Peak summer is finally here, which means I’m reading outside. Whether I’m poolside or beachside, a fresh, new paperback is in my hand, my facial sunscreen in the other.
In the spirit of days spent reading underneath the sun’s rays, I resorted to plenty of beach reads this month, more than the usual I’d typically reach for. On a tropical island vacation, I completed three page-turning plot lines (but more on that below).
Whether you’re an avid follower of Reese’s Book Club and Read with Jenna like me, or you simply want to find some hidden gems on the *online* bookshelves, this list is for you. Wonderfully curated, perfect for reading.
RELATED: Best May book releases, ranked by Amazon Books Editors
Ahead, you’ll find full reviews for each book I read in June, along with some commentary from the Amazon Books Editors. You’ll also want to toggle to the end of the list for some additional recommendations, too.
!["The Main Character" by Jaclyn Goldis](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Main-Character_-by-Jaclyn-Goldis.png)
Fans of Agatha Christie may want to check out this homage to “Murder on the Orient Express.”
In this new page-turner, a reclusive author invites a specially chosen group of people aboard the newly-renovated Orient Express to travel from Cinque Terre to Positano, intending to fictionalize any drama that ensues. It was deeply engaging and set in a glamorous, must-read-about setting. It’s the perfect balance between a picturesque summer novel and an engaging story.
“Pair an original, dramatic plot with interesting characters in a glamorous setting, throw in a dollop of fascinating history and you get a riveting read,” Vanessa Cronin, senior editor at Amazon Books Editorial, exclusively told the New York Post, singing the title’s praises.
!["The Perfect Marriage" by Jeneva Rose](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Perfect-Marriage_-by-Jeneva-Rose.png)
Meet one of my five-star reads for 2024: “The Perfect Marriage” by Jeneva Rose. Twisty, riveting and completely un-put-down-able, the story will have you hooked until the very last page. Plus, the ending is one I didn’t naturally suspect, which makes the reading experience that much more spicy.
Not to mention, we love a good courtroom thriller, especially one where it’s not clear who’s innocent or guilty. “Rose really ups the ante here, where a defense attorney has to defend her own husband on charges he murdered his mistress,” Cronin said. “Nobody handles skeletons in the closet with such a chilling effect quite like Geneva Rose. She also excels at devising the kind of twists that you don’t see coming, which makes this the perfect summer read.”
!["The Resort" by Sara Ochs](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Resort_-by-Sara-Ochs.png)
Who doesn’t dream of a fresh start in a tropical paradise? But that fresh start turns nightmarish in Ochs’ twisty thriller, as a series of murders means someone in a group of international expats is having their past catch up to them.
“If you like sun-soaked exotic settings, a large cast of characters with shady pasts, and you like books by Rachel Hawkins or Catherine Steadman, this is the read for you,” Cronin noted, recommending the novel. Nobody can resist a tropical paradise after all, and I enjoyed the unique angle and rich detail set in a summertime-soaked setting.
!["Nora Goes Off Script" by Annabel Monaghan](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Nora-Goes-Off-Script_-by-Annabel-Monaghan.png)
With Annabel Monaghan’s new novel “Summer Romance,” I decided to finally hop on the bandwagon and read her three novels for the ultimate June beach-reading month. It was absolutely delightful, allowing for the perfect escape on a beautiful summer day.
“We binge-read this tale about Nora, a recently divorced scriptwriter,” Cronin began explaining. “When she throws out the formula she uses to write romance scripts for a Hallmark-like channel and writes from her bruised heart, it brings her attention from Hollywood and even a hot movie star who may feature in Nora’s second act.”
This clever, charming rom-com (which is also an Amazon Editors’ pick) about a single mom and her two kids — all apprehensive about risking their hearts again — made the Amazon team “fall hard,” per Cronin.
!["Same Time Next Summer" by Annabel Monaghan](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Same-Time-Next-Summer_-by-Annabel-Monaghan.png)
Following “Nora Goes Off Script,” Monaghan’s “Same Time Next Summer” was another magical read that has everything you can ask for in a beach read.
With Sam’s life on track — complete with the dreamy doctor fiancé and a fabulous job in Manhattan— she feels as if everything is going to plan. Just as she’s about to tour wedding venues, she runs into her 17-year-old love interest who broke her heart way back when. The rest, you’ll want to read.
!["Summer Romance" by Annabel Monaghan](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Summer-Romance_-by-Annabel-Monaghan.png)
My favorite of Monaghan’s novels is unveiled. “Summer Romance” is like “Grease” in a book, which made me love it so much more. The characters shared an original and captivating love story that felt cozy and whimsical. It has to be one of the best new releases of the summer, by far.
“Annabel Monaghan writes witty, messy, complicated women I want to be friends with,” Abby Abell, senior editor at Amazon Books Editorial, told The Post. “In ‘Summer Romance,’ Ali is a professional organizer whose life is in chaos. But when her friend’s younger brother returns to town, he remembers Ali as the vibrant, fearless girl who he’s always had a crush on; and she starts to remember that girl, too.”
This is a story about what a scary but worthwhile risk love is, in all its many forms. It’s an endearing, charming romantic comedy that was, unsurprisingly, an Amazon Editors’ pick for June.
!["Meet Me in Tahiti" by Georgia Toffolo](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Meet-Me-in-Tahiti_-by-Georgia-Toffolo.png)
Not gonna lie, I decided to pick up “Meet Me in Tahiti” by Georgia Toffolo purely based on the title. It’s an empowering, inclusive and lovely beach read that’s sure to be unlike any you’ve read.
This story centers on Zoe, the fun-hearted protagonist who caught herself falling for the bad boys (ahem, Finn). When she got into a car crash at 18 years old, she had to adjust to being unable to walk again.
Flash forward years later, Zoe is a travel writer who’s about to review a luxury hotel. The owner? Finn. That’s truly all you need to know before adding it to your cart and enjoying the summertime thrill this book has to offer.
!["This Summer Will Be Different" by Carley Fortune](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/This-Summer-Will-Be-Different_-by-Carley-Fortune.png)
“This transporting, swoon-worthy romance (and an Amazon Editors’ pick) follows Lucy as she visits Prince Edward Island (PEI) and has an instant connection, and an incredibly sexy night, with local Felix,” Abell shared. “But the world is small, and it turns out that Felix is her best friend Bridget’s brother…and very off limits.”
The longing in this book is matched only by the incredible setting that has just about everyone planning a trip to PEI. It’s aching and beautiful, and another five-star read of mine. Not to mention, Fortune’s best novel yet.
!["Malibu Summer" by Libby Gill](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Malibu-Summer_-by-Libby-Gill.png)
If you’re a fan of second-chance romances, try your hand at opposites-attract romance. It couldn’t be more engaging, especially when the dreamy scenery of Malibu is tossed into the mix.
Here, Ivy Bauer is an ambitious soil scientist who’s also the entrepreneur of an organic irrigation system. When her husband is killed in a biking accident, she takes a summer job in Malibu as a gardener, allowing her time to grieve.
She then meets Conrad, a former Hollywood actor, who’s also experiencing grief after the death of his wife. When their paths cross, it’s both an enemies-to-lovers vibe mixed with the most beautiful story.
!["The Bridesmaids" by Victoria Jenkins](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Bridesmaids_-by-Victoria-Jenkins.png)
Wholly on-brand for me as I recently got engaged (and love thrillers), “The Bridesmaids” by Victoria Jenkins couldn’t have been a more “ooh, I’ll pick this up” novel.
Holly is getting married and there’s a bachelorette party. But then, one body among the group is found and a bridesmaid is the killer. It was a bit seemingly out-of-reach at times, but boy did it create a captivating story from beginning to end.
!["Swan Song" by Elin Hilderbrand](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Swan-Song_-by-Elin-Hilderbrand.png)
Me: *cries because this is Elin Hilderbrand’s last novel.*
I can’t begin to describe how phenomenal this beach read is. It’s the fourth installment of the author’s beaming Nantucket series, with each one better than the next. Not to mention, Hilderbrand is the Queen of the Beach Read, so this new summer release is one that’ll keep you turning each page and fantasizing about every sweltering day of summer.
Other June Books to read, per the Amazon Books Editorial team
“James” by Percival Everett
!["James" by Percival Everett](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/James_-by-Percival-Everett.png)
“With the same fiery wit, snap and energy of his previous work, Percival Everett brings to life a retelling of ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn‘ and, in so doing, delivers an entirely new classic, one that is rip-roaringly American, wry and hard-hitting,” Al Woodworth, senior editor at Amazon Books Editorial, shared.
It’s a knock-out, and it was also the Amazon Books Editorial team’s unanimous pick for the No.1 Best Book of the Year So Far, which the team just announced.
“The Women” by Kristin Hannah
!["The Women" by Kristin Hannah](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Women_-by-Kristin-Hannah.png)
One of the Amazon Editors’ favorite novels of 2024 so far, Kristin Hannah’s “The Women,” has just as much emotional heft as her best-selling “The Nightingale.”
“It’s a story that honors the combat nurses who served in Vietnam, and in doing so, expands the definition of what a war hero is,” Erin Kodicek, senior editor at Amazon Books Editorial, shared. It was also one of my favorite of Hannah’s books that I read this year.
“All the Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons and Politicians” by Phil Elwood
!["All the Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons and Politicians" by Phil Elwood](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/All-the-Worst-Humans-How-I-Made-News-for-Dictators-Tycoons-and-Politicians_-by-Phil-Elwood.png)
“This wild, oh-my-God memoir will make your jaw drop,” Woodworth said. “A public relations hit man dishes on all of his dirty deeds and it’s not only impossible to put down, it’s impossible not to talk about.”
In other words, it’s the perfect summer nonfiction reading and why it’s Amazon’s No. 1 nonfiction pick for the Best Book of the Year So Far.
“The Ministry of Time” by Kaliane Bradley
!["The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley](https://www.todaysauthormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/The-Ministry-of-Time_-by-Kaliane-Bradley.png)
Amazon’s No. 4 pick for Best Book of the Year So Far is Kaliane Bradley’s awe-inducing debut that’s a time travel-spy thriller-government conspiracy-love story, and so much more.
“In a near-future London, a time travel device is discovered by a top-secret agency that uses it to bring back ‘expats’ from different times in history,” Abell explained. “This genre-bending novel explores humanity in all its frailty and potential, and how love can alter the course of history. It’s a fantastical novel that’s funny, riveting, heartbreaking and unputdownable.”
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