Here's What Your Favorite Authors are Reading This Summer (Exclusive)
We have a slew of beach read recommendations from Kate Quinn, Carley Fortune, Abby Jiminez and many more
We've all been there: You walk into a bookstore and immediately can't remember a single title from your wish list. That, or the excitement of it all takes over and before you know it, you've got a stack of books that's taller than you and your credit limit is begging for mercy. As a books editor, I find myself fielding panicked calls from friends and readers all the time.
"I'm standing in the bookstore," the frantic text or phone call starts. "What should I read?"
PEOPLE has its own summer reading recommendations, of course. But because there's a wealth of excellent beach reads out there and just as many fabulous authors with opinions of their own, we asked a few of our favorites and yours what they recommend. Grab a few to add to your vacation tote, this summer.
Kimberly Belle recommends 'Under the Palms' by Kaira Rouda
The Kingsleys are a backbiting, dysfunctional group and at an exclusive Laguna Beach resort where the battle for control of the family business and fortune pits the women against the men, things quickly turn ugly.
Family secrets, corporate intrigue and snowballing power games make this story endlessly entertaining. Toss in Rouda’s trademark dark humor and Under the Palms is an incredibly fun ride. – Kimberly Belle author of The Paris Widow
Steven Rowley recommends 'The Bump' by Sidney Karger
Husbands Wyatt and Biz are expecting a baby via surrogate, and instead of hopping a plane for the birth of their child, they decide to pack up the car and hit the road on a babymoon of sorts instead.
Like the best road trip novels, The Bump explores destinations not located on any map. The places Wyatt and Biz go are deeply funny and emotional, and readers are lucky to accompany them on the ride. —Steven Rowley, author of The Guncle Abroad
Claire Lombardo recommends 'The Rich People Have Gone Away' by Regina Porter
Regina Porter’s The Rich People Have Gone Away follows a diverse group of New Yorkers who are brought together by the search for a missing woman.
“It is cinematic, preternaturally humane, and absolutely unputdownable — I just loved it." — Claire Lombardo, author of Reese's Book Club Pick The Most Fun We Ever Had and Same As It Ever Was
Tia Williams recommends 'The Bootlegger's Bounty' by Adriana Herrera
If you like your romance heavy on the spice — and sprinkled with Challengers vibes — you’ll love Adriana Herrera’s ultra-hot new novella, The Bootlegger's Bounty. It features a jazz singer who, in trying to escape the clutches of her villainous brother, strikes a dangerous deal with a gangster and a rum runner, with deliciously twisty results.
One caveat: don’t read this in public if you’re prone to blushing. – Tia Williams, author of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
Annabel Monaghan recommends 'Anna Bright is Hiding Something' by Susie Orman Schnall
Anna Bright is Hiding Something had me in its grips from the very first page. If you loved Hulu’s The Dropout, which highlighted the story of Elizabeth Holmes, you will devour this timely and propulsive novel about ambition and lies. It’s the perfect summer beach read. — Annabel Monaghan, author of Same Time Next Summer and Summer Romance
Wanda M. Morris recommends 'What Fire Brings' by Rachel Howzell Hall
I found myself ripping through the pages of Rachel Howzell Hall's What Fire Brings. It's a captivating and immersive thrill ride through the California canyons as a wildfire approaches.
The writing is superb. Filled with twisty dark secrets and a serial killer on the loose, this book does not disappoint.” — Wanda M. Morris, author of All Her Little Secrets and What You Leave Behind
Kate Quinn recommends 'This Used to Be Us' by Renée Carlino
I'm recommending Renée Carlino's This Used to Be Us to everybody this summer —it's a wincingly funny, jabbingly poignant examination of two people locked in an absolute car crash of a marriage, and like a car crash, you can't look away.
Alex and Danielle snipe and snarl their way through divorce, co-parenting, new romance and old memories, both secretly wondering where they went wrong — the answers will surprise you (and them).
If Amy Sherman Palladino doesn't snap this book up and turn it into the next Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I will be very disappointed! — Kate Quinn author of The Diamond Eye, The Rose Code and The Briar Club (out July 9)
Xochitl Gonzalez recommends 'Hurdles in the Dark' by Elvira K. Gonzalez
I’m just starting Hurdles in the Dark by Elvira K. Gonzalez — it’s Young Adult, and I love the author’s ability to capture the voice and mindset of a teen track star from Laredo who must scramble to get a ransom together when her mother is kidnapped.” — Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Reese's Book Club Pick Anita de Monte Laughs Last
Emily Giffin recommends 'The Rom-Commers' by Katherine Center
For a good cry, many laughs and a big hit of dopamine, read The Rom-Commers, a story about an aspiring screenwriter looking for real-life love. I’m a massive Katherine Center stan, and this book is her best yet. — Emily Giffin, author of Meant to Be and The Summer Pact
Byron Lane recommends 'No Road Home' by John Fram
Add some chills to your warm summer nights with No Road Home by John Fram, a gripping, dark and immersive queer mystery with the twists of Knives Out, the horrors of Steven King and an ending as rich as the writing itself.
It’s not for the faint of heart, and that’s exactly what makes it an unforgettable summer read. — Byron Lane, author of Big Gay Wedding
Related: Essential Reading for Pride: PEOPLE Picks Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Books For Adults
Ally Condie recommends 'Real Americans' by Rachel Khong
I love an epic, multi-generational family story, and this one is absolutely stunning. Khong's writing is beautiful on every level, from the sentence level to the sweeping whole. I couldn't put Real Americans down!" — Ally Condie, author of Reese's Book Club Pick The Unwedding
Related: PEOPLE Picks Our Favorite Memoirs, Fiction and Nonfiction Books by Asian Authors
Carley Fortune recommends 'The Husbands' by Holly Gramazio
I packed Holly Gramazio’s debut novel, The Husbands, in my bag on a recent trip to Lyon, France, because I had a hunch that it would be the ideal vacation read. Oh, how I love it when I’m right!
In the book, Lauren comes home from a sloppy night out to discover her attic is offering her an unlimited supply of husbands to try on for size and return if she finds them unsatisfactory, which she does. Over and over. The story is twisty, fast-paced and wickedly funny, but it’s Gramazio’s insight into modern love and dating that gives it incredible depth.
This is one of those books you’ll want a friend to read alongside you (preferably on poolside lounge chairs) so you can discuss it immediately.” — Carley Fortune, author of This Summer Will Be Different
Emiko Jean recommends 'The Mountain King' by Anders de la Motte
The Mountain King follows Detective Leonore Asker, demoted during a high-profile kidnapping case, as she uncovers a link between eerie model train figures and a missing woman, leading her and a friend to confront a unique evil in a mountain's depths.
"With its haunting, atmospheric writing, captivating characters and absorbing plot, The Mountain King is a bone-chilling thriller that will keep readers awake long past bedtime." — Emiko Jean, author of The Return of Ellie Black
Natalie Jenner recommends 'All the Summers In Between' by Brooke Lea Foster
I love being transported with a summer novel, and Brooke Lea Foster sets her tales in seaside settings so evocative, you can practically feel the sand between your toes.
In All the Summers In Between, we get two very different women and two very fun decades (the 60s and 70s), as local girl Thea's glamorous girlhood pal Margot re-enters her calm domestic life in the Hamptons 10 years later like a time bomb. Yet another beautifully written historical fiction from a great storyteller. — Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen Society
Kristy Woodson Harvey recommends 'Seven Summer Weekends' by Jane L. Rosen
Jane L. Rosen’s Seven Summer Weekends is a must-read! A charming, feel-good story about the power of love, the saving grace of friendship and the revelatory nature of time spent by the sea, this novel is the perfect reminder that it doesn’t take long for life to change in the best possible ways. Sometimes, in fact, it only takes Seven Summer Weekends. —Kristy Woodson Harvey, author of The Summer of Songbirds and A Happier Life
Essie Chambers recommends 'Anita de Monte Laughs Last' by Xochitl Gonzalez
An art world mystery is at the center of this unforgettable novel. It explores issues of race, misogyny and erasure through the lens of two remarkable women. I found it enlightening, infuriating and hilarious— a blend unique to Xochitl. I can still hear the voices of these women in my head— Essie Chambers, author of Read With Jenna Pick Swift River
Carola Lovering recommends 'Rip Tide' by Colleen McKeegan
“Rip Tide is the epitome of a summer read, the kind of book that grabs you from page one and commands your full attention. McKeegan's sophomore novel is juicy, mysterious and brimming with secrets, with an immersive beach town setting to boot.” — Carola Lovering, author of Tell Me Lies and Bye, Baby
Chris Whitaker recommends 'The Nature of Disappearing' by Kimi Cunningham Grant
I adored These Silent Woods, so when I heard that the brilliant Kimi Cunningham Grant had a new book coming out, my expectations were sky-high. And I can safely say The Nature of Disappearing delivers on every level. A masterful, mesmerizing mystery, so beautifully descriptive I was instantly transported to the wilderness, where I found characters I truly cared for. Evocative and brilliant. — Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End and All The Colors of the Dark
Ashley Poston recommends 'Just Some Stupid Love Story' by Katelyn Doyle
What do you get when you mix a romcom screenwriter who doesn’t believe in love with a divorce attorney who does? A flirty, sexy read that’ll have you screaming at them to just bang it out in the back room at their high school reunion.
Fresh and fun as hell — Katelyn Doyle is absolutely an author to watch! — Ashely Poston, author of A Novel Love Story
Abby Jimenez recommends 'Pardon My Frenchie' by Farrah Rochon
I’ve been waiting for a new romance by Farrah Rochon and I’m so excited to read Pardon My Frenchie. If you love dogs and New Orleans as much as I do, this is one book that must be on your radar this summer. You’ll laugh, you’ll swoon and you will most likely crave a beignet when you are done. — Abby Jimenez, author of Good Morning America Book Club Pick Just for the Summer
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