Top Ten Tuesday | Books to Read By the Pool/At the Beach

Hey friends,

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you’re all having a great first half of the week. I’m having a pretty good day. So far, this is the least busy I’ve been in a few days, but we’ll see how the rest of the day goes.

Also, wow, I did not realize how long it’s been since I’ve done a top 10 list. Sorry about that.

For those of you not familiar with Top Ten Tuesday, it was a meme created by the lovely bloggers over at The Broke and the Bookish but was moved to That Artsy Ready Girl in 2018. Be sure to check out Jana’s blog for prompts for the rest of the year!

This week for Top Ten Tuesday we’re going to be talking about 10 books that are perfect to read by the pool or at the beach.

As always, this list is in no particular order.

The books:

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett: This book sounds like a fun contemporary read that’s perfect for the start of summer! I like the premise of having this book set in the woods/during a camping trip. I think this book would be a super fun beach read.
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett: Similarly, Alex Approximately sounds like a super fun and fluffy read. I’m a sucker for a good “will they won’t they” and I think this book is going to deliver! Also, it’s a YA retelling of You’ve Got Mail, if that doesn’t say summer read, I don’t know what does.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang: This is an adult contemporary romance that sounds freaking adorable. I’ve seen so many people rave about this book. This book follows our main character, Stella, a mathematician with Aspergers, who in an attempt to get more comfortable with sexual contact and sex itself hires escort Michael Phan. This book sounds like a heartwarming sexy read that will be perfect for an afternoon by the pool.
This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender: I got this ARC from Bookcon and it sounds ADORABLE. This book follows Nathan Bird, who doesn’t believe in happy endings. Trying to avoid a broken heart, Nathan consistently plays it safe to avoid getting hurt. That is, until his best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does come along: Oliver James Hernández, his childhood best friend. This book seriously sounds adorable and fluffy and perfect for the summer months.
Escape for the Summer by Ruth Saberton: I think I got this ebook after a BookBub recommendation. This one follows three women searching for a great holiday after experiencing hardship, looking for the perfect partner, and preparing for the role of a lifetime. This seems like a classic chick lit/romance contemporary and it’s one that even the review think will make a perfect beach read.
Pacifica by Kristen Simmons: While I don’t actually read at the beach or by the pool when I think of beachside reads, I think of either fluffy contemporaries or captivating fantasies. This book definitely fits into the latter category. This book involves relocating residents from a destroyed island home to a new island filled with riches. The problem is, our main character knows the ocean and knows there’s no island where the president says he’s moving everyone…so where is taking them? I think this story would be so fun to read around the pool.
Mermaid by Jodi Picoult: This is a novella following Hope Payne a former mermaid, performing at the local theme park and captivating audiences young and old. Today, she’s married to a pragmatic marine biologist who has filled the pool in their backyard with flounder for a special study. Before he begins, the fish vanish—echoing a loss Hope alone can understand. She senses there’s something underwater, something alive and hungry for more, but is she in too deep to ever resurface? This sounds like a fun short story and what’s better than reading about mermaids at the beach?
The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill: This is a Little Mermaid retelling that sounds incredibly captivating. Like I mentioned above, reading about mermaids at the beach sounds like a perfect way to spend an afternoon.
Sea Witch by Sarah Henning: Along with mermaids, I think reading about sirens and cecaelia are super fun beach reads. This book is also a Little Mermaid retelling, however, this one follows the sea witch rather than the mermaid.
Stealing the Wind by Shira Anthony: The last one I want to mention on this list is definitely a mix of the elements I mentioned above. This book is merman erotica with a male/male romance and holy hell does it sound good. Honestly, merman erotica?? Does it get any more poolside/beachy than that?