Must-Read Beach Reads for Summer 2022
What makes the perfect beach read??
For me, it's a page-turner that I do NOT want to put down. I love a good thriller, and I usually like to read something with a little depth to it. Good character development. A plot that keeps me on my toes. But this doesn't have to be some groundbreaking Great American Novel. It can be fun and light, with a solid message.
If all of those things sound good to you, and you're still looking for a few more books for your adult summer reading list, keep reading! This is my list of some fantastic Summer 2022 beach reads!!
When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.
As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America's first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she's breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn't care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there's Samantha's twin, Prince Jefferson. If he'd been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.
If you love a good series that you can binge-read over the course of a vacation, be sure to check out my July Book of the Month. The American Royals saga begins with American Royals and continues in Majesty. The third book in the series Rivals was just released and there is a fourth book in the works too!
Who Should Read It?
Anyone who loves American history
Fans of romance, young adults novels, multi-book series
People who love books with strong female leads
Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. So when tragedy strikes and Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian, he is, honestly, overwhelmed.
Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. But when his waggish set of "Guncle Rules" no longer appease Maisie and Grant's parental void, Patrick's eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you're unfailingly human.
This book is adorable and be prepared to laugh like a complete lunatic while you're reading it. Full of live advice, both serious and nonsensical, Guncle is a must-read.
Who Should Read It?
People who love heartwarming stories about family, grief, and tasteful caftans
Parents or anyone who serves as a role model for little people
Fans of witty one-liners and people who like to laugh in general
What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.
If you loved the White House setting with a royal twist in American Royals, but you're not really looking for a whole series, then you definitely need to add Red, White, & Royal Blue to your to-read list! Featuring a really great enemies-to-lovers LGBT romance, Red, White, & Royal Blue is fun and easy to read, but has a great message. Plus, this one will be a movie soon!
Who Should Read It?
Romance readers who love a good enemies-to-lovers or fake friendship story
Fans of American Royals
Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.
The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.
Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.
And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.
By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come rising to the surface.
Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.
This beach read feels like a hot, dramatic summer night. As you dive into the world of the family at the center of the drama, you won't want to surface until you've seen the train wreck that has been building from the first page.
Who Should Read It?
Anyone who loves a good family drama
Fans of beach reads that feel tropical but feature a deeper plot
Fans of other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid like Daisy Jones and The Six
“Never again” became Queen Elizabeth II’s mantra shortly after Princess Diana’s tragic death. More specifically, there could never be “another Diana”—a member of the family whose global popularity upstaged, outshone, and posed an existential threat to the British monarchy.
Brown takes readers on a tour de force journey through the scandals, love affairs, power plays, and betrayals that have buffeted the monarchy over the last twenty-five years. We see the Queen’s stoic resolve after the passing of Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, and Prince Philip, her partner for seven decades, and how she triumphs in her Jubilee years even as family troubles rage around her. Brown explores Prince Charles’s determination to make Camilla Parker Bowles his wife, the tension between William and Harry on “different paths,” the ascendance of Kate Middleton, the downfall of Prince Andrew, and Harry and Meghan’s stunning decision to step back as senior royals. Despite the fragile monarchy’s best efforts, “never again” seems fast approaching.
If you are obsessed with the British royals and all of the Meghan Markle drama (and a good non-fiction is more your beach read speed) then add The Palace Papers to your summer reading list. Also worth checking out is The Diana Chronicles by the same author!
Who Should Read It?
Fans of readable non-fiction
Your friend who woke up at an ungodly hour to watch the royal wedding
Anyone who owned a Princess Di beanie baby and has been obsessed with the British monarchy ever since
Did you find a new beach read to finish out your summer? Have book recommendations for me??
Connect with me on social @karlishermanproductions and let me know!
PS: Be sure to check out ALL of my reading lists in one place here!!
Happy Reading!
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