Whether you're heading to the shore, lounging by the pool, or just looking for your next page-turner, there's no better time to stock up on books that were made for sunny days. We've hand-picked 25 of the best summer beach reads of all time — from swoon-worthy romances to pulse-pounding thrillers — so you can find the perfect companion for every summer afternoon.

Even better: many of these authors have brand-new books out (or coming soon) this summer, so if you fall in love with their writing, there's more waiting for you.

Grab your sunscreen, pick your spot, and let's dive in.

Nothing pairs better with warm weather than a love story that makes your heart race. These five romances have earned their spot on countless beach towels — and for good reason.

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary fiction writer stuck in a rut become unlikely neighbors for the summer. They make a bet: swap genres for the season. What follows is funny, charming, and impossible to put down. The book that launched Emily Henry into superstardom — and it still holds up beautifully.

Six summers of first love, heartbreak, and the lake house where it all happened. When Percy returns to the town she left behind, she has to face the boy — now a man — she never stopped thinking about. This is the kind of love story that smells like sunscreen and tastes like campfire smoke.

Love Carley Fortune? Her new novel Our Perfect Storm is out now — two best friends, one week in paradise, and a friendship on the line.

Two writers who shared one unforgettable week as teenagers cross paths fifteen years later at a literary event in New York. The chemistry is instant, but the secrets they've both been carrying are heavy. Steamy, emotional, and beautifully written — this one stays with you.

Coming soon from Tia Williams: The Missed Connection (June 9) — she met the man of her dreams on a flight and forgot to get his name.

After everyone at her twin sister's wedding gets food poisoning, Olive is forced to take the honeymoon trip — with the best man she can't stand. A Hawaiian resort, forced proximity, and enemies-to-lovers perfection. Light, breezy, and laugh-out-loud funny.

A PhD candidate fake-dates a brooding professor to convince her best friend she's moved on. What starts as a lie of convenience turns into something very real — and very complicated. Smart, sweet, and surprisingly spicy. If you haven't read it yet, your beach towel has been waiting.

These are the books you'll start under an umbrella and finish long after the sun goes down. Plot twists, unreliable narrators, and that "just one more chapter" feeling — perfect for readers who like their beach reads with a side of adrenaline.

On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy Dunne disappears. Her husband Nick becomes the prime suspect — but nothing in this marriage is what it seems. The thriller that redefined the genre. If you somehow haven't read it yet, summer is the time.

Three women, a school fundraiser, and a death. Moriarty peels back the polished surface of suburban life to reveal jealousy, abuse, and fierce friendship underneath. Darkly funny, deeply human, and absolutely gripping. You'll devour it in two sittings.

A glamorous wedding on a remote Irish island. A guest list full of secrets. A storm that cuts everyone off from the mainland — and then someone turns up dead. Classic locked-room mystery with a modern edge. Ideal for a stormy beach day.

A travel journalist on a luxury cruise witnesses something terrifying through the wall of her cabin — but the next morning, the cabin appears to have never been occupied. Claustrophobic, tense, and relentless. The ocean has never felt so menacing.

A popular podcaster meets a stranger who shares her birthday — and who has a story she's desperate to tell. But as the recordings pile up, it becomes clear that this quiet woman is anything but harmless. Jewell at her most unsettling.

Coming soon from Lisa Jewell: It Could Have Been Her (June 23) — a stray dog, a missing teenager, and a man from the past who holds the key.

For the readers who want something that lingers — novels that reward you with beautiful prose, complex characters, and the kind of stories you'll still be thinking about in September. Pour yourself an iced tea and settle in.

Kya Clark, the "Marsh Girl," has survived alone in the North Carolina wetlands since she was a child. When a local man turns up dead, she becomes the prime suspect. Part coming-of-age, part murder mystery, part love letter to the natural world — this book is a phenomenon for a reason.

Thirteen interconnected stories set in a small coastal Maine town, all orbiting the sharp-tongued, deeply complicated Olive Kitteridge. Strout's writing is so precise it hurts. Quiet on the surface, devastating underneath — like the best summer afternoons.

Just released: Elizabeth Strout's new novel Artie (May 5) follows a beloved teacher living a double life in a Massachusetts coastal town.

When terrorists take a roomful of diplomats and a famous soprano hostage in South America, something unexpected happens: music, connection, and even love begin to bloom. Patchett turns a crisis into a meditation on beauty and what we do when the world stops.

Coming soon from Ann Patchett: Whistler (June 2) — a chance reunion at the Met reignites a bond between a woman and her former stepfather.

The story behind Shakespeare's most famous play — told through the eyes of his wife, Agnes, and the death of their young son. O'Farrell writes grief, love, and 16th-century England with breathtaking clarity. A novel that feels both ancient and urgently alive.

Coming soon from Maggie O'Farrell: Land (June 2) — a multigenerational epic set in post-famine Ireland.

1960s Harlem. A furniture salesman gets pulled into a heist that threatens to unravel his carefully constructed life. Whitehead blends crime fiction with social commentary in a novel that's as entertaining as it is smart. The first book in a trilogy — and the ride only gets better.

Coming soon from Colson Whitehead: Cool Machine (July 21) — the final installment of the Harlem trilogy, set in Reagan-era New York.

Sometimes you just want a book that leaves you smiling. These five picks deliver warmth, humor, and the kind of hopeful endings that feel like a perfect summer sunset. Zero guilt, maximum joy.

Nora finds herself in a library between life and death, where every book lets her try a different version of the life she could have lived. Warm, wise, and deeply comforting — the kind of book that makes you appreciate what you already have.

Coming soon from Matt Haig: The Midnight Train (May 26) — a train that lets passengers relive, but not change, their past.

Eleanor lives a tightly controlled life: the same lunch every day, the same routine, no friends. Then she meets Raymond, the bumbling IT guy from her office, and everything starts to shift. Funny, heartbreaking, and full of quiet surprises — Eleanor will stay with you long after you close the book.

A cranky bookstore owner on a small island finds a mysterious package in his shop that changes his life forever. A love letter to books, bookshops, and the unexpected people who save us. If you're reading this on a bookstore's blog, you already know why this one belongs here.

Rachel Chu discovers her boyfriend is not just rich — he's the heir to one of Singapore's wealthiest families. What follows is a dazzling, hilarious dive into old money, family drama, and jaw-dropping luxury. Pure escapism at its finest. The literary equivalent of a tropical vacation.

An oral history of a fictional 1970s rock band's meteoric rise and legendary breakup. Told through interviews with band members, managers, and hangers-on, it reads like a real documentary. You'll hear the music in your head. You'll pick sides. You'll want the vinyl.

Coming soon from Taylor Jenkins Reid: Atmosphere: A Love Story — a physicist, a space mission, and a love story set against 1980s NASA.

Some of the best summer reads aren't the ones on every bestseller list — they're the ones someone presses into your hands and says "trust me." These five deserve more beach towels.

Young Shuggie grows up in 1980s Glasgow, fiercely devoted to his mother Agnes as she battles addiction. It's raw, heartbreaking, and luminous — a Booker Prize winner that earns every tear. Not a light read, but an unforgettable one.

Just released: Douglas Stuart's new novel John of John (May 5) takes us to the Scottish Outer Hebrides for a story of fathers, sons, and homecoming.

A physics professor is kidnapped and wakes up in a version of his life where he made different choices. Now he has to fight through infinite realities to get back to his family. Sci-fi meets thriller in the most propulsive book you'll read this summer. Impossible to put down.

Andrea lands a job "a million girls would die for" — as assistant to the most powerful (and terrifying) editor in fashion. Funny, sharp, and instantly iconic. If you've seen the movie, the book has even more bite. Perfect poolside entertainment.

When a young Black babysitter is falsely accused of kidnapping her white employer's child in a grocery store, it sets off a chain of events that exposes performative allyship, class anxiety, and the lies we tell ourselves. Sharp, timely, and compulsively readable.

Korede's younger sister Ayoola is beautiful, charming — and keeps killing her boyfriends. When Ayoola starts dating the doctor Korede secretly loves, things get complicated. Dark comedy at its finest: short, savage, and wickedly fun. You'll finish it before your ice cream melts.

That depends on your mood:

• Want butterflies? Start with Beach Read — it's the quintessential summer romance.
• Need a page-turner? Gone Girl still delivers the best plot twist in modern fiction.
• In the mood to think? Olive Kitteridge is the kind of quiet masterpiece that stays with you.
• Just want to smile? The Midnight Library is a warm hug in book form.
• Want something unexpected? My Sister, the Serial Killer — trust us on this one.

Whatever you pick, make it a summer worth reading. Browse our full collection and have your next favorite book delivered to your door.