Sunshine and Swoons: The 5 Best Romance Beach Reads

In a classic meet-cute/meet-disaster, Alexa and Drew get to know each other while stuck in an elevator. They concoct a plan to fake date at Drew’s ex’s wedding, where they end up catching real feelings. Unfortunately, Drew’s an L.A. surgeon and Alexa’s the Berkeley mayor’s chief of staff. Can their love close the distance between their real lives?

Guillory’s debut was part of the first wave of cartoon cover contemporaries in 2018, launching her prolific romance career. While romance books had always been classic beach reads, cartoon covers grew romance’s reach for a new wave of fans, and The Wedding Date was the perfect introduction.

—R. Nassor

It’s been seven years since I read Helen Hoang’s debut novel, and I still think about the characters, the setup (hello, male escort), their love story, and the giant smile this book put on my face. The Kiss Quotient — and all of Hoang’s romances — have a perfect balance of being real while making you root for love as you fall for her characters and then finish wanting to hug the book to your chest. Beach reads should have an element of fun while having enough weight to be worth your “vacation time,” and that is every word of this romance. It’s so good, it’s worth a reread!

—Jamie Canaves

Beach reads and contemporary romance are almost synonymous in my mind, and when I think of great contemporary romance, I think Red, White & Royal Blue. The rivalry between a prince and the son of the U.S. president causes an international incident. But when they’re forced to get to know each other, their growing chemistry almost causes an international incident of a very different kind. McQuiston’s writing is fun and witty, full of the kind of quick banter I love in a romance. A good beach read should leave you smiling and recommending the book to everyone you know, and this book will have you doing both before it’s through.

—Rachel Brittain

This rom-com will be cathartic for anyone whose high school English teacher changed their life. If you’re going on a road trip this summer, bring the audiobook with you for a thematic read.

In it, rival colleagues Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale agree to an end-of-life road trip with their former English teacher and lifelong mentor, Joe Delgado. As they celebrate Joe’s life and help him resolve unfinished business, Logan and Rosemary are forced to confront everything left unsaid from their complicated past.

Kennedy Ryan is an author to follow for romance that will stick with you long after you’ve finished the book. Her characters feel so rich and fully realized, and I appreciate that their personal journeys are given as much attention as their story as a couple.

That is especially true of Before I Let Go. It follows divorced couple Yasmen and Josiah Wade, who, between co-parenting and starting a new business together, enter a love affair while working through old wounds.