Steamy Summer Reads: 8 Romance Picks for Your Beach Bag
Okay it is HOT in Maryland, and every time it gets like this, I reminisce about the same handful of books. Some of these I read years ago, some are more recent, but they’re the ones I always end up recommending when someone asks me for something steamy for the summer. So here they are, all in one place.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
Gosh, this one is a perfect summer read. Second-chance romance, childhood best friends, one very hot lake summer that changes everything. Perfect for the beach, or honestly even better for the lake. I have not watched the series on Prime yet - but I am always a book gal over on screen adaptions!
Happy Place by Emily Henry
I had to physically stop myself from finishing this one in a single night because I didn’t want it to be over. Fake-still-together exes, the annual friend group beach trip, and Wyn Connor, who I still think about way too often. Also please don’t ask me to rank Emily Henry’s male leads because I will, at length.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
I used to not be a big romance reader and this is the book that pulled me back in, so it feels right that it’s on this list. Two writers, a genre-swap dare, a slow burn with a helluva payoff. The title tells you exactly what kind of book this is.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Yes, another Emily Henry, no I’m not sorry. This one snuck up on me, funnier than I expected and somehow still gutting in the best way. Daphne and Miles’s chemistry is electric from page one and I devoured this way too fast.
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
A marriage of convenience that’s very inconvenient, five years of pretending on the line, and a private island setting that made me want to reinvent my entire life. One of my favorite Christina Lauren books, easily.
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
Consider this your heat warning for the list. Forbidden, corporate, a lot steamier than Hazelwood’s usual rom-com territory, this one leans further into erotic romance than her earlier books do. Maybe don’t read it on your lunch break.
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey
Possibly my favorite Tessa Bailey book, and that’s saying something. Grumpy pro golfer, his ever-optimistic fangirl-turned-love-interest, and the familiar banter-into-steam ratio that makes all of her books so addictive.
Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey
Turns the heat up even further than Fangirl Down, honestly. Forbidden, a little messy, a lot of tension, exactly what you want when you’re in the mood for something that wont let up.
Tell me your current book boyfriend in the comments, I’m nosy and I want to know what kind of summer you’re manifesting.
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