Manifesting a Rhode Island Hydrangea Summer: 6 Books for the Vibe
I don't have a hydrangea-lined porch in Rhode Island. I have an overflowing to-do list, a 5 month old, and a 6 year old to drive back and forth to camp 4 days a week for the last two months. But a girl can manifest, and this summer I'm manifesting that hydrangea-lined porch in Rhode Island, one book at a time. These are the reads that feel like a coastal New England summer even if you're stuck somewhere landlocked: big blooms, bigger family secrets, and just enough salt air to make you feel like you’re on the shore.
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
If I could only pick one book for the hydrangea-summer aesthetic, it's this one. A Nantucket wedding, an oceanfront estate, and a body in the harbor hours before the ceremony. Hilderbrand is the queen of the summer read for a reason, and this one's got just enough mystery to keep you turning pages between beach naps.
Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
Four generations of Kelleher women, one battered family beach house won on a bar-room bet, one summer that forces them all under the same roof. This is the book for when you want your coastal read with a little more bite, family dysfunction included.
Island Girls by Nancy Thaye
Three half-sisters who barely know each other are forced to share their late father's Nantucket house for a summer if they want to inherit it. Thayer basically wrote the syllabus for cottage-core beach fiction, and this one's a great entry point if you haven't read her yet.
The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore
Block Island, three strangers, one summer of secrets. A struggling novelist, a café owner, and a former lawyer turned stay-at-home mom form an unlikely friendship while all quietly hiding something. Slower and more literary than the others on this list, in the best way.
Meet Me at the Lake by Carley Fortune
Not technically coastal, but the lake house energy earns it a spot, especially since we just spent the week with Fortune's Our Perfect Storm. A missed connection, a family resort, and a second-chance romance that's somehow both a gut punch and a comfort read.
Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank
Two families, one shared beach vacation tradition, decades of friendship, financial ruin, and heartbreak along the way. It's Lowcountry instead of New England, but the found-family-at-the-shore feeling is exactly the vibe.
No actual hydrangea bush included, but consider this your starter kit for the manifestation. Tell me in the comments what I'm missing, because six is a good start, but this list deserves a part two.
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