Beach Reads/Summer Reads

It's another Best of Books list! 

This time, to fit in with the current/upcoming season, we are going with Beach & Summer Reads! (I guess it's this time of year depending on where you live! We hit this summer mentality in March in NC but as I write this in early May in VH, it is still feeling and looking like winter here. I haven't seen the sun once yet!)

All the beach pics you see in this blogpost are of our Topsail Island :) 

So, as you scroll through this post, here are some books if you want to fit in with your current surroundings or if you maybe need to escape to a tad bit warmer and sunnier one. Pull out a beach chair, let your hubby take a nap, and enjoy!

First of all, what do I consider a Summer or Beach Read? I know people may have different definitions or descriptions of this, but for me- it's not just a chick lit book. It has to have a warm, coastal setting. It might be a southern fiction book. It might take place on a quaint and charming island, such as Nantucket. It's better if it takes place in summertime. It has to still have a little bit of depth and some characters I enjoy reading about. Bonus points if it has a cover that just sucks me in and takes me away!

I didn't get that into this genre, or sub-genre, of book until a few years ago. I vividly remember the first one I fully read was by Kristy Woodson Harvey (the start of her Peachtree Bluff series), and I read it on my Houston apartment couch during an extremely rainy few days. 

Now, I have to be in the mood for a book like this, or else it just definitely doesn't do it for me. There are SO many in this genre that just don't hold my attention. However, if I'm in the mood for an escape, breezy reading, joyfulness...and most of all, wonderful setting and food descriptions, these books are where it's at. I have to feel like I'm there. I do only read them in the summertime though!

Do these books have the same thrill now that I live at a place like this? Yes, yes they do.

My 2 favorite authors for this type of book are:

• Kristy Woodson Harvey
• Elin Hilderbrand (Mostly only her recents in the last 5 years or so!)

My top 3 favorite books in this genre (with my reviews previously written on GoodReads for all the books below) are:

These 4 books that I'm counting as 1, since they're a series!

• Slightly South of Simple (Peachtree Bluff #1) by Kristy Woodson Harvey 
• This is so not my usual genre as of the past 10 years or so, but summer is here, and I was in the mood for a southern, summery beach read. There wasn't as much setting as I would have hoped because I absolutely adore southern culture, but it was a sweet book! I was craving a series too, so this book has that added benefit. I went into this book reminding myself of the genre...and the structures and style that come along with that genre, so I was able to get past critiquing and analyzing the genre like usual, and I was able to be immersed in these characters' lives. Of course, I'm a big fan of the military spouse character that was included, could appreciate the truths that came along with her, and disregard the untruths. This is a happy, breezy, charming, escape of a book!

• The Secret to Southern Charm (#2) by Kristy Woodson Harvey
• I loved returning to these characters and getting my fix of southern, beachy, cutesy charm! I was excited that this book in the series was told from the military wife's perspective and am so appreciative of all that was shared. This book still had a light and easy tone (which sometimes made me actually smile), while also having many moments of giving me chills and making me tear up.

• The Southern Side of Paradise (#3) by Kristy Woodson Harvey
• The prettiest cover to accompany the sweet ending to this series! These characters seem so real to me now after reading the past three books. The writing is easy and light, but there's always a few good quotes thrown in that give these books some real emotion.

• Christmas in Peachtree Bluff (#4)
• 4.5 stars for my own enjoyment and happiness! I was SO excited to know this book was coming out, as a return to this series, after the author had originally said she was done with it. The fact that it is Christmas-based just made it that much more special! From the get-go, I couldn't get enough of the cover, and the book keeps up with those season, magical, feel-good vibes. The writing and plot are simple, but the characters and details truly suck m ein until I feel like I've escaped into their world each time I pick up the book to read. It had very accurate details of living through a hurricane, but the soothing traditions and simplicity of a holiday much bigger than us all, still outshine it all. Nothing but chills (in a good way) at the end! Enough of these Peachtree books will never be enough; keep giving us morel KWH!

These 2 next books listed are my other "top 3" favorite Beach/Summer Reads.

• 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand
• This is her best yet! It's definitely not your average beach read...a perfect way to end the summer. It has a plot that is beautifully woven together. She makes a theme that should be repetitive- not repetitive at all. While her writing is breezy and light, it sucks you in and uses voice like you're just talking to your friend. Her writing style just seems natural and easy, without trying too hard. Details and character development, as always, are what Hilderbrand does best. This book was endearing, enjoyable, and I was just happy while reading! I love escaping to Nantucket with her books each summer, but this one brought even more to the table. I also loved the snippets at the beginning of each chapter of what was going on during each year.

• The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
• What a charming surprise! This is definitely a quirky, unique book and unlike anything else I've read. A lot of big name thrillers are being released lately, but I needed a break from them to jump into a different genre that was a bit lighter, and this one was a perfect escape! I got lost in the ambiance and setting, as well as the characters. I couldn't put it down; this is the most excited I'd been about a book in awhile! I found myself gushing and felt sad about it ending as I was reading it. Such a feel-good book with a creative promise, just adorable!

My other favorite books (in no particular order) from this genre are:

• Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
  
• 4.5 stars. I knew there were mixed reviews going into this one, and I agree with the other reviews that it seems a bit self-absorbed and too autobiographical, like somewhat of a goodbye book before she retires in a few years :( like she says she will. I also found the murder "mystery" somewhat unnecessary. All that to say, I love getting lost in her summery Nantucket settings, and I am so glad I became such a fan of her books a few years ago.

• Winter in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand (#1 in series)
• This is a book I haven't gotten around to for awhile, but with the third in the trilogy being released soon, it felt like just the right time. I was missing her Nantucket at first, but I soon liked escaping to a new place for her to write about. Her tropical setting, food, and character details were as engrossing as usual; I swear her books are like a full itinerary for you if you were going to visit somewhere. This was a quick, fun read that was predictable but easily entertaining. Of course, I loved that she named a character Cash and that she tied in some accurate mentions of Houston!

• What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand (#2 in series)
• Elin Hilderbrand's books grow on me more and more with every book of hers that I read. I'm unsure of how much I would have liked this one as a stand-alone, but as a sequel in a series, it absolutely sucked me in. I liked it more than the first one in the series, and it just gives fun, dramatic, vacation vibes.

• Troubles in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand (#3 in series)
• A perfect ending to this book and a perfect ending to this trilogy- I fell in love with most of the characters after 3 books and will miss them! Once again, I felt like I was on vacation with all of the details- and oh gosh, the food descriptions. Loving me some Elin Hilderbrand books!

• That Summer by Jennifer Weiner
• Torn between 4.5 stars and 5! 4.75 stars? Definitely a memorable one! I absolutely love that the plot of this book was a surprise and that the author doesn't give too much away in the synopsis. It all starts to come together about 100 pages in. I also love that it was cross-genre...starting off as contemporary fiction, veers into a beech read (with comfy, cozy, happy details to absorb) and definitely ends up back in contemporary fiction. I was getting The Great Alone and Nicholas Sparks vibes, while also getting vibes of a book all on its own. The food descriptions were to die for! Very well-developed characters and amazing dialogue! Quite a few grammatical mistakes, beliefs definitely an integral part of the book, but the best part of fiction is you can simply appreciate how well it's done.

• People we Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
• 4.5 stars. Whenever I think of this book, I just get happy feelings! I absolutely adore her witty, clever banter and dialogue between characters. I judge a book based on how many times I look at what page number I'm on, and I didn't ever even give a quick glance- until the very end when it did start to seem a bit drawn out. Such a perfect, vacation escape, while also being a romance, yet also much deeper than that. Amazing wording! Give me more!

• Beach Read by Emily Henry
• This was the first book to read in my favorite blogger's summer book club, and it was nice to mix it up a bit with a romance. While some parts and phrases were repetitive, I laughed out loud at some of the clever, witty dialogue and some of the excellent word choice. I appreciated the depth that it also offered. For much of the book, I just wanted to curl up and live inside the happy feelings it created. I also loved the unique beach read setting of Michigan, where I went to college.

• Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey
• Just a perfect book to read oceanside at a southern beach! I love this author even though I typically can't get that into beach reads/chick lit. Her writing contains meaningful thoughts while also being purely southern, simple, and sweet! While lots of this plot moved quickly and jumped around a lot with little development leading up to it, the lovely details, setting, and descriptions more than make up for it! It just made me happy!

Do you have any must-read Beach or Summer books? If so, let me know! I hope you find yourself on a warm, tropical beach this summer and get lost in the settings and descriptions (and the food!) of one of these books! 

Happy Reading!