12 sizzling summer reads to heat up your beach days
Sun's out, fun's out! EW's 2022 Summer Preview has dozens of exclusive looks at the most anticipated TV shows, movies, books, and music of entertainment's hottest season. Continue to visit ew.com throughout the week for more previews of what you'll be watching, reading, and listening to in the months to come.
As you pack those summer getaway bags and roll out the beach towels, you're going to need some great books to complete that vacation vibe.
EW has you covered, with 12 great beach reads coming out between May to August, all of which will have you reaching for a cold drink. Whether you prefer to dip into the past or are all about contemporary rom-coms, there's no shortage of swoony, sizzling books to add to your TBR pile.
I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston (May 3)
Casey McQuiston has become the go-to author for all-the-feels queer summer romance, beginning with their smash-hit debut Red, White & Royal Blue and continuing with last summer's One Last Stop. Now, they crossover into YA with a romantic comedy that blends the adventuring of a John Green novel with McQuiston's signature wry humor. Since being moved from SoCal to Alabama by her moms, Chloe Green has been possessed by one goal: becoming valedictorian. Her only competition has been Shara Wheeler, popular girl and daughter to her puritanical high school's principal. But when Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes a month before graduation, Chloe is thrust into a bizarre scavenger hunt alongside Smith, Shara's quarterback boyfriend, and Rory, Shara's bad boy neighbor, both of whom Shara also kissed. Following Shara's cryptic clues, the trio embark on a wild goose chase that uncovers the secrets of their small town and the enigmatic Shara Wheeler.
You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (May 24)
Akwaeke Emezi's new novel is a sizzling summer read, and a searing probing of the human heart and the ragged journey of healing in the face of immense grief. Fey Adekola has spent the last five years keeping her heart locked away, struggling to recover from losing the love of her life. As she dips her toes back into the dating scene with the encouragement of her BFF, she's catapulted into a daydream of a summer. She might finally be dating the perfect guy, if it weren't for the fact that she's consumed with desire every time she locks eyes with his father. Feyi must navigate her grief, forging a new future, and the lengths one must be willing to go to choose love no matter the consequences.
The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe (May 24)
For those who spent their winter watching The Gilded Age but wishing it was a bit steamier, Joanna Shupe is here to heat up your summer. The third novel in her Fifth Avenue Rebels series follows vivacious Katherine Delafield, a young woman determined to soak up everything New York City has to offer, particularly its most scandalous options. Assuming her longtime arranged engagement to tycoon Preston Clarke will never actually happen, she feels free to pursue the life she craves. And Preston could not be less interested in marrying anyone his father dictated. But when Preston and Katherine meet at a masquerade ball, they're thrown for a loop when Preston realizes his new mysterious lover is actually his betrothed. Shupe's novels are never short on delicious feminist plotting, hunky heroes, and love scenes hotter than the beach in July.
American Royalty by Tracey Livesay (June 28)
We can never get enough of royal romance and with both Harry and William happily married, fiction is our only outlet. Inspired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's real-life love story, American Royalty pairs off raunchy rapper Danielle "Duchess" Nelson and reclusive Prince Jameson. When Jameson is tasked with organizing a tribute concert for the Queen's late husband, he recruits Duchess, realizing too late her reputation as a sexy, envelope-pushing artist. But this royal event is exactly what Dani needs to generate the positive image she craves — until things get complicated thanks to flaring attraction. Livesay combines the real-life stakes (and cultural commentary) of the royal family and the music industry in a romance that will be one of the crowning achievements of the summer.
The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett (June 28)
The adage goes that the way to a person's heart is through their stomach and Ruby Barrett embraces that with this sizzling restaurant romance. Amy Chambers is so desperate to save her struggling restaurant that she resorts to hiring reality-show finalist chef Sophie Brunet as her new chef. Amy's tendency to micro-manage and Sophie's sinking career lead them to butt heads and deny their fledgling attraction until a new opportunity for a foodie TV show throws them into hot water. As they come together to save the restaurant, they start to realize a whole lot more is at stake. Publisher Carina Adores never fails to deliver gems of LBGTQ+ romance, and we're certain The Romance Recipe will be another entry on your keeper shelf.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (June 28)
We could all use a good summer ghost story, and you can't get much better than Ashley Poston's adult fiction debut The Dead Romantics. Despite being the ghostwriter for one of romance's most prolific authors, Florence Day's life is in shambles. Her career is on the verge of collapse after her hunky new editor denied her a deadline extension and her world comes crashing down when her beloved father dies, forcing her to return to the Southern town that never quite understood her. Returning home to her family's funeral parlor, she's perplexed to find a ghost at their front door — the ghost of her editor to be precise. And helping him figure out his unfinished business will challenge everything she ever believed about love.
Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola (July 5)
Author of beloved short story collection Love In Color, Bolu Babalola offers up her equally vibrant debut novel about a fake relationship gone awry. Kiki Banjo is an expert in avoiding relationships, but when she calls out campus player Malakai Korede on her popular student radio show, Brown Sugar, she finds her reputation on the brink. She and Malakai embark on a fake relationship to try to salvage both their futures, but it soon turns all too real despite Kiki's determination to never fall in love. Babalola is incisively funny, capturing the kick and sweetness of her title with her words.
Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard (July 12)
Pretty Woman meets Bridgerton in this Regency romance about a wealthy duke and the ballet dancer who accidentally saves his life. Lord Lysander Blackstone, the Duke of Moncroix, has dedicated his life to increasing his already sizable fortune. But when his reputation as a heartless man threatens a business deal, he recruits Neve Valery, a down-on-her-luck ballerina who has been summarily dismissed for refusing to be a wealthy patron's mistress. After saving him from an alley attack, Neve agrees to act as his fake fiancée in exchange for a hefty sum. They just never counted on developing real feelings for each other.
After Hours on Milagro Street by Angelina M. Lopez (July 12)
We tend to associate small town romances with the very twee and white worlds of Hallmark movies, but Angelina M. Lopez is ready to turn that on its head this summer and remind readers that small towns are as diverse as any other corner of America. Professor Jeremiah Post is determined to stop Alejandra "Alex" Torres from turning Loretta's, her grandmother's bar, into her vision of a business. But as the two share a bedroom wall that stokes their lust and the neighborhood is threatened by outside forces, they are forced to come together (pun very much intended) to save the home they both desperately need. Lopez combines her signature steamy approach with a romance steeped in questions of gentrification, family, and what home really means.
The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon (August 2)
Farrah Rochon ends her sparkling Boyfriend Project series with this rom-com that combines her signature humor and heart with the soap operatics of Grey's Anatomy. London Kelley is a kick-ass pediatric surgeon searching for a little work-life balance. On the advice of her friends, she decides to seek out a casual hook-up to de-stress, but she never intended it for it to happen at her high school reunion with her arch-nemesis, millionaire Drew Sullivan. When she discovers Drew is in Austin to decide if her hospital should remain open, she's torn between the best sex of her life and the prospect of falling for the enemy. We're sad to see this incredible series end, but Rochon knows how to satisfy her readers with her conclusions.
Husband Material by Alexis Hall (August 2)
It's extremely rare for romance novels to get sequels, considering that their golden rule remains: the central couple must end the book happily-ever-after (or at least for the foreseeable future). After pretending to fall in love and then doing it for real in Boyfriend Material, messy Luc and uptight Oliver return in a story that delves into the social pressure to propose and the unpredictable nature of love. Alexis Hall has quickly become a master of cheeky banter and pull-at-your-heartstrings drama and we can't wait for him to emotionally destroy us in the best way possible yet again. Plus, we just are so darn excited to have Luc and Oliver back in our lives.
Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean (August 23)
It's truly not summer until Sarah MacLean burns everything down with yet another one of her ferociously feminist and delectably sexy books. She continues her Hell's Belles series with this tale of Adelaide Frampton, a skilled thief who helps brides avoid the altar. Henry, Duke of Clayborn, has a sterling reputation and a dark past he cannot afford to have uncovered by a frustrating, fascinating woman. But when Adelaide and Henry are thrust into a race across Britain to stop a wedding, they can't resist each other as Adelaide tries to steal the rarest prize of all…his heart. Clear your day now because you won't want to do anything but read this breakneck adventure from the moment it hits shelves.
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