Best Beach Reads 2023: 12 Books on my TBR List
The best beach reads of 2023 that are on my TBR list right now!
This post has been on my to-do list ever since summer started, so I apologize for the delay – but I am so excited to share my list of best beach reads with you! After writing all about the chick lit books I’ve already read and loved, I thought it would be fun to also dive into everything on my TBR (To Be Read) list right now.
As a kindle reader, I usually get my books from Amazon or download them from the library. That being said, I know a lot of you prefer to support independent book stores which you can easily do through Bookshop.org! I’ve linked both options in each description for you.
Best Beach Reads 2023
Let’s dive in!! If I were writing this at the beginning of summer, I would have definitely included Happy Place by Emily Henry and Meet Me At The Lake by Carley Fortune to this list – but I’ve read them both since.
You can read what I thought about Happy Place in my Chick Lit roundup, and I’m leaving Meet Me At The Lake off because I just didn’t love it as much as her first book. I recommend checking out Every Summer After instead!
1. The Daydreams by Laura Hankin
I loved Happy & You Know It by Laura Hankin, so as soon as I heard that this new book is about popular teen stars from the early 2000s, I was SOLD.
I just finished this last week and can confirm that it is extremely nostalgic for millennials like me who grew up with Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows – and stars that were huge when they were teenagers, only to go off the deep end. Definitely recommend. Also available for kindle.
2. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
After reading Part of Your World, I knew I needed to read more books by Abby Jiminez and I am already IN LOVE with Yours Truly. It’s about a doctor who is struggling – her divorce is almost finalized, her brother is in desperate need of a kidney donor, and the promotion that she wants is just out of reach.
But when a new doctor starts working at her hospital, everything changes – first because she thinks she hates him, and then again when she gets to know him AND her brother finds a donor. I’m about halfway through and I know I’m going to finish it before the end of the week. It’s adorable. Also available for kindle.
3. Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
I can’t wait to read this book! I really enjoyed her last book, Nora Goes Off Script, last summer but I’ve heard people say they like this one even better! I honestly haven’t even read a synopsis of this one and I don’t plan to until I read it. Sometimes it’s fun to go into a book without knowing anything, right? Also available for kindle.
4. True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
I love Christina Lauren books, and fans are saying True Love Experiment is one of their better ones so I am EXCITED. This one is about a romance writer and documentary filmmaker who join together to create the ultimate Hollywood love story. Also available for kindle.
5. The Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
Elin Hilderbrand is responsible for some of the best beach reads ever, so of course she has a new one this summer! The Five Star Weekend is about a food blogger who, after tragedy strikes, gathers 4 friends from different stages of her life to spend a weekend together on Nantucket. So excited for this one! Also available for kindle.
6. A Perfect Vintage by Chelsea Fagan
Someone described this book as rich people family drama in the French countryside… I mean, say no more! I’m in! Also available for kindle.
7. Finlay Donovan Jumps The Gun by Elle Cosimano
This book is the 3rd in the Finlay Donovan series. Finlay Donovan is a single mom and struggling writer who is overheard talking about her new suspense novel… and mistaken for a contract killer. It sounds ridiculous but the first two books sucked me in and I’m so excited to finish the series! Also available for kindle.
8. The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady
There aren’t a whole lot of books that take place during a Chicago summer, but The Comeback Summer does! It’s about two sisters who struggling with the PR agency they inherited from their grandmother. A new client could change everything, but in order to get the business, they have complete a “Crust Your Comfort Zone” program. It sounds fun! Also available for kindle.
9. The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
A lot of people recommended The Bodyguard as one of the best beach reads of last year, so I think it’s time I finally read it! It’s about a bodyguard who was hired to protect a superstar actor – and also pretend to be his girlfriend? I’m intrigued! Also available for kindle.
10. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Lessons in Chemistry is another one from last year that I never got around to – but everyone loves it! It’s about Elizabeth Zott, a chemist working on an all-male team in the early 1960s. But then her life takes a turn and she ends up starring in a cooking show? I’m a little confused but it still sounds like something I would love. Also available for kindle.
11. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
Are you surprised that I want to read a book called Romantic Comedy? Didn’t think so! This book is about a sketch comedy writer who meets a pop music star when he comes to host the show she works on. Say no more. Also available for kindle.
12. Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum
There is so much buzz about this book and I realized it’s been on my list without even knowing what it’s about 😂 Turns out, it’s about 2 women who rule Fire Island every summer. Until this summer when a body is discovered. Dun dun dun! Also available for kindle.
What are the best beach reads you’ve read this summer?
Don’t miss my list of chick lit books I’ve read and loved – and I’ll keep adding what’s on my TBR list to my Amazon storefront, too!
