25 Romance Books to Take to the Beach This Summer

When it's time to pack for a trip to the beach, you need towels, sunblock, snacks, and a good book—especially if you prefer to stay on land rather than swim in the ocean. And it's usually not the time to go for something too heavy. "Beach reads" are a thing for a reason—laying on the sand is a time to relax, not to read Moby Dick. (Unless that appeals to you! It is on theme for being by the sea, so by all means, feel free.) One of the best book genres to turn to on a hot summer day is romance, because what could be easier or more fun that following along with a flirty relationship for a couple hundred pages? Whether you're in the mood for two enemies who realize they love each other, high school sweethearts reuniting, or a British royal starting a secret relationship with an American, we've got you covered right here. Read on for the 25 best romance books to take to the beach, pool, or even your own backyard.

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Whether you're a fan of Netflix's Bridgerton show or just like period romances, there are plenty of Bridgerton books waiting for you. The eight-book series from author Julia Quinn follows a wealthy family living in London during the Regency era. Each book focuses on the love story of one of the eight Bridgerton children. For example, the first book, The Duke and I, tells the story of Daphne Bridgerton falling for Simon, the Duke of Hastings, and features a fake-romance-turned-real-feelings storyline.

In Red, White & Royal Blue, Alex Claremont-Diaz is the son of the first woman president of the U.S., and he begins a secret relationship with Prince Henry of England, the second in line to the throne behind his older brother. Alex and Henry do the best they can to keep their romance under wraps, knowing that it will become international news that could affect Alex's mom's reelection campaign and the image of the royal family.

Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo tells the life story of Evelyn Hugo, an Old Hollywood star, through her seven marriages. But, none of the men she marries are her real true love—that role falls to fellow actor Celia St. James. In addition to romance, the story also includes the mystery of why Evelyn Hugo requests that her biography be written by an unknown young writer named Monique Grant.

If you eat up fake relationship romances, check out The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory. Drew, a pediatric surgeon who lives in Los Angeles, and Alexa, the chief of staff for the mayor of Berkeley, California, get stuck in an elevator together right before Drew's ex's wedding, which he is attending without a date. Alexa agrees to be Drew's fake girlfriend for the event, but their relationship doesn't stay fake for long.

Beach Read is a beach read about a writer who writes beach reads. (!) From Emily Henry, the book is about two writers—January Andrews writes romances and Augustus Everett writes darker, highbrow books. When the authors end up in neighboring beach houses over the summer, they challenge each other to switch genres in an attempt to deal with their writer's block. But, they connect over more than their shared career.

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The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan is about a young American woman, Bex Porter, who moves to the U.K. for college and ends up first befriending, then falling in love with Nick, the heir to the British throne. Their connection is challenged by their different backgrounds and the media and fan interest in Nick and his family. This one also has a sequel, The Heir Affair, if you can't get enough of Nick and Bex.

You may already be familiar with Robinne Lee's The Idea of You because it was recently adapted into a movie starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine. The story is that of a 40-year-old woman, Solène, who begins a secret relationship with a 20-something boy band member, Hayes, after taking her teenage daughter to one of his concerts. They then have a whirlwind romance that sees Solène joining Hayes on tour, while their age gap, different lifestyles, and attempt to keep their relationship undercover threatens to tear them apart.

The first Crazy Rich Asians book was turned into a blockbuster movie about the love story between American Rachel Chu and extremely wealthy Singaporean Nick Young. It also delves far deeper into the lives of a whole other host of supporting characters from Nick's family. There are three book in the franchise from Kevin Kwan: Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems.

The characters at the center of Normal People are Marianne and Connell, who first become involved in high school. Marianne is an outcast, while Connell is popular, and their relationship is also complicated by class, as Connell's mom works for Marianne's family as a housekeeper. Despite their differences, the two are drawn to each other and start a secret relationship. Over the years, they move in and out of each other's lives as they evolve as people and learn more about themselves.

Sally, a writer for a Saturday Night Live-esque comedy show falls for Noah, a pop star guest host in Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. Before meeting Noah, Sally had written a sketch about how men who aren't deemed super hot—like her male writer co-workers—end up dating supermodels, but that this doesn't happen the other way around. She ends up finding out that maybe it can.

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Want to go classic with your romantic beach read? If you've never read Pride and Prejudice, maybe now is the time. Jane Austen's famous work is about Elizabeth Bennet, a clever young woman who is not impressed by the wealthy man, Mr. Darcy, who comes into her life, even though her mother is eager to see Lizzie and her sisters married rich. Pride and Prejudice deals with the socioeconomic realities of being a woman in the regency era, but there's also plenty of romance to swoon over.

Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material is the story of Luc, the son of two musicians who were popular in the '80s. Because of his parents, Luc's life is scrutinized in the media—especially with his father planning a comeback. When he needs to get some positive press and appear more stable after being more of a partier when he was younger, Luc starts a fake relationship with Oliver, who is a straitlaced lawyer. You can probably guess what happens next.

Reality TV fans may want to check out Hot Summer by Elle Everhart. Main character Cas ends up on a Love Island-esque dating show when the dating app company she works for gets her cast on the show as a plant. If she makes it far into the season, she'll get a promotion. The problem is, Cas develops a crush on Ada, a contestant, who is also bisexual, and who seems to be on the show to actually find love.

Ana María and the Fox is the first book—of two so far—in Liana De la Rosa's historical fiction series. The high society Luna sisters were sent from Mexico to England, and this first novel focuses on Ana María. She forms a connection with Gideon Fox, a member of parliament, but he doesn't want to be distracted by his work thanks to an heiress suddenly appearing in his life, and she has a fiancé back home. The sequel is Isabel and the Rogue.

Houston single Amerie is down on her luck, unable to keep her apartment, and putting all her money and energy toward her startup when she meets Vincent. The two have a meet cute and then establish an arrangement: If she pretends to be his girlfriend in front of his family, then she can stay in a room in his house rent-free. The title of the book by Etta Easton refers to the fact that Vincent is an astronaut, which puts strain on any potential real relationship between him and Amerie.

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The young adult novel The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon is about two high school seniors, who fall for each other quickly after a chance encounter. Natasha is a Jamaican immigrant, who has found out that her family is going to be deported and is fighting for their ability to stay in the country. Daniel's family are Korean immigrants, and his parents have different goals for him than what he dreams for himself, including his college plans. The pair spend the day together exploring New York City and falling in love as they attempt to figure out their futures.

Katelyn Doyle's Just Some Stupid Love Story is about high school exes who grew up to have very different views on love. Molly is a rom-com screenwriter, but she doesn't believe that love stories like the ones she writes exists; Seth is a divorce attorney with faith in soulmates and fate. The two reconnect at a high school reunion and challenge each other when it comes to whether their own story is actually over.

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams also sees two people revisit a romance from their teenage years. Eva is an erotica writer who lives in New York, while Shane writes literary fiction. They enter each other's lives again when Shane visits New York for an event. The two had spent a week in love during their teens, and they find that they still have chemistry now. They've also been secretly writing messages for each other in their books.

Co-workers who despise one another realize that maybe their passion is displaced in The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. Joshua and Lucy are executive assistants to co-CEOs at a publishing company, and when they are put up for the same promotion, their hate for each other surprisingly transforms into something different.

In The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, two enemies end up spending a honeymoon vacation together. Olive is in her sister's wedding, while Ethan—who Olive can't stand—is the best man. When food poisoning strikes the wedding party and Olive and Ethan are the only ones who aren't affected, they end up taking the newlyweds' honeymoon trip, so it doesn't go to waste. And while the two say that they'll just avoid each other and enjoy the trip on their own, of course, that's not what ends up happening.

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Nicholas Sparks has written many romance novels that have been adapted into films, most famously, The Notebook. There's a good chance you've already seen the 2004 movie, so perhaps the book would make for a fun and easy beach read. For the unfamiliar: The Notebook is the love story of Allie and Noah, a couple who fell in love when they were youn  but were kept apart for several years due to family interference. But, when they come back together, the passion is still there.

For fantasy mixed with your romance, check out the Court of Thorns and Roses series from author Sarah J. Maas. The first book is about a huntress, Feyre, who is sent to a magical faerie world where she meets a faerie named Tamlin. Feyre finds out that not only is the faerie world not what she's been taught, but also that Tamlin is not the enemy she imagined. The adventure continues from there with five books in the series so far.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle has a premise that could leave you pondering your own life. The protagonist, Dannie, excels at an important job interview and accepts her boyfriend's marriage proposal on the same day. But, after going to sleep that night, she wakes up five years in the future where a different man is her husband and she is living in a different home. Dannie is in this future for one hour, before finding herself in present day again. She then has to come to terms with what she saw—especially when she meets the man from her vision in real life.

In The Kiss Quotient, Stella, a mathematician who is on the autism spectrum, decides that she needs practice in the dating and sex department, so she hires an escort, Michael, to help her get comfortable. But, the connection between Stella and Michael grows beyond their agreement in this novel from Helen Hoang. There are also two standalone sequel books—The Bride Test and The Heart Principle—that are only tangentially related to the first story.

Justin goes viral online thanks to a Reddit thread about what he thinks is his curse: Whenever he breaks up with someone, they immediately find their soulmate. Emma, who has the same problem, contacts Justin, and they decide to try to break their curses by dating each other, as the title states, "just for the summer." But, do they need to date each other in order to find their own soulmates, or are they actually one another's perfect match? Find out in Abby Jimenez's novel.