Best Beach Reads 2023

beach scene

Summer is finally here! Time for warmer weather and beach reads 2023! We've got a great selection of new fiction in the adult fiction genre, including romance, drama, and mysteries. Enjoy the sand and the sun, listen to the waves, and read a good book. If you can't make it to the beach, these books are just as good for relaxing outside with a cool drink (we also have some books on how to make the best summer smoothies, cocktails, and mocktails). Here are the top summer beach reads for 2023!

Beach Reads 2023

Hula, book cover

Hula by Jasmin 'Iolani Hakes

"Hi'i is proud to be a Naupaka, a family renowned for its contributions to hula and her hometown of Hilo, Hawaii, but there's a lot she doesn't understand. She's never met her legendary grandmother and her mother has never revealed the identity of her father. Worse, unspoken divides within her tight-knit community have started to grow, creating fractures whose origins are somehow entangled with her own family history. In hula, Hi'i sees a chance to live up to her name and solidify her place within her family legacy."



Bad Summer People, book cover

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenbloom

"Jen Weinstein and Lauren Parker rule the town of Salcombe, Fire Island every summer. They hold sway on the beach and the tennis court, and are adept at manipulating people to get what they want. Their husbands, Sam and Jason, have summered together on the island since childhood, despite lifelong grudges and numerous secrets. Their one single friend, Rachel Woolf, is looking to meet her match, whether he's the tennis pro-or someone else's husband. But even with plenty to gossip about, this season starts out as quietly as any other. Until a body is discovered, face down, off the side of the boardwalk."



The Five-star Weekend, book cover

The Five-star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

Inviting her best friend from each phase of her life, widow Hollis Shaw hosts an unforgettable weekend on Nantucket, during which things don't go as planned as each woman deals with heartbreak, infidelity, scandal, and secrets, but things turn around due to new friendships, unexpected romance, and self-discovery.



Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?, book cover

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul

"When white silver screen icon Kitty Karr Tate dies and bequeaths her multimillion-dollar estate to the three Black St. John sisters, it prompts questions. A celebrity in her own right, Elise St. John would rather focus on sorting out Kitty's affairs than deal with the press. But what she discovers in one of Kitty's journals rocks her world harder than any other brewing scandal could--and between a cheating fiancé and fallout from a controversial social media post, there are plenty. The truth behind Kitty's ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the Jim Crow South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. John sisters and those closest to them."



More Hot Summer Reads

Pieces of Blue, book cover
A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality, book cover
The First Bright Thing, book cover
The Daydreams, book cover
The Block Party, book cover
One of the Girls, book cover
Mary Jane, book cover


For more summer beach reads, check out my Beach Reads 2022 blog. Get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather!

Mocktails and More

Mocktails, Cordials, Infusions, Syrups, and More, book cover
The Smoothies Bible, book cover
Healthy Quick & Easy Smoothies, book cover
Summer Cocktails, book cover
Fiestas, book cover