10 Books to Throw Into Your Beach Bag This Summer

The author of It Happens in the Hamptons is back with another quintessential beach read. Part mystery, part reality-TV-esque drama, the story follows two friends who make a pact: have affairs in the Hamptons to get back at their cheating spouses.

From the author of Eat, Pray, Love comes one of the most anticipated novels of the summer. Set in 1940s New York, City of Girls follows a young woman into the thrilling, sometimes seedy wartime theater scene as she ditches expectations in favor of finding her own path. (Classic Gilbert, right?)

Anna Quindlen’s vivid characters have always drawn us to her books, and her latest is no exception. Here, she tackles the joys and challenges of being a grandmother. At times funny and frank, it’s a must-read for new parents and grandparents.

Looking for a dose of nostalgia? Catch up with college best friends Evvie, Maggie and Topher at their 30-year reunion, where they look back and consider how differently their lives turned out than they expected. Did we mention there’s a dark secret lurking beneath the surface?  

What would happen if you could start over? Elite skier Katie flees the U.S. for Buenos Aires after a scandal upends her life. There, she tries to completely reinvent herself, via a new name, a new group of expat friends and a mysterious new love interest, but—spoiler alert—it’s more complicated than that.

OK, you caught us: This isn’t exactly a beach read. But flipping through the pages of the iconic property’s newly released cookbook will inspire you to actually turn on your oven. And the unfussy recipes will help you keep the beach vibes going long into the fall.

The latest page-turner from Megan Miranda (All the Missing Girls) is set in a Maine vacation town where a young girl has recently turned up dead. Naturally, her best friend is attempting to uncover what happened to her. (Don’t be surprised if you finish this one in a single day.)

It’s the 1960s and Cosmopolitan has its first female editor-in-chief. When photographer Alice gets a job at the magazine, she encounters hostile staffers looking to sabotage their new boss. Think of it as a slice of historical fiction told through a Devil Wears Prada lens.

Dive into the world of high society, where Faith is trying to maintain her family’s image and status amid gossip and her family’s recent financial misfortune. A juicy scandal among the one percent? Sign us up.

For a weightier summer read, this nonfiction narrative details the true story of a group of women who took on Washington and the media, and even helped to code letters to POWs in a fight to bring their husbands home from Vietnam.