belonging. Along the way, whimsical, warm, and full of charm (plus a talking fox).
BUY IT!
A Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan
Release Date: July 15, 2025
Genre: Historical Fantasy / Wartime Adventure
For someone who likes: A Discovery of Witches, The Night Circus, or World War II stories with a magical twist
As WWII erupts, Lydia Polk is thrust into a dangerous mission to find a deadly grimoire before Nazi witches use it to tip the war. Combining espionage, ancient magic, and feminist firepower, this propulsive fantasy will have you cheering for spell-casting saboteurs and holding your breath with every step into occupied France.
BUY IT!Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
Release Date: August 26, 2025
Genre: Southern Thriller / Suspense
For someone who likes: Where the Crawdads Sing, Sharp Objects, and family secrets buried in the heat
Two decades after her sister’s disappearance, investigative journalist Claire returns to South Carolina and takes a summer job at a vineyard—only to discover a diary that may link her family’s tragedy to a string of hidden crimes. Meanwhile, equal parts slow-burning and spine-tingling, this twisty thriller simmers with Southern heat and long-forgotten secrets.
BUY IT!
So whether you’re jetting off to a tropical paradise, road-tripping to the coast, or simply soaking up sunshine in your backyard, these beach reads are ready to keep you company. Toss one (or a few) in your beach bag, find your favorite sunny spot, and get lost in a story that feels like vacation. From page-turning thrillers to swoon-worthy romances, there’s a beach read here for every kind of summer mood. Happy reading!
Shaylynn Marks
Shaylynn Marks has a BFA in Creative Writing, with poetry and prose published through several journals and sold internationally. She was awarded Runner-Up for Poet of the Year with Poetic Anarchy Press. When she doesn't have a pen in hand, you can find her with a guitar or paintbrush!
Subscribe so you don’t miss a post
Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates!