10 Best Summer Books to Read on the Beach (2017)

Fly Me is the debut novel from GQ's senior editor and California-native Daniel Riley. Transport yourself to 1972 Los Angeles with this summer beach read and its protagonist, Suzy. Follow her along her post-graduate journey as a flight stewardess for Grand Pacific Airlines as she finds herself in a drug-trafficking scheme. Entertaining and playful, you'll fly through this beach read.

What People Are Saying: "An excellent time capsule of '70s nostalgia, capturing that devil-may-care beach-culture vibe." —Marie Claire

Available on Amazon

Known as the father of modern epic fantasy novels, Williams returns 24 years later with a sequel trilogy to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. This will surely be the hit of fantasy summer books, with Williams' highly anticipated return to Osten Ard. Set 30 years after the events of his previous novels, readers will dive into the same fantasy world, with new threats to its existence. This is a beach book that will take you into another world.

What People Are Saying: "Tad Williams is a master storyteller, and the Osten Ard books are his masterpiece. Williams' return to Osten Ard is every bit as compelling, deep, and fully-rendered as the first trilogy, and he continues to write with the experience and polish of an author at the top of his game." —Brandon Sanderson, New York Times-best-selling author of Mistborn

Available on Amazon on June 27

Already an Amazon Charts Most Read and Most Sold book after one month on the shelves, Beneath a Scarlet Sky is one of the best summer books to bring to the beach this year. The novel is based on the true story of an Italian teenager, Pino, who tries to help Jews escape over the Alps during World War II. However, Pino’s parents enlist him as a German solider and he finds himself as a personal driver for General Hans Leyers, Hitler's commander in Italy, a twist that creates an opportunity to spy for the Allies.

What People Are Saying: "Meticulous research highlights this World War II novel of a youth growing into manhood … a captivating read …" —RT Book Reviews

Available on Amazon

After the disappearance of his birth mother, Polly, Deming Guo is adopted and uprooted to a small town in upstate New York. After growing up in the Bronx with a single Chinese immigrant mother, Deming struggles to assimilate to his new life with adoptive parents. Stay tuned for the story (and mystery of his mother's disappearance) that unfolds in alternative narratives between son and mother. 

What People Are Saying: "I'm intrigued by the plot of this debut novel, which involves the mysterious disappearance of an undocumented Chinese immigrant and her son's attempt to find her, even after he's adopted by another couple. The book sounds timely for our political moment but also timeless in its portrayal of the bonds between parents and children." —Senior Editor, Sarah Schlichter

Available on Amazon

From the master of beach books comes Nancy Thayer's latest Nantucket-based novel, Secrets in Summer. Year-round resident, Darcy, finds herself summertime neighbors with her ex-husband. Add in a new romance with a local resident and a fling with a vacationer, and Darcy is in for quite the summer.

What People Are Saying: "Thayer’s beachside novel brims with themes that women's-fiction readers love, and the plot skims important issues—infidelity, fear of commitment, grief—while maintaining its focus on Darcy’s personal growth and the intergenerational friendship between the four women."—Booklist (starred review)

Available on Amazon

Born a duchess—by way of her late aristocratic French mother—in 19th-century England, Angelique Latham is forced out of her inherited role by her half-brothers after her father's death. Angelique then finds her way to Paris in one of the hottest summer books for 2017. The rest of the novel takes place in the City of Light as Angelique decides to open an "elegant house of pleasure" after rescuing a young woman from an abusive madam. Powerful and sexual, this novel tells the story of a strong female figure, way before her time.

What People Are Saying: "The incomparable Danielle Steel breaks new ground as she takes us to nineteenth-century England, where a high-born young woman is forced out into the world—and begins a journey of survival, sensuality, and long-sought justice." —Amazon

Available on Amazon on June 27

This psychological thriller—think Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train—is set to be a major motion pictured directed by Ron Howard and will be out next year. Catch up on the drama before the movie comes out with this popular beach read.

The protagonist, Jane, finds herself infatuated with a minimalist-designed house and its architect, only to learn the fate of its previous tenant, and wonders if she's unknowingly following the same path.

What People Are Saying: "Delaney has created a genuinely eerie, fascinating setting in One Folgate Street … The novel’s structure, volleying back and forth as first Emma and then Jane begin to question their improbable luck, is beautifully handled. The pages fly."—USA Today

Available on Amazon

Brown delivers one of the most-anticipated summer books for 2017 with Watch Me Disappear, a riveting mystery about a father and daughter's search for their missing wife and mother after her disappearance from a hiking trail in Northern California. Their journey leads them to discover secrets and cope with the fact that they might not have known everything about her. For fans of Big Little Lies, Brown's latest will be your perfect beach read.

What People Are Saying: “I devoured Watch Me Disappear in one sitting. Brown deftly peels away the layers of a loving marriage to reveal a haunting mystery and a devastating truth: that no matter how much you love someone, you can never truly know them.”—Laura McHugh, author of The Weight of Blood

Available on Amazon on July 11

From New York Times best-selling author comes one of Jane Green’s latest popular summer beach reads. Set in Hollywood, three sisters return home to deal with their ill mother. The sisters have never been close and felt alienated by their TV-star mom growing up. Will they come together to fulfill her final wishes? Find out with Green's latest, and perhaps best, novel for summer 2017.

What People Are Saying: “All women will recognize something of themselves in one of the Sunshine sisters. Jane Green's best yet. I raced through this.”—Jojo Moyes, New York Times best-selling author of Me Before You and Paris for One and Other Stories

Available on Amazon

Kevin Hart's memoir is a best-seller on Amazon for summer books, and for good reason. The funny but relatable book tells the story of Hart's path to comedic stardom. Born to estranged parents in North Philadelphia, Hart had to rely on himself and his talent to get him where he is today. Laugh out loud on the beach and get to know the real Kevin Hart with his memoir.

What People Are Saying: "Hart is an incredibly magnetic storyteller, on the page as he is onstage, and that’s what shines through … a genial, entertaining guide to a life in comedy." —Kirkus Reviews

Available on Amazon