Get Ready for Summer 2026 Beach Read Season

by Susan Roberts

It’s officially spring now, and even though the weather is very warm in some places, there is also snow falling in some of the Northern States.  It’s gotten warm in my part of North Carolina, which makes me start thinking about trips to the beach and, of course, beach reads to enjoy while I’m there. Here are a few of the beach reads that I’m looking forward to this year.

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These are the two books that I’m most looking forward to:

Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey

May 2026; Gallery Books; 978-1668074886
audio, ebook, print (384 pages); southern fiction

After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly a new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.

Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.

Buy Summer State of Mind at Amazon

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews

June 2026; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250372888
audio, ebook, print (448 pages); women's fiction

Maeve and Therese Dunigan are sisters, but the two have been estranged for years. They could not be more opposite: Maeve is the rule follower and Therese is the rebel. But when their mother’s death brings the family back together, the two find that they have inherited a painting―one that could be worth millions and save them from the wolves at their door. The only issue is whether it’s real or a fake―and the only way they can prove that theirs is the real McCoy is to solve the mystery of how this portrait of an Anglo-Irish aristocrat made its way to their childhood home in Savannah, Georgia. This means a road trip―to Ireland, to their family roots, and to a mysterious crime that occurred generations ago. With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm. Can Maeve and Therese actually survive the journey without killing each other?

Buy Road Trip at Amazon

Other new books that look like they’ll be great to read at the beach:

Rules for the Summer by Meghan Quinn

May 2026; Bloom Books; 978-1464243677
audio, ebook, print (576 pages); romantic comedy

He clicked "yes" on a dare. She bought a failing candy shop. Now they're neighbors for the summer―and neither is ready for what comes next.

Renley Gossage has one shot to prove she's more than Cape Meril's favorite cautionary tale: restore her favorite candy shop before the town writes her off like they did her father. No help, no shortcuts, and definitely no rich men wielding engagement rings and making things messy.

Buy Rules for the Summer at Amazon

The Shippers by Katherine Center

May 2026; St. Martin's Press; 978-1250408051
audio, ebook, print (336 pages); women's fiction

After a lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton vows to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister’s destination wedding on a cruise ship. Armed with pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly-divorced wedding guest). Determined to woo him for closure, she ropes in her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, as her wingman. Cooper: who RSVPed no, but showed up anyway. Cooper, who moved to London without a word four years ago. Cooper, who broke her heart.

Buy The Shippers at Amazon

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

May 2026; Berkley; 978-0593953242
audio, ebook, print (432 pages); women's fiction

Frankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old. Both passionate, impulsive, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed . . . and come back together. Until now. It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man.

Then, at the start of the festivities, in walks George. For one glorious evening, surrounded by her loved ones, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning, leaving only a note as an explanation.

Buy Our Perfect Storm at Amazon

The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren

Three years ago, Emery Finch did something completely out of character: she got married. To Luca—the impossibly charming landscaper she met on one blistering night in Vegas who made her laugh, made her dance, made her feel.

But now, Emery is consumed by her top-secret job, missing dinners, forgetting anniversaries, and promising herself Luca will understand once her cutting-edge research comes to light. Until the unthinkable happens: A tragic accident takes Luca from her.

Desperate not to lose him, Emery breaks every rule to bring him back. And Luca would probably thank her for it, if only he could remember her. Their first kiss, their Sunny Sundays at the beach, the life they built together...all of it is gone.

It may be a miracle of science, but for Emery it’s her one shot at a second chance. And this time, she won’t waste it—because true love is always worth reviving.

Buy The Romance Revival at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

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