Today I’m sharing Summer Beach Reads for 2020! Whether you’re by the beach or not, these books will definitely give you a Summer escape. I’m sharing thrillers and romances + a few that didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
SUMMER BEACH READS – THRILLERS / SUSPENSE
Lying Next To Me – Adam, Sophie, and their 3 year old daughter are vacationing in Hood Canal for Memorial Day Weekend. While Adam & his daughter are out on the water, Sophie is abducted before their eyes. Adam cannot get to her fast enough, and an investigation quickly launches. Next door, Kristen & Connor Moss are also vacationing for the weekend. They are questioned, but know nothing. However, the couples are connected, just in a way you might not expect.
This one was pretty good. There were a few twists, but I figured out some of the specifics along the way. I would recommend this one if you don’t like anything too dark.
Stillhouse Lake – Gina Royal remade herself as Gwen Proctor after her husband was exposed as a serial killer. For years, Gwen has been stalked by people who think she’s not as innocent as she claims. Gwen and her two kids have been on the run/in hiding since her husband was convicted, yet they finally start to feel secure at Stillhouse Lake. That is, until a dead body is found right outside their door.
This is one of my favorites from the list. It is a series with a lot of action, which is a nice change of pace. However, it is very dark and I needed a small break before starting next one. But I already downloaded #2 on my Kindle and will probably read it next!
The Last House Guest – Sadie and Avery become best friends one Summer in Littleport, Maine. Over the years, they become inseparable, until one Summer when Sadie is found dead. It’s a year later, and things still don’t add up for Avery. She begins her own quest for the truth, and the closer she looks, the more secrets are revealed. It turns out that Sadie was hiding quite a few!
This thriller isn’t as action packed as Stillhouse Lake, but it still had me flipping pages to find out what happened. There’s a big twist at the end that I didn’t see coming! If you like this one, you should read All the Missing Girls by the same author. I’ve also read The Perfect Stranger by Miranda, but didn’t love it as much as The Last House Guest or All the Missing Girls. I would definitely start with them!
Follow Me – Audrey is a blogger and influencer with 1 million Instagram followers. She shares her life with the world, and one man becomes obsessed with her. When she takes a job offer and moves from New York to DC, where he lives, he just knows it’s fate. Once in DC, Aubrey connects with her old friend Cat, who has a love/hate relationship with Aubrey and a dark past. The story shifts between the viewpoints of Audrey, Cat, and Audrey’s stalker.
This book wasn’t especially gripping, but it was still a good read and I finished it in a couple days. I will say that I felt like the author wrote very flippantly about Audrey’s job as a blogger. She left out a lot of the hard work that goes into it. It’s way more than snapping a photo, throwing on a preset, and tapping out a quick caption, which is how the book conveys it. Even while that part was disappointing, I still enjoyed the book especially with the whole social media/blogger aspect. And it of course, makes you think twice about what you’re sharing with the world.
An Anonymous Girl – Short on money and struggling to make ends meet, Jess finagles her way into a psychological study on ethics and morality. The questions are invasive, but the pay is great. Then, Dr. Shields begins wanting more and more from Jess. Jess finds herself on outings, with Dr. Shields telling her what to wear and how to act. With each request, Jess’s suspicion grows and paranoia takes over. What exactly is Dr. Shields up to?
I liked parts of this one. It was an interesting concept and I was drawn into the book pretty quickly. It dragged in some parts though, and I just wanted a bigger twist and more dramatic ending.
The Happy Couple – Jo’s husband Will goes missing. A year later, she’s still searching for him and wondering what went wrong. On a whim, she decides to book a vacation by searching a house sitting site. During her search, she finds a house with photos of Will on the mantel! She books the trip and sets out to find why this woman has photos of her husband. Is he alive? Is he with someone else? What happened to Will?
This one was okay. There were a couple twists, but mostly a lot of moments where you’re wondering what’s actually going on. I expected a bigger ending, but was kind of a let down after all the build up. But again, this is a good read if you don’t want anything too dark.
Find Me – Reni Fisher’s father, Benjamin, is a convicted serial killer. Growing up, Benjamin used Reni to lure his victims. Now, 30 years later, he’s contacted Daniel Ellis, a detective who has poured over the case for years. Benjamin is ready to tell where all the bodies are, but there’s a catch, he wants Reni along for the ride. Daniel is eager to meet his demands because he’s convinced that his own mother was one of Benjamin’s victims.
There’s a lot of moving parts to this book. It had some really good twists and things I didn’t see coming. I was hooked from the second I picked it up, and very excited to see that there’s a sequel coming out next Summer! This is my top favorite Summer beach read thriller from the round up.
SUMMER BEACH READS – ROMANCES
You Deserve Each Other – Naomi & Nicholas are perfectly in love.. at least that’s what they portray. On the inside, Naomi is dreading their wedding and slowly dying inside at the thought of its rapid approach. It would be easier to just get married than face calling it off. But what if Nicholas doesn’t want to get married either? And if HE’S the one who calls it off, Naomi will be the poor jilted fiancé instead of the crazy loser who would owe his family a lot of money that she doesn’t have. New plan: Force Nicholas to walk away. By any means necessary! It’s for the best… So now that an all out war has started, why is Naomi suddenly having second thoughts? And why are they having so much fun together?
This book had me laughing out loud. The battle of wills, the enduring love, the crazy mother-in-law. I couldn’t put it down! This was my favorite romantic comedy that I’ve read in a long time! Read this one. You won’t be disappointed.
The Masterpiece – Roman Velasco, a successful artist in LA, appears to have it all. But all too often, he finds himself wrestling with the demons of his past. Grace Moore is a single mother determined to make it on her own. When she’s hired to be Roman’s personal assistant, their attraction is undeniable. However, Grace doesn’t want to make the same mistakes she’s made before. She vows not to be sidetracked by this new, intriguing relationship, but Roman is making that very difficult.
Oh my. This one pulled at all the heartstrings. It is contemporary Christian fiction, so if you liked Redeeming Love, you’ve got to read this one! It’s very different from Redeeming Love, but the characters draw you in just as quickly. I finished this in 2 days.
The One & Only – Lucy is the daughter of Walker, Texas’ legendary football coach, Clive Carr. Shea is Lucy’s best friend. After tragedy strikes in Walker, Shea begins to question a lot of her life choices and wonders if she’s really living her life to the full. Friendships are tested, relationships are redefined, and an unexpected romance will have you flying through these pages.
Adam and I recently watched (AND LOVED) Friday Night Lights. I have been missing the show, but this book totally filled the Friday Night Lights void in my life. The One & Only is full of football, friendships, and love. It’s another of my favorite Summer beach reads on the list.
OTHER READS
The Guest List – Told from multiple viewpoints, the characters are gathered on an island off the coast of Ireland for a wedding. Everything seems perfect until the wedding night suddenly turns sinister. Someone is murdered. Who is dead? Who is the killer? And who sent the bride that ominous note?
This one is currently listed on the Amazon charts, as well as being a Reese’s Book Club pick. I usually love Reese’s picks, but this one just fell a little short for me. Yes, there was a twist. But overall, there wasn’t a ton of action or excitement. However, if you want a book that’s not very dark and has some mystery to it, this is a good starting place.
The Honey-Don’t List – Melissa and Russell Tripp are HGTV’s hottest designing couple. With a successful HGTV show under their belt, a new book, and a new Netflix series, the pair seem unstoppable. But under the surface, their marriage is falling apart. Casey has worked for the Tripps for 10 years as Melissa’s “assistant” when really, she does everything. James is Russell’s latest assistant, much to his chagrin. Carey and James are suddenly thrown on Melissa & Russell’s latest book tour to keep the peace and ensure the couple doesn’t tear each other apart.. which is proving even harder than they imagined.
I was so excited to read the latest Christina Lauren book because the pair have written some of my favorite books, but this one was lackluster. I would recommend any of their previous books before this one. With this book, I never really got into the characters, didn’t feel for them, and wasn’t that invested when the book ended. There wasn’t the witty or fun comedic aspect that I’ve come to love from Christina Lauren, and there wasn’t a ton of depth. Skip this one & reread a past Christina Lauren favorite instead.
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