5 Beach Reads That Prove A Summer Book Can Still Cut Deep

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This article contains spoilers for "That Summer" by Jennifer Weiner, "The Convenience Store by the Sea" by Sonoko Machida, "The Secret Keeper" by Maggie Miller, "Every Summer After" by Carley Fortune, and "Tilly's Tuscan Teashop" by Daisy James.

During the warm weather months, nothing compares to sitting poolside with a good book. Beyond being one of the fun things you can do in the summer that won't cost a fortune, reading can quickly enhance the escapist vibes of any vacation. Just picture yourself winding down on a lawn chair, soaking up lots of sun, and getting lost in a swirling romance or fantasy. 

On the surface, the typical beach read should put you in a summer mindset with sun-soaked, escape-from-reality vibes. Above all, it's easy to follow. As one writer declared to The New Yorker, the golden rule for summer reading is as follows: "No 'hard' literature that I have to slog through to discover a deep and twisted meaning." As such, what we think of as the typical beach read is usually more character-driven; entertainment is the goal, not depth. 

Unfortunately, this sentiment has given the term beach read a bad rep among the literary community. Some book clubs have gone as far as to denounce them as fluffy and superficial. However, in recent year many authors have challenged this limiting definition. Now, what constitutes a good beach read is is one that'll have you enjoying your day basking in the sun all while also delivering a strong emotional punch that leaves an impression long after your tan fades. In other words, you don't have to read something heavy and dense to find depth. You just have to know what to look for. If you're looking for a modern beach read that cuts deep, we've rounded up some highly-rated titles to add to your collection. From an email mixup that results in an unlikely friendship to the everyday occurrences at a 24/7 convenience store in a quaint seaside town in Japan, these breezy stories will take you by surprise and be the most feel-good heartwarming stories you'll read all summer.

At first glance, Jennifer Weiner's "That Summer" may seem like a light and casual poolside read, but it's so much more than that. Similar to other titles from the author — who has penned more than more than 20 bestselling novels —  this book is full of thought-provoking, complex themes, including the power of female friendships and the multifaceted experience of being a woman in today's world.

From the outside, protagonist Daisy Shoemaker's life is picture perfect. She has a thriving business, a seemingly perfect family, and a calendar packed with days of volunteer work. But underneath it all, Daisy feels hollow due to her emotional distance from her husband, difficult relationship with her angsty teenaged daughter, and lack of true, genuine friends.

When she starts receiving emails that were meant for a woman named Diana Starling, Daisy becomes enamored by the mysterious woman's high-profile life and can't help but compare it to her nights making dinner for her family or her days doing carpool routines. These mistakenly sent emails lead the two women to meet, and the more their bond grows, the more Daisy realizes those emails may not have been a mistake after all. Set against the backdrop of Cape Cod during the summer months, the book is ideal for anyone looking for a poolside read with a thrill.

With more than a half a million copies sold in Japan and Korea alone, "The Convenience Store by the Sea," Sonoko Machida's 2025 summer read clearly has staying power. The plot not only explores human connection and the importance of community, it also showcases what conbinis (convenience stores) mean to the Japanese people. Set around a convenience store in a seaside town that's open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, Machida tells us of the lives of the store's employees and visitors.

Tenderness, a 24/7 convenience store, is practically the community hub for Mojiko, a seaside town in the Kitakyushu prefecture of Japan. There's a ridiculously good-looking manager, his swooning fan club, and quirky customers that all play a big part in what makes this conbini so special. This store is full of comfort, familiarity, wisdom, and most importantly connection. Central to the story is Mitsuri, a middle-aged woman, who juggles working part-time at the store, keeping her family happy, and her secret passion. She's busy in the store serving up warmed food or giving heartfelt advice to the customers. Machida uses both humor and warm messages to tell us a story that celebrates the everyday magic found in life and the importance of being kind to one another.

The first book in the "Hideaway Bay" trilogy series by bestselling author Maggie Miller, "The Secret Keeper" is deemed by many as a must-read in the summer. And, just by looking at the cover we can see why. On her GoodReads profile, the author shares, "Time off is time best spent at the beach, don't you agree?...The beach is my happy place." However, Miller's summertime series may feel lighthearted on the surface, but beneath the emerald beaches and sunshine, there's so much more. "The Secret Keeper" explores emotional themes of self-discovery, reinvention, and the cost of fame and having secrets.

As the confidant to many in Hollywood, not only is protagonist Harper Calhoun the voice of reason for many big stars through the chaos that comes with fame, she's also guarding some big secrets for them. Oh, and she's dating a superstar, but she handles everything quite well — that is, until the spotlight shifts to her. Despite having helped others navigate these situations, Harper becomes overwhelmed and worried her past will come to surface. In the midst of everything, she decides to escape to a quiet beach cottage in Florida — a gift she's received from a client. Away from the spotlight and flashy red carpet events, Harper hopes things will pan down. But, she just might learn that there are some secrets that are harder to run away from than others.

Carley Fortune loves to write about stories set in lakeside towns in the summer, and "Every Summer After" might be one of her best summer lakeside town love stories yet. Fortune told lifestyle blogger, Carley Rae, in an interview that she had been quite nostalgic about the summers of her teenage years after looking back at her journals from then. She added, "Writing the book let me escape back into that time." In this perfect summer read, Fortune explores the meaning of first love, the passage of time, regret, and forgiveness.

Just an FYI: If this does make your summer beach read list for 2025, you're going to want to take some tissues with you as there may be tears.

Persephone Fraser and Sam Florek spent six golden summers at the lake together, and in that time, their friendship became something much more to one another. Everything was perfect until it wasn't for the two young lovers, and now, Persephone Fraser lives with the painstaking regret of making the biggest mistake of her life. Thanks to it, she also avoids her hometown at all costs. When a funeral brings her back to Barry's Bay, her paths cross with Sam—the boy she loved and still loves very much. Old feelings resurface, and the two must face the past and choices that drove their love apart. Could one weekend possibly be enough to give their love a second chance?

Daisy James proudly calls herself the "author of sunshine-filled stories in herInstagram bio, and that's for good reason. Her books are typically about strong-willed female protagonists on a journey of self-discovery and growth, with a sprinkle of romance set in breathtaking places like Santorini, the Hawaiian islands, and the south of France. "Tilly's Tuscan Teashop" is no different. As the first book of the Blossomwood Bay series, "Tilly's Tuscan Teashop" transports readers to the hills of Tuscany, where there will be fresh beginnings, lots of healing, and maybe even time for love.

Natalie Nicholson is left feeling devastated when a fire destroys her beloved beachside photography studio. Then, she finds out her boyfriend's been parading around the island of Bali with some other woman, and that's her final straw. Natalie must get away, and she ends up in the Tuscan countryside to help out at her sister's English teashop in a beautifully sunlit village. It's in this new routine that Natalie actually begins to understand and enjoy the slower life the Italians, like the gorgeous local filmmaker Matteo Ferretti she just met, love so much. But, will Natalie actually be able to let go of her fast-paced old life and embrace a completely different one?

In curating our list of summer reads that cut deep, we considered multiple factors. First, all of the choices listed needed to meet the criteria for a typical beach read: Either the story needed to take place in the sun-kissed season or at least summon the feeling of the perfect mid-summer day within the reader.

Once we gathered a list of titles that fit into one of these categories, we read the synopses of our shortlisted picks and specifically singled out stories that honed in on one emotionally intricate theme. We prioritized stories that promise to leave the readers yearning for something a bit more. We knew this would be the perfect combination of warmth felt on a sunny day and soul-stirring that make a summer read one that lingers in one's mind for quite some time.

Last but not least, we vetted Amazon and Goodreads reviews from real readers to see which books truly resonated, narrowing ours to picks that had a 4-star rating from at least 40% of readers.