The Ultimate Beach Reads List for 2026
Beach Reads that Bring the Sunshine
We may finally be past the polar vortex with high temperatures in the negatives here in Wisconsin, but I’m still daydreaming of a tropical beach getaway somewhere warm enough that my coffee doesn’t freeze on the walk to the car.
If you’re one of the lucky few who actually gets to escape this winter or spring, I am beyond jealous. Truly. Please send photos of turquoise water and fruity drinks with umbrellas.
I’ll be staying here for now, wrapped in a blanket burrito, reading by the fireplace but that doesn’t stop me from planning my perfect stack of beach reads for 2026. A great book is the cheapest plane ticket I know.
And if you loved It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey with its small town charm, grumpy fisherman hero, forced proximity, banter, and heat, you already know the vibe we’re chasing: Sunshine. Swoony tension. Big feelings. Low stress. And maybe a little spice to match the weather.
Let’s talk about what actually makes a good beach read.
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What makes a perfect beach read?
When I’m packing my pool bag or pretending my couch is a cabana, here’s what I look for:
Tropical or summery setting
If I’m sitting poolside or beachside, I want the book to match the vibe. Give me salty air, small coastal towns, boats, beach houses, or European escapes. I want to feel the sun on my face even if I’m reading under a blanket.
Rom-com energy
Vacation brain does not want emotional devastation. I want banter. Chaos. Fake dating. Forced proximity. Grumpy meets sunshine. Think Tessa Bailey and Meghan Quinn levels of fun.
Adventure or escape
Road trips. Cruises. New jobs abroad. Reality shows. Lake houses. Take the main character out of her regular life and toss her somewhere new with a cute stranger. Instant serotonin.
Spice level flexibility
Sometimes I want low spice and emotional slow burn. Sometimes I want “why is this book fanning me harder than the sun.” Both are valid beach energy.
So if It Happened One Summer is your gold standard, here are the best beach reads to toss in your tote.
The Best Beach Reads to Pack in 2026
Rules for the Summer by Meghan Quinn
Vibe: small town chaos, neighbors, forced proximity, candy shop dreams
Summary
Renley returns home determined to save her late father’s failing candy shop and prove she is more than the town’s favorite cautionary tale. She has a plan, a budget, and exactly zero interest in distractions. Then Theo moves in next door.
Theo is polished, wealthy, and accidentally engaged after a drunken dare. Now he is hiding out for the summer with expensive shoes, zero life skills, and an inconvenient desire to help Renley fix everything.
Between sanding floors, battling town gossip, and sharing way too many close quarters, their rivalry turns into something softer and much more dangerous. What starts as a summer project slowly morphs into feelings neither of them planned for.
Why it’s a great beach read
This one is classic Meghan Quinn chaos. Banter, hijinks, nosy neighbors, and romantic tension that practically sweats off the page. It’s funny, fast, and ridiculously bingeable. Perfect for reading between sunscreen reapplications.
Love Ahoy By Jo Lyons
Vibe: cruise ship romance, workplace antics, slapstick humor
Summary
Maddie signs up to work as a holiday rep on a sunny Turkish cruise, which is wildly out of character for her. Within hours she is juggling demanding guests, missing jewelry, crew drama, and Jackson, the charming Australian coworker who keeps catching her when she stumbles.
Every day brings a new disaster, from jealous coworkers to mystery mishaps on deck. But somewhere between chaos and late night laughs, Maddie realizes this wild adventure might be exactly what she needed.
Why it’s a great beach read
Vacation romance on an actual boat. It’s pure sunshine energy with big laughs. If you like Sophie Kinsella style humor, this is your poolside popcorn book.
One Scottish Summer by Kate Frost
Vibe: second chance, friends to lovers, nostalgic summer
Summary
Tilly returns to the Isle of Mull with her childhood best friend Logan after he inherits his aunt’s house. The island is filled with old memories, unfinished promises, and feelings they never had the courage to name.
As they renovate the house and read through Aunt Joy’s journals, buried regrets surface and their friendship deepens into something more fragile and hopeful.
Why it’s a great beach read
Soft, emotional, and scenic. Think cozy blanket, tea, and ocean views. Perfect if you want heartfelt romance without heavy spice.
Ex on the Beach By Phoebe MacLeod
Vibe: tropical getaway, ex drama, grumpy sunshine
Summary
Tori escapes to Jamaica for rest and relaxation, only to discover her ex is staying at the same resort with his new girlfriend. Add a grumpy roommate and forced proximity, and her peaceful trip quickly becomes a romantic comedy of errors.
But as she focuses on enjoying herself, unexpected sparks start flying with the one person she least expected.
Why it’s a great beach read
Literal beaches. Cocktails. Resort drama. Low spice and high fun. This is the book you read in one day while ignoring everyone.
A Shore Thing By Portia MacIntosh
Vibe: reality TV, enemies to lovers, fake dating, island setting
Summary
Two producers of a dating reality show can’t stand each other. When a tropical storm strands them on set, they’re forced to step in as contestants and fake a romance for the cameras.
Except the fake flirting starts to feel suspiciously real.
Why it’s a great beach read
Reality show antics plus forced proximity equals pure rom-com gold. This one feels like binge watching a summer reality show with a frozen drink.
Why Not by Leanne Treese
Vibe: later-in-life romance, cruise ship, enemies to friends to lovers
Summary
Ellie and Mark accidentally end up sharing a stateroom on a senior cruise. She’s messy and chaotic. He’s grumpy and introverted. They clash immediately.
But when they get pulled into helping a former student with a mystery, their partnership grows into something unexpectedly sweet.
Why it’s a great beach read
Proof that love stories don’t expire. Cozy, funny, and uplifting. Perfect if you want a heartwarming change of pace.
Catch Her if You Can by Tessa Bailey
Vibe: marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, protective hero
Summary
A baseball catcher proposes a practical marriage to his longtime crush so she and her family can get health benefits. What starts as a quiet arrangement quickly turns into undeniable chemistry and years of buried feelings rising to the surface.
Why it’s a great beach read
If you liked It Happened One Summer, this is your must read. Big heart. Big heat. Big feelings. Pack a fan.
Love Song by Elle Kennedy
Vibe: lake house summer, second chance, slow burn
Summary
After a breakup, Blake hides out at her family’s lake house and runs straight into Wyatt, the guy who once broke her teenage heart. Old tension simmers into something hotter as they spend one unforgettable summer together.
Why it’s a great beach read
Lake days, music, late night kisses. It’s nostalgic, swoony, and made for hammock reading.
The Summer Proposal by Vi Keeland
Vibe: summer fling, hockey player, fake plan turns real
Summary
Georgia meets Max by accident and their chemistry is instant. He suggests a no strings summer romance before he moves away. Easy, right?
Except feelings don’t follow rules.
Why it’s a great beach read
Flirty, sexy, and quick paced. Ideal for when you want something steamy and fun.
Our Secret Summer R.S. Grey
Vibe: Ibiza, nightclub job, forbidden boss romance
Summary
After her sister’s death, the heroine completes her sister’s bucket list in Ibiza. Surfing, tattoos, late nights, and falling for her off-limits boss.
Why it’s a great beach read
Ibiza parties, yachts, sunshine. Pure escapism.
The Summer Share by Jenn McKinlay
Vibe: shared beach house, enemies to lovers, renovation romance
Summary
Two strangers inherit the same beach cottage and must spend the summer fixing it together. Old house, salty air, slow burn romance.
Why it’s a great beach read
Beach house vibes are undefeated. Cozy, charming, and sweet.
Meet Me in Italy by Brenda Novak
Vibe: Amalfi Coast, family secrets, healing romance
Summary
A novelist travels to Italy to meet a half-sister she never knew existed and rebuild her life. Between coastal towns and unexpected love, she learns family can be messy and beautiful.
Why it’s a great beach read
Italy. That’s it. Pack it.
Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan
Vibe: seaside hometown, fake dating, single mom
Summary
Dolly returns home for the summer to save her family house and ends up fake dating a wealthy local who slowly cracks her fiercely independent heart.
Why it’s a great beach read
Funny, emotional, and heartfelt. Like a rom-com with depth.
Happy Ending by Chloe Liese
Vibe: fake relationship, ex drama, beach vacation
Summary
Best friends pretend to date to annoy their exes, then get invited on a beach vacation together where their fake relationship starts feeling real.
Why it’s a great beach read
Forced proximity and romantic tension in a beach house. Yes please.
If Only You Knew by Ellie K. Wilde
Vibe: childhood best friends, beach town, pining hero, second-chance-at-timing
Summary
Summer and Parker have been inseparable since they were three. When their love lives stall out at thirty, they agree to set each other up. Bad idea. After one disastrous date and a spur-of-the-moment decision to leave town for a surf competition, Parker realizes he’s been in love with her all along—and might lose her if he doesn’t finally say it out loud.
Why it’s a great beach read
Coastal setting, big feelings, and that delicious “he’s loved her forever” angst. Tender, swoony, and perfect for summer nostalgia.
Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson
Vibe: cozy mystery cruise, bookish chaos, slow-burn banter
Summary
Pip is used to managing dramatic authors—not solving murders. But when her boss is found dead on a luxury book cruise, she teams up with a charming Western novelist to play amateur detective. Between clues, egos, and hijinks at sea, romance sneaks up on her when she least expects it.
Why it’s a great beach read
Light, funny, and twisty without being heavy. A rom-com + whodunit that’s perfect if you want something clever and cozy between spicier reads.
The Ex-perimento by Maria Morillo
Vibe: music industry, workplace proximity, “win back the ex” scheme gone wrong
Summary
After losing both her boyfriend and her job, Marianto creates a series of romantic “experiments” to win him back—only to end up working for her favorite indie musician, Simón. He takes over her plan, sparks fly, and suddenly the guy helping her reclaim her ex might be the one stealing her heart.
Why it’s a great beach read
Fresh, vibrant, and fun with tons of chemistry and personality. Feels like a rom-com movie you’d watch on vacation.
Just for the Cameras by Meghan Quinn
Vibe: fake dating, grumpy football player, sunshine zookeeper, chaotic banter
Summary
A broody NFL star and a flamingo-loving zookeeper are forced into a PR “romance” for the cameras. The flirting is fake… until it very much isn’t. Between viral fame and real feelings, their staged relationship quickly spirals into something messy and hot.
Why it’s a great beach read
Laugh-out-loud funny with serious steam. Fast-paced, flirty, and pure Meghan Quinn chaos in the best way.
Escape to Seahaven Bay by Nicola May
Vibe: seaside healing, widow starting over, found family, British charm
Summary
After losing her husband and nearly her farm, Rita transforms her rundown property into a seaside sanctuary for others who need a fresh start. As community, purpose, and a handsome neighbor slowly rebuild her heart, long-buried secrets threaten everything she thought she knew.
Why it’s a great beach read
Heartwarming, emotional, and hopeful. The kind of comforting, tea-in-hand story that feels like a hug.
You Belong with Me by Beth Moran
Vibe: small island town, guarded heroine, mysterious newcomer, feel-good
Summary
Blue has sworn off romance after three broken engagements and poured everything into her island home and podcast. But when a stranger arrives with answers tied to the island’s past, she’s forced to open her heart—and trust—one more time.
Why it’s a great beach read
Soft, uplifting, and community-focused. Perfect when you want cozy vibes and gentle romance without spice.
Racing Hearts Ann Adams
Vibe: Olympic hopeful, hot coach, forced proximity training, comeback story
Summary
After a crushing loss derails her Olympic dreams, hyper-disciplined rower Kath returns home to train with a new coach who challenges everything about her rigid routine. As sparks fly during sweaty summer practices, she has to choose between control and actually living.
Why it’s a great beach read
Sports tension + slow-burn heat + motivational glow-up energy. Sexy and empowering with lots of chemistry.
We’re a Bad Idea Right? By KL Walther
Vibe: fake dating best friends, summer mansion chaos, coming-of-age
Summary
Audrey agrees to fake date her best friend to help him win back his ex while secretly renting out her parents’ mansion to fund her dreams. Predictably, the lies stack up—and so do the feelings.
Why it’s a great beach read
Light, messy, and adorable. Easy, swoony fun with big summer energy.
And the Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Vibe: second chance, football star, forced proximity, grown-up angst
Summary
A disgraced actress hides out at her high school sweetheart’s lake house—only to find he’s now a superstar quarterback with a grudge. Old wounds, close quarters, and undeniable sparks make avoiding each other impossible.
Why it’s a great beach read
Classic comfort romance with humor and heart. Feels nostalgic and satisfying, like your favorite early-2000s rom-com.
Playing Games by Max Monroe
Vibe: nerdy genius heroine, golden boy quarterback, banter, “he falls first”
Summary
Determined to prove love is just science, a data-driven grad student treats the campus quarterback like an experiment. Track the chemistry. Analyze the attraction. Don’t catch feelings.
Too bad he’s already all in.
Why it’s a great beach read
Funny, flirty, and spicy with nonstop banter. The kind of book you devour in one sitting.
It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely
Vibe: small town, bodyguard romance, one bed, summer fling
Summary
When paparazzi chaos hits her quiet lavender farm, she’s assigned a broody bodyguard—who also happens to be the guy who ghosted her after their almost-hookup. Now they’re sharing a tiny cottage and trying very hard not to act on their still-sizzling chemistry.
Why it’s a great beach read
Short, steamy, and ridiculously bingeable. Pure summer fling energy.
The Grumpiest Billionaire by Pippa Grant
Vibe: road trip rom-com, grumpy x sunshine, chaotic banter, runaway billionaire
Summary
When a billionaire decides to give away his fortune and disappear, the last person he expects chasing him down is the woman whose nonprofit depends on him. Forced into a cross-country road trip together, their arguments quickly turn into something neither planned for.
Why it’s a great beach read
Big laughs, ridiculous situations, and flirty tension. Perfect if you want something silly, swoony, and fun.
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
Vibe: hockey rivals, secret hookups, enemies to lovers
Summary
Two rival hockey captains can’t stand each other publicly but can’t stay away privately. Years of secret tension explode into a relationship neither of them can ignore.
Why it’s a great beach read
Intense chemistry, addictive pacing, and emotional payoff. You will not put this down.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re actually heading to a beach or just mentally escaping your snow covered driveway like me, a good summer romance can transport you anywhere.
If you loved It Happened One Summer, start with:
Catch Her if You Can
Rules for the Summer
A Shore Thing
The Summer Share
Then build your stack from there.
Now tell me. What’s going in your beach bag this year? Because I’m always looking for one more excuse to add to my TBR.
