Summer is upon us, which means it’s time to break out the beach reads.
The Page Six team is back with the best books — old and new — to read while you’re working on your tan or jet-setting on a much-needed vacation.
Whether you want to lounge with an action-packed thriller or enjoy the slow burn of a steamy romance, there’s a beach read for everyone on this list.
“Melissa Albert, my go-to for creepy and atmospheric YA, is making her adult debut this year. ‘The Children’ — a gothic thriller the King of Horror himself, Stephen King, recently compared to “Ray Bradbury at its best” — hits shelves June 2.” — Riley Cardoza, Associate Editor
“I heard about this book months ago and immediately knew this would be one of my most anticipated reads of the summer. Following a breakup on her 35th birthday, Ruby Wynne makes a wish and magically wakes up inside a M.A.S.H. game from seventh grade. Give me nostalgia, give me ’13 Going on 30,’ I am so ready to dive into this book when it comes out on July 7.” — Lindsey Kupfer, Deputy Editor
“Meaghan Garvey’s rugged memoir ‘Midwestern Death Trip’ is a bumpy, open-road personal reckoning that mows through the Midwest — from small-town dive bars to ghosts of her past — in search of answers in a blood-red Cadillac.” — Kyle Schnitzer, Courts Reporter
“Nothing hits better for me than a fast-paced thriller on the beach an Jewell always knows how to keep you entertained and guessing with human characters with dark pasts and twists galore. I can’t wait to get my hands on this beach read coming out June 23.” — Nicole Mazza, Deputy Photo Editor
“With all the buzz about ‘Off Campus’ on Prime Video, the first book in the series — ‘The Deal’ — is on my to-read list this summer. It’s just the type of easy, feel-good read that’s perfect to devour while lounging on the beach.” — Antoinette Bueno, Reporter
“Stephen King’s 2013 coming-of-age crime mystery ‘Joyland’ blends nostalgia with terror – the perfect mix for a beach read. It’s 1973, and 21-year-old Devin Jones, fresh off a painful breakup, takes a summer job at Joyland amusement park – where he’s unwittingly drawn into the unsolved murder of a young woman whose spirit is said to haunt Joyland’s Horror House dark ride. The book skillfully blends crime, supernatural elements, and horror for a fully absorbing – and spine-chilling – summer read.” — Audrey Rock, Reporter
“Maria Semple is a delight, and her latest book, ‘Go Gentle,’ is a continuation of that delightfulness and hilarity. The novel – an Oprah Book Club pick – follows Adora Hazzard, a Stoic philosopher living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.” — Nicki Gostin, Senior Reporter
“Judy Blume’s ‘Summer Sisters’ has been my beachy go-to since it came out, and I reread it every year. It’s the coming-of-age tale of two wildly different girls — shy and smart Victoria (Vix) and fearless and magnetic Caitlin — against the backdrop of summers on Martha’s Vineyard. Their decades-long friendship is intense, messy, loving and sometimes destructive. Blume dives into friendship, sex, betrayal, class, grief, and the people who shape us long after childhood ends, in the way only she can, in this beach-read gut-punch.” — Nikki Mascali Roarty, Deputy Managing Editor
“I just started the Game Changers series because I can’t wait for season 2 of ‘Heated Rivalry.’ I need to know what’s going on with Ilya and Shane after the cottage! I had been in a reading rut, but quickly finished book one and already started book two on the same day.” — Sarah Berman, Senior Strategist
“Fresh off what she described as a ‘bittersweet’ Pulitzer Prize win, ‘Things in Nature Merely Grow’ is Yiyun Li’s response to grief, where in the span of a few short years, both of Li’s sons died by suicide. It’s not a light read but one that offers rewards, with quiet, delicate prose, that might have something for you.” — Kyle Schnitzer, Courts Reporter
“Earlier this year, I put ‘London Falling’ on our article about our most anticipated books of the year, and now that I’ve read it, I feel the need to recommend this book again. Patrick Radden Keefe is one of my favorite nonfiction writers of all time, and his new book — which uncovers the double life of a London teen after his tragic death — is phenomenal. This is the type of nonfiction where you have to remind yourself you’re reading a true story.” — Lindsey Kupfer, Deputy Editor
“I implore everyone to read ‘Overstory’ by Richard Powers, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that explores themes of nature, the environment, and our deep connection to trees. With climate change being dangerously ignored, this book stands as an urgent wake-up call.” — Nicki Gostin, Senior Reporter
“As someone who looks forward to ‘Summerween’ year-round, I love a good horror book that gives off all the summer slasher vibes. This one, described as a love letter to 1980s slasher films, sounds like the perfect read to get into the spooky summer spirit, and I can’t wait to check it out in June.” — Nicole Mazza, Deputy Photo Editor
“I’m going to devour Lisa Rinna’s book ‘You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It’ in probably one trip to the beach. I think she’s iconic and I love her TV redemption era she had on ‘Traitors’ after her brutal ending on ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.’” — Sarah Berman, Senior Strategist