13 Best Summer Beach Reads of 2025: ‘One Golden Summer,’ ‘Sounds Like Love’ & More
It’s that time of the year again! As you plan out your summer vacations to the beach, other than picking out your outfits and grabbing sunscreen, the most important thing to check off your to-do list is finding that perfect summer beach read.
Thankfully, the year 2025 has blessed us with so many incredible romances that will have you turning the page more quickly than the sea breeze. Carley Fortune takes us back to Barry’s Bay to tell Charlie Florek’s great love story, while Tia Williams takes us back to the Seven Days in June universe to focus on Audre’s first love journey.
Everyone has their own preference when it comes to summer beach reads. To get you hyped for summer, Swooon has assembled our list of the 13 best summer beach reads of 2025.
Did we miss any great reads? Let us know your summer beach read picks in the comments below.
One Golden Summer
Carley Fortune
Carley Fortune is the new queen of summer beach reads. Just in time for your next trip, the author has published her highly anticipated sequel to Every Summer After, One Golden Summer. If you’re a fan of Charlie Florek, you’ll be delighted to see him become the leading man in Fortune’s latest. Charlie returns to Barry’s Bay and meets Alice Everly, a photographer with a connection to the small town. Charlie and Alice’s love story unfolds like a firework: Once the spark ignites, their romance explodes into the brightest of lights. — Avery Thompson
The Summers Between Us
Noreen Nanja
Fans of People We Meet on Vacation, debut author Noreen Nanja’s The Summers Between Us is definitely for you. The story follows Lia Juma, a “perfect immigrant daughter” who is reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Wesley Forest. Weaving together their journey through young love and heartbreak with their reconnection a decade later, Nanja brings us a contemporary love letter to second chances. — Rebecca Perlmutter
Can’t Get Enough
Kennedy Ryan
Swooon can’t get enough of Kennedy Ryan. The author’s latest centers around the confident and successful Hendrix Barry. As she cares for her aging mother, Hendrix thinks she doesn’t have time for love. Enter Maverick Bell. Despite a relationship being off-limits, Mav pursues Hendrix and lets her know that he truly sees her. Hendrix and Mav’s passionate romance will have you swooning, but you’ll also shed some tears over Ryan’s moving exploration of the depths of familial love. — Avery Thompson
Sounds Like Love
Ashley Poston
If you’re looking for a little magic this summer, we’d suggest The Seven Year Slip author Ashley Poston’s newest romance: Sounds Like Love. The story follows a prolific songwriter and a disgruntled musician who join forces to finish a song that’s been haunting them both. Honestly, Joni and Sasha’s relationship is giving Camp Rock’s Mitchie and Shane all grown up, and we are so here for it. — Rebecca Perlmutter
Problematic Summer Romance
Ali Hazelwood
Brother’s best friend? Age gap? I’m in. Just months after the release of Deep End, Ali Hazelwood is back with her latest spicy novel: Problematic Summer Romance. If you’re like me and missing Rivals, Problematic Summer Romance‘s Maya Killgore and Conor “Hark” Harkness will fill the Rupert and Taggie void in your heart. When Maya’s brother decides to have a destination wedding, Maya and Hark can’t resist the temptation that’s right in front of them in Italy—in more ways than one. Knowing Ali Hazelwood, you’ll be blushing on the beach reading this one. — Avery Thompson
Atmosphere: A Love Story
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid, you have done it again. While Reid’s newest novel takes us up to the stars, it reminds us why our lives—and loves—should stay deeply rooted on Earth. If you’re looking for a soaring love story mixed with awe-inspiring science, emotional family relationships, and nostalgic ’80s charm, add this to the top of your TBR. Plus, if you’re looking for a good cry, we can confirm this book had us absolutely bawling. — Rebecca Perlmutter
Audre & Bash Are Just Friends
Tia Williams
If you’re still thinking about Seven Days in June, I hear you. Tia Williams returns with her first young adult romance, focusing on Audre, Eva’s daughter, and her sweet first love journey with Bash, the charming new guy at school. Audre & Bash Are Just Friends more than lives up to the hype and is the perfect follow-up to Seven Days in June. It’s not just a story about young love; it’s an exploration of identity, sexuality, mental health, and more. Tia Williams truly never misses. — Avery Thompson
32 Days in May
Betty Corrello
Betty Corrello’s 32 Days in May has everything you want and need in a great summer read: love, laughs, and tear-inducing moments. Nadia Fabiola returns to the Jersey Shore after her surprise lupus diagnosis. To get her mind off everything, she engages in a no-strings-attached fling with television star Marco Antoniou. This stunning love story will stay with you long after summer ends. — Avery Thompson
You Between the Lines
Katie Naymon
Katie Naymon’s debut romance novel, You Between the Lines, is an absolute banger. The novel follows high school rivals Leigh and Will, who have been plagued by miscommunication, as they cross paths a decade later at Perrin University while getting their MFA in poetry. The way Naymon effortlessly blends poetry into her prose proves she’s got all the style and substance. And as a little treat, I’ll leave you with this, which will live in your head rent-free after reading: “I dream of your wrist and I choke in lavender.” (Screams.) — Avery Thompson
Great Big Beautiful Life
Emily Henry
To us, Great Big Beautiful Life, confirmed what we already knew: Emily Henry is the Nora Ephron of our generation. In her newest contemporary romance, EmHen delivers a forbidden love story between rival authors striving to pen the same heiress’ biography. Joining Henry’s newest heroine, Alice Scott, in discovering the truth about one of Hollywood’s most illustrious families, the House of Ives, was an absolute joy that no one should miss out on. (Plus, check out our dream cast for the inevitable adaptation.) — Rebecca Perlmutter
My Best Friend’s Honeymoon
Meryl Wilsner
Meryl Wilsner dives deep into the friends-to-lovers trope with My Best Friend’s Honeymoon. (Read our interview here!) Just a week before she’s supposed to say “I do,” Elsie Hoffman calls off her wedding. But she doesn’t let the non-refundable honeymoon go to waste, so she calls up her best friend, Ginny Holtz, to join her. Their getaway starts out platonic, but when Ginny and Elsie make a deal that Elsie can have whatever she wants as long as she asks for it, long-simmering feelings bubble to the surface. The spice (especially the dirty talk) will have you taking a dip in the ocean to cool off. — Avery Thompson
It’s A Love Story
Annabel Monaghan
Nora Goes Off Script author Annabel Monaghan’s newest romance follows a jaded former child star, Jane Jackson. To follow through on a bold-faced lie, Jane follows her former crush, Dan Finnegan, to a sunny Long Island festival. For fans of forced proximity and slow-burn romance, this is the perfect summer read! — Rebecca Perlmutter
The Last Sunrise
Anna Todd
After author Anna Todd has entered her summer beach read era with The Last Sunrise. Ry heads to Spain for the summer with her mom, and her world opens up completely. Ry’s felt sheltered her entire life due to chronic health issues, and decides to embrace a little adventure in this new chapter of her life. As she steps outside her comfort zone for the first time, Ry opens up her heart to a handsome local named Julian. The Last Sunrise has all the summer beach ingredients: Summer romance? Check. A beautiful setting? Check. A good cry? Check. — Avery Thompson
