Headed On Vacation? Stuff These Must-Read Books In Your Bag, Stat!

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Everyone's beach bag packing list includes a few can't-forget essentials, like SPF, sunnies, and—super important!—snacks. But there's one more item you'll definitely want to add to the mix: a good book. Whether you're lying on a towel steps from the ocean or ensconced under a cabana pool-side, there's no better way to unplug (seriously, put the phone down!) and relax than with an engrossing read. To help you find the perfect tome, we asked the editors of Women's Health and Men's Health to recommend their favorite beach reads. Among this list, you'll find romances, mysteries, and even a treatise on trees (seriously). In short, there's a little something for everyone here. So dive into these 13 picks and splash around for a while—you'll be glad you did.Fantasizing about an Italian getaway but stuck with a Coney Island budget? The Mediterranean sea breeze is a simple page-turn away with author Ali Hazelwood's latest. Problematic Summer Romance follows grad student Maya Kilgore (first introduced as a side character in Hazelwood's Not in Love) as she sets off for her brother's destination wedding, where his best friend, Conor (and Maya's much-older crush object) will also be in attendance. Flashbacks elucidate the pair's complicated history—and crackling chemistry—creating a star-crossed lovers dynamic that is just about as dreamy as the novel's Sicilian backdrop. —Amy Wilkinson, contributing entertainment editor, Women's Health
$12.98 at amazon.comI picked up this twisty, dark, coming-of-age thriller thanks to a book club my mother-in-law started with some family members to create a fun way to keep in touch. It was the first book we read, and it was gripping from the first page. You're instantly thrown into the worlds of 13-year-old Joseph "Patch" Macauley and his best friend, Saint Brown. When Patch is abducted from their sleepy town, Saint turns her life upside down in her quest to find him. And just when you think one mystery is resolved, another takes its place. The effect? Me, lying awake late into the night, desperate to know what happens next. It's got everything: haunting mystery, love story, cultural critique, and a touch of real-life magic. —Currie Engel, news and features editor, Women's Health
$14.80 at amazon.comYou'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll contemplate concepts of love and friendship and life itself. I cracked open this book shortly after my own wedding, and admittedly worried it would be 'too soon' to read about wedding mishaps and drama—but this text went in a completely different direction than I expected. The novel takes place in Newport, Rhode Island, where protagonist Phoebe Stone accidentally crashes a wedding—from there, you're swept up on a surprising journey of heartbreak and hilarity and tender self-discovery. This may not be your typical beach read, but it'll certainly leave you with a sunny sense of levity and optimism. (TW: suicidal ideation) —Kristine Thomason, contributor, Women's Health
$18.17 at amazon.comA short time-traveling sci-fi/fantasy queer epistolary novel with some of the most romantic letters I've ever read this side of the galaxy and in this timeline. Did I mention it's also an enemies-to-lovers story? I mean, come on! —Cesar Bustamante Jr., social media editor, Men's Health
$9.39 at amazon.comA little bit of friends-to-lovers romance, some beautiful descriptions that transport you all over the world (the protagonist is a travel writer, after all), and witty banter that'll leave you chuckling by the pool—this quintessential summer read has it all. This was the first book I ever read by Emily Henry (who has been called a modern-day Norah Ephron), and I was immediately hooked. Reading this book is like watching your favorite classic rom-com (in fact, a movie adaptation starring Tom Blyth and Emily Bader is coming to Netflix in early 2026!): The characters are endearing, the story is romantic without feeling cheesy, and there's a certain level of self-awareness that makes it all the more enjoyable. Plus, the primary setting in Palm Springs (where most of the mishaps and hilarious antics ensue) firmly cements this novel as a must-read for summer. —Thomason
$8.80 at amazon.comThere hasn't been a novel that gives more dedication and adulation to trees than this Pulitzer Prize winner. Richard Powers weaves together concentric stories that span time periods to provide a collision course for activism, nature's rights, and how humans fit into this world (and how our interpersonal relationships shape us and our actions). —Ryan Brower, senior gear and commerce editor, Men's Health
$12.00 at amazon.comA bored—but stylish—suburban housewife, Mimi Smithers one day finds herself drawn into a vibrant subculture of gay men of 1980s New York. From Manhattan to Fire Island, Mimi's bawdy new friends introduce her to a world of pool parties, piano bars, and poppers. Possibly a great read for: any woman who's ever spent time around men of a certain persuasion and wondered whether or not she was fully in on the joke. Mimi may be oblivious more often than not—but she has a hell of a time, and looks fabulous doing it. —Kengo Tsutsumi, executive editor, Men's Health
$15.76 at amazon.comSet in the Hamptons, All the Summers In Between tells the story of a decades-long friendship, jumping back-and-forth in time between the '60s, when Margot and Thea become friends, and the '70s, after they've mysteriously grown apart but have reentered each others' lives. Reading Brooke Lea Foster's novel has the welcomed effect of transporting me from hot, sticky New York City to the sunny breezy beaches of the Hamptons. —Addison Aloian, associate health and fitness editor, Women's Health
$18.99 at amazon.comPerhaps more of a dark, cool apartment read than for the beach, but I couldn't put this one down and the story stayed with me for months afterwards. Beautifully written and so deeply moving without being slow or leaving you in despair. Charlotte McConaghy touches on so many relatable topics (parenting! family! love! climate! travel!) that will have you on the best kind of emotional rollercoaster. —Dangi McCoy, deputy visual director, Women's Health
$39.41 at amazon.comThis book is not only addictive but highly likely to make you feel giddy with every page you turn. There are (somewhat) relatable Tinder dating excursions, an eerily attractive swimmer, and lots of existential dread and ponderings about self-love and self-hate. It's like My Year of Rest and Relaxation meets Emily Dickinson with a dash of a half-written, procrastinated Sappho dissertation. If you're into sharp, witty fantasy romance and Greek mythology, this is your vibe. —Isabel McMahon, assistant social media editor, Women's Health
$12.39 at amazon.comPaul Lynch's 2023 Booker Prize-winning novel starts fast in the dark of a present-day Dublin, and never slows down. Protagonist Eilish Stack's life is flung into constant disorder as she tries to protect her four children from an authoritarian regime tightening its grip on the Irish citizenry—while her husband has been disappeared. It's an enthralling tale of denial, loss, survival, sacrifice, and longing that I wasn't able to put down. —Brower
$12.00 at amazon.comBella Winters, a single mother in 1980s London, lives with her toddler above the antique shop where she works, and together they watch the seasons change. Through gardens and grief, new friends and old scars, The Juniper Tree moves between realism and morbid fairy tale, never fully choosing either. Barbara Comyns writes in a deceptively light tone, and this dreamy, odd novel is an ideal beach read for anyone who doesn't mind a little shade with their sunshine. —Tsutsumi
$9.58 at amazon.comPart Hollywood caper, part vacation romance, It's a Love Story is all heart. Jane Jackson is a former child star desperate to make good in the industry. Dan Finnegan is the self-assured cinematographer who keeps getting in her way. When the two agree to work together on a script they finally both love—and find themselves sequestered in Dan's small hometown (for reasons)—the fireworks truly begin to ignite. Much like author Annabel Monaghan's previous novels, It's a Love Story also features an intricate family dynamic, which adds richness and groundedness to what might otherwise read as pure fantasy. —Wilkinson
$15.20 at amazon.com
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