Beach Reads
I’m always sad to see the summer go. When there are only a few weeks left, I already start to miss it and begin planning for when the next one comes. My heart belongs to the beach, for sure. If I could, it’s where I would spend each and every day, while reading every book I could get my hands on. Even the best book is better when you read it on the beach. The waves crashing in the background bring a sense of peace and help you to truly escape into the story. There were so many great books that came out this summer, I barely had a chance to get to all of the ones on my list. In case you missed them, too, here are some must-reads that will take you through the endless summer season.
“The Last Train to Key West” by Chanel Cleeton
Mirta Perez has no choice but to agree to an arranged marriage after the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves her family in an awful position. She marries an American and finds herself in the Florida Keys for her honeymoon. While her feelings for her new husband start to grow, she fears for her life due to his illegal business dealings. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Preston’s trip to Key West is the chance to save her family after they lost everything in the Wall Street crash. Her trip takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of Great War where she finds an unlikely ally. Over the course of Labor Day weekend, these two women cross paths and the only thing more dangerous than what surrounds them is the storm heading right for the Keys.
“Beach Read” by Emily Henry
January Andrews and Augustus Everett are both writers, but they couldn’t possibly be more different. January writes romance novels that warm even the toughest of hearts. Augustus writes literary fiction and is no stranger to killing off characters. The one thing they do have in common is that they are both stuck for the next three months, living in beach houses next door to each other, and each has a terrible case of writer’s block. They make a deal with each other: While Augustus has to write only happy things, January sets out to write a novel about a death cult. Love might or might not be found, but two books will definitely be written. This is an entertaining and fun “beach read” to throw in your bag!
“The Beauty in Breaking” by Michele Harper
Michele Harper grew up in Washington. She met her husband when she was a student at Harvard. The couple stayed together throughout medical school, but when she landed a job in Philadelphia, he told her he couldn’t come with her. With her marriage now over, she is beginning a new job and a new life in a new city. As the years go by, Michele forges a successful career as an emergency room physician. With each patient she has treated, she learns that all of us are broken in many ways. Recognizing those breaks and mending them is what ultimately helps us heal. “The Beauty in Breaking” is the true story of Harper’s journey. Every patient she reflects on has taught her something about struggle and recovery, and Harper has learned that sometimes the present helps us make peace with the past.
“Eliza Starts a Rumor” by Jane L. Rosen
When Eliza Hunt launched The Hudson Valley Ladies’ Bulletin Board website 15 years ago, her twins were just in preschool and life was good. Now, they’re grown up and because of her agoraphobia, what once was just for fun has now become her lifeline. When another parenting forum challenges hers, Eliza takes matters into her own hands, starting a rumor to stir things up. Olivia York lives across town. She’s a new mom in disbelief over what she reads on the Bulletin Board. Allison Le is busy making online friends with a woman who isn’t who she says she is. Amanda Cole, Eliza’s childhood friend, might know why Eliza is so afraid to leave the house. All of this craziness will turn Hudson Valley upside down, but this raw and funny story about women helping women will give you newfound faith in sisterhood.
“Sea Wife” by Amity Gaige
Have you ever thought about leaving it all behind and sailing away? Well, Juliet, her husband Michael and their young children Sybil and George did just that. The family set off for Panama to embark on their 44-foot sailboat. In the beginning, things are wonderful. Juliet comes out of her depression, their marriage is back on track, and the kids have quickly embraced life on the sea. The family learns to crew the boat together and their break from life is good. Until it isn’t. After their journey, Juliet struggles to accept what happened out on the water while Michael’s captain’s log gives the reader the slow-motion account of everything that happened from his point of view. What one sees as optimism, the other sees as disillusionment. “Sea Wife” merges two very different perspectives revealing how faults in marriages develop and how we do what we need to do in order to survive.
“The All-Night Sun” by Diane Zinna
After 10 years, Lauren Cress has never gotten over the sudden death of her parents. She is troubled and keeps to herself. In her professional life, Lauren teaches at a small college, where she is well-liked by her students and colleagues. When Siri, a new student, joins her class, Lauren is immediately taken by her. Siri is charming, outgoing and everything Lauren wishes that she could be. They become fast friends and Siri invites Lauren on a trip to her home in Sweden for the summer. In Sweden, Lauren finds herself attracted to Siri’s brother, Magnus. Siri is not happy about Lauren’s love interest, and her behavior shows Lauren a different side to the person she once thought was so wonderful. Siri is selfish, reckless and at times cruel. On the last night of her visit, Lauren joins Siri and her friends on a camping trip to celebrate Midsommar’s Eve. Things take a dark turn that night and Lauren is forced to comes to terms with what happened with Siri, while facing her own tragic past.
