Page-Turning Beach Reads in 2023: Satire, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Comedy and a Thriller
Relax into your vacation with the best summer beach reads of 2023. Grab a pen and add these summertime favorites to your reading list.
Bags are packed, passport in hand, your summer vacation has finally arrived. You’re standing at the airport searching for the perfect book to accompany you to the beach. Is there any better feeling?
The choice can sometimes be overwhelming, which is why we’ve rounded up five top beach reads for you to add to your reading list. Whether you need a feel-good, romantic novel, a thrilling page-turner, or an inspiring tale, we’ve rounded up a selection of beach books you won’t want to put down.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
It’s the book everyone is talking about. Don’t be surprised if you spot several people lying on the sun lounger face buried in this little yellow book. When successful author Athena Liu dies in a freak accident, her ‘friend’ June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own. This satirical book filled with dark humor is one you won’t want to put down. Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. You will most likely hate the main character but adore the book.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
While the original novel may have been released back in 2020, in honor of the 2023 TV mini series starring Sam Claflin and Riley Keough (trailer here), this is definitely worth adding to your summer bookshelf. Reportedly based on iconic band Fleetwood Mac, Reid’s novel effortlessly transports you to another time and gives you a glimpse into this fictional 70s rock ‘n’ roll band as they define an era. It’s also worth checking out Reid’s other hit novels: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Malibu Rising for some easy beach reads.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
A list of beach reads would not be complete without an Emily Henry mention. If you are searching for a feel-good novel then add this to your summer 2023 reading list. Henry’s latest rom-com follows two exes, Harriet and Wyn, as they pretend to still be a couple for their annual vacation with friends. If you’re a fan of Henry’s previous sellout novel; Beach Read, Colleen Hoover, or Beth O’Leary, you will love Happy Place. This book is filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom – essentials for any vacation.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Although not a new 2023 release, this book is still a crowd favorite. Lessons in Chemistry is a bestselling novel by Bonnie Garmus about women’s lives, careers, and struggle for empowerment in the late ’50s and early ’60s. It follows the story of Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant chemist who is forced to become a television cook when she finds herself a young, single mother. This book is a unique story that will have you laughing, crying, and unable to put it down.
No One Needs to Know by Lindsay Cameron
Maybe you need some cooling off this summer and prefer sipping a margarita with a thriller in hand. Almost like a juicer Gossip Girl, No One Needs to Know is part thriller, part women’s fiction/drama. It focuses on a group of wealthy women who live on the Upper East Side and reveal their secrets anonymously on an app, Urban Myth. The gossip site turns into a warzone and when one of the women goes missing, every anonymous poster is a suspect.
No matter where your summer adventures take you, whether it’s a far-off destination or a quiet park, make sure to grab one of these iconic beach reads and let yourself escape into another world for a few moments.
Whether your ideal beach read is a fun romance like Happy Place, a page-turning thriller like No One Needs to Know, or an insight into the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of Daisy Jones & the Six, one of these top five beach reads is sure to tickle your fancy this summer.