Nine of the best beach reads you can soak up in an afternoon – The Hollywood Reporter

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.

During the summer, listening to a good book for hours on end is a major holiday activity. Now is the season of all-day beach trips, fending off sunburn and getting lost in a page-turning novel that transports you to another world.

Related: The best tablet for reading

Even if you can’t make it to the beach, a good beach read will immerse you in the story telling, whether you’re hooked on the Lady Whistledown gossip in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton or settle down at Cape Cod-inspired Cousins ​​Beach in author Jenny Han’s Amazon series, Summer I Be Beautiful. If you’ve skimmed both of those titles or you’re looking for a new one, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best beach books that are perfect for enjoying some self-care while enjoying the rays of the sun. the sun (or in the shade).

From memoirs and historical fiction to murder mysteries and romances, check out our top picks of both new and previously released titles you might have missed out on. accolades from bookworms like Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Hailey Bieber. And if you’re looking to go paperless, most of these novels are also available for download as e-books for Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite and other nerd-friendly tablets, or as books. say Audible.

first. Hook, rope and float by Tessa Bailey

Suggesting a sequel instead of the original is extremely unlike me; however, Tessa Bailey surpassed herself in Hook, rope and float (Avon), the second book in the Bellinger Sisters series. The quirky and amusing Hannah Bellinger returns to Westport, the small, coastal fishing town of Washington, to shoot a tough indie movie, or so she says. Following Hannah’s personal and professional growth, it feels like checking in with a friend – and the cynical scenes aren’t too bad either!

2. Find me by Viola Davis

Critically acclaimed actress and producer Viola Davis details her life’s trials, tribulations, and successes in her 304-page memoir, Find me (HarperOne). From abusive family relationships to racist interactions with Hollywood executives, the lessons learned from Davis’ traumatic experiences make people more respectable about hard work. her determination and talent. Also, it was Oprah Winfrey who reviewed the back cover – I immediately agreed.

3. Summer I became beautiful by Jenny Han

Now an original Amazon Prime Video series, Summer I became beautiful latest books from New York Times Best-selling author Jenny Han (yes To all the boys I’ve loved before has also been adapted into a Netflix movie). Readers will be transported to the fictional Cousins ​​Beach in this coming-of-age story that will transport you back to your own summer of teenage love.

4. Evelyn Hugo’s Seven Husbands by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s New York Times bestselling novels, Evelyn Hugo’s Seven Husbands (Washington Square Press), took the world by storm after going viral on #BookTok. Discovered on TikTok on Hailey Bieber’s lap, it follows the lives of Monica and Evelyn in 1950s Hollywood. If you’re like TikTok user/book lover @katiiemcdougal, have some tissues ready to pass. through the final stretch!

5. A day in December by Josie Silver

A book approved by Reese’s Book Club, New York Times best seller A day in December (Ballantine Books) is set in winter London and tackles every friendship nightmare – sharing one heart. Author Josie Silver takes us along as Laurie struggles to support her best friend Sarah while falling in love with Jack, Sarah’s boyfriend.

6. Couple next door by Shari Lapena

This murder mystery sparked my book club’s brief obsession with mystery novels. Without spoiling too much, Shari Lapena adds a ton of twists and turns around the classic fear of raising a missing child in this 336-page thriller, Couple next door (Penguin). The complicated journey to find the missing baby Cora unfolds a complicated plot, unexpected suspects and limitless emotions.

7. When Dimple meets Rishi by Sandhya Menon

There is nothing healthier and more enjoyable than young love. Sandhya Menon’s New York Times best seller When Dimple meets Rishi follows two Indian-American teenagers, Dimple and Rishi, as they face cultural expectations, traditional parents, and the transition to college. Can the rebellious Dimple find the love of the traditional Rishi as their parents wanted? No matter what happens, I’m on Dimple’s side.

8. The wife among us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

If you like Lost Girl, you’ll love this 432-page novel about the intricacies of marriage from the point of view of divorced Vanessa, ex-husband Richard, and his new fiancé, Nellie. Co-authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s Fast-paced The wife among us take off with haunting twists that begin slowly and gradually rise to a climax.

9. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Every “girl next door” is meant to overcome the dark side, right? Well, the mysteriously rich and chronically ill Chloe Brown took action and hired a tutor to help her make the most of life and experience as much as possible – it made him irresistible. Okay. Get a Life, Chloe Brown is the first of three from Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters romance series.

ten. In the dark by Loreth Anne White

Agatha Christie fans can rejoice over this modern adaptation of Christie’s classic mystery, And then there’s no one here. In 411 pages by author Anne White In the darkeight strangers seem to end up on a “luxury” getaway on a remote island but quickly discover that their quick vacation is more than a nightmare.