“Beach reads” get a bad rap, but there’s not much else I’d rather be doing than enjoying a good book in the sunshine. So whether it’s fluffy or scandalous or a total thrill ride, “beach bag books” isn’t a literary value judgment, it’s about whether or not it’s a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.
Among my beach bag books, there’s romance and women’s fiction of course, but there’s contemporary fiction and a thriller, too. Some titles are available now, some will be available in July and August to keep you reading in style the whole way through the sunny (and not so sunny days ahead). If 10 isn’t enough, check out My May Must Reads for more.
AVAILABLE NOW
If you’re a mega-fan of 90s rom-coms, you and Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey are M-F-E-O. Made For Each Other. It’s a supercute (and totally self-aware) homage to the genre, with nods to everything from Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally to Notting Hill to The Wedding Singer. Annie is a freelance writer whose whole perspective on relationships is shaped by the rom-coms she grew up watching with her mom. She’s watched You’ve Got Mail 100 times and can quote it on command. Annie meets Drew Danforth on a movie set in Columbus, Ohio. Can she find a real life HEA like the heroines in her favorite movies? Full review.
Get Waiting for Tom Hanks at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon | Apple Books
I’m doing a new thing where I read three or four chapters to get a feel for a book if I haven’t read the author before. With A Beach Wish, Shelly Noble totally hooked me with a story that takes place in a New England beach town. Zoe Bascombe goes to spread her mother’s ashes and finds out her garden club mother had more secrets than she imagined.
Get A Beach Wish at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon | Add it on Goodreads
JULY BEACH BAG BOOKS
Release Date: July 2, 2019
Andrea Dunlop’s latest takes us to Buenos Aires. In WE CAME HERE TO FORGET, elite American skier Katie Cleary loses everything and takes off for Argentina, where as the blurb says, “she reinvents herself, meets a colorful group of ex-pats, and becomes enmeshed with a man keeping dark secrets of his own.” Based on recent press, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, a disorder in which people pretend others are sick or sometimes cause that illness, plays a role in the book. I’m headed to a book talk and signing on this one on July 2.
Get We Came Here to Forget on Amazon | Add it on Goodreads
Release Date: July 2, 2019
How about a thriller set against Chicago’s theater scene? I discovered Layne Fargo listening to the Unlikeable Female Characters podcast and I can’t wait to dive into her debut, TEMPER.
Kira Rascher finally gets her big break, starring in a show for Malcolm Mercer, a tempermental director “who’s known for pushing his performers past their limits—onstage and off,” according to the blurb. But Malcolm isn’t all Kira has to contend with. Theater co-founder Joanne Cuyler has her own agenda and ambitions.
Goodreads reviews so far are throwing out words like dark, insidious, gritty, twisty, wicked, intense. Sign me up.
Get TEMPER on Amazon
Release Date: July 16, 2019
Theo and Maddie may be Alexa’s best friends, but they barely tolerate each other. An accidental night together wouldn’t be that big of a deal, if they weren’t both in Alexa’s bridal party. The attraction doesn’t go away, and they both agree that whatever this is ends after the wedding. Then, the wedding dates moves up and their fling will be ending sooner than either of them thought. Enemies-to-lovers, a finite timeframe and a wedding, this one’s a beach bag book for sure.
Get THE WEDDING PARTY at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon
Release Date: July 16, 2019
Eddie’s six months out of prison and trying to get his life on track. He meets Carmen at a restaurant where she’s a chef and Eddie attempts to be a dishwasher. Then, they both get fired.
Mia Hopkins keeps it sexy in the second book in her Eastside Brewery series, wrapping Eddie and Carmen’s romance in a story that’s ultimately about culture, community and the happily ever after we all deserve. Full review on this one is coming closer to its July 16 pub date.
The first book in the series, THIRSTY, follows Eddie’s brother, Sal. It’s a screaming hot romance about two people who are just trying to keep their lives on track with the hand they’ve been dealt. You can grab that one now.
Get TRASHED on Amazon | Add it on Goodreads
Release Date: July 23, 2019
J. Ryan Stradal takes us back to the Midwest in THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA. A family inheritance drives two sisters apart. Helen, the sister given the money, builds a wildly successful brewery, while Edith, the other sister is barely making it, baking pies and working at a local nursing home. When Edith’s granddaughter gets a job at a brewery, it creates an opportunity for the women to overcome their differences and heal the rift. The LAGER QUEEN has already earned a starred review from Kirkus.
Stradal has a knack for memorable characters, I loved his first novel KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST, so I can’t wait to meet Helen and Edith. I mean, beer, pie and memorable Midwest women? I’m in.
Get THE LAGER QUEEN ON MINNESOTA on Amazon | Add it on Goodreads
AUGUST BEACH BAG BOOKS
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Rhiannon Hunter is the creator of Crush, an up and coming dating app. Samson Lim, is a former pro football player spokesman for a rival app, and he happens to be a guy who swiped right, hooked up, and then ghosted Rhiannon three months ago. Unexpectedly, they bump into each other at a conference party. Is a second chance in the playbook? Or will Rhiannon eject him from the game?
I got an early look at this one, and in the just the first couple of chapters, you know this one’s got the smarts, the sass, and the sexy.
Get THE RIGHT SWIPE at The Ripped Bodice | Amazon
Release Date: August 12, 2019
Playing House, the first book in Ruby Lang’s new Uptown series, features an Asian-American hero and heroine who are city planners in a fake relationship, posing as husband and wife. And as they geek out together over architecture and real estate, the ruse starts to feel like something real. If you love some House Hunters and HGTV in general, it sounds like this one might be for you.
Get Playing House on Amazon | Add it on Goodreads
Release Date: August 20, 2019
Cooper Endicott is running for mayor, but he’s got one big problem around town: his reputation as a Casanova. Emma is enlisted to run his campaign and help revamp his reputation. She knows his game all too well, so it’s the last thing she wants to do. But as these two spend more time together, could they be falling for…each other? It sounds like a typical small town political romance, but this one has a modern sensibility, great banter and plenty of laughs.
Get ON THE CORNER OF LOVE AND HATE on Amazon | Add it on Goodreads
