It’s not too late to squeeze in a few last beach reads before the end of summer! If you’re looking to stay in that #vacationvibes mood for a little longer, here are my three favorite beach reads of 2021.

This is my absolute favorite romance novel that I’ve read in a long time! I loved that the romantic tension was there while keeping it PG-13. And the setting was to die for!

After her fiancé’s suicide, Anna makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to go on the trip across the Caribbean he’d planned for them to take. When she nearly gets killed during the first crossing, she hires a handsome Irish sailor with a prosthetic leg to help her with the next stage of the journey.

As Anna becomes part of the easygoing sailing community and makes new memories, the waves of grief subside. Instead, she finds she might be ready to build a new life.

Anna’s grief felt so real, and I enjoyed the slow shift to optimism and hope. Keane, the handsome sailor, is dealing with demons of his own, but he is so good to Anna from day one. I loved watching their friendship – and maybe more – blossom.

This book made me want to set sail and have stories of my own to tell!

Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

I can see why this was so popular on Instagram. It has immediately become one of my favorite books of the year.

Anders is a frustrated journalist looking for his big break. He’s sure he’s not going to find it at the Frick Island cake walk. But then he meets Piper.

Piper is a gorgeous, charming much-loved resident of Frick Island. So loved, in fact, that when her husband goes missing at sea, but Piper claims to still be able to see him, the whole island decides to go along with it.

Anders uses Piper as material for his podcast, but he finds himself falling for her.

This island feels as real to me now as a place I’ve visited. Every one of the residents will win your heart, from BobDan who runs the very unreliable ferry, to Pearl Olecki, who’s fighting the installation of the town’s first cell tower.

This book is sweet, charming and ingenious, with impeccably timed twists. Perfect for the beach or anywhere you want to relax.

This is the perfect vacation read from the author of Beach Read. Emily Henry is the master of modern romance.

She creates two unforgettable characters who are absolute opposites in every way, yet they become best friends. Poppy likes loud clothes, crowded bars and traveling the world. Alex likes khakis, school and his hometown. After college, they both want completely different things, but he promises Poppy that he’ll travel with her every summer.

Poppy has everything she wants on paper – a job writing for a travel magazine, a fancy NYC apartment and an influencer best friend. But she’s still not happy. She decides the last time she was happy, she was traveling with Alex.

But after an incident on a trip to Croatia, Alex and Poppy haven’t spoken in two years, and Poppy feels a gigantic hole in her life. She invites Alex on one last, week-long trip to Palm Springs to see if they can make their friendship work again. Poppy’s determined to keep it in the friends zone, but of course, the Airbnb she books turns out to have only one bed.

This is a best friends to lovers story told in a nonlinear narrative. We get to tag along on all Poppy and Alex’s trips, learn their inside jokes and see the depth of their friendship, as they date others but still think the other feels like “home.”

This is one I’ll return to again and again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.