Beach Reads
Another July is upon us and that means plenty of beach days and ice cream-filled nights. Beach weather means packing up your beach bag. Along with water and sunscreen, make room for a novel or two. One of the best things about summer is tackling the new books you wanted to read with the ocean in your view. Here are some of the most anticipated books for the summer of 2022.
“Vacationland” by Meg Mitchell Moore
Louisa’s frustrations with her husband have led to a lot of resentment. She takes their kids to Maine for the summer to stay with her parents and just have a break. Things aren’t much better in Maine. Louisa’s father is battling Alzheimer’s and her mother goes back and forth from pretending everything is fine to not pretending at all. Then one of Louisa’s children finds a letter referring to something that Louisa can’t imagine her father being capable of doing. But Louisa isn’t the only one in Maine feeling unsettled. Kristie came on the bus from Pennsylvania with just a small suitcase. She’s trying hard to outrun her past, deal with a heavy secret, and start over with her new boyfriend. The problem is that her old life keeps colliding with her new one. As the summer goes on, secrets are unveiled, betrayals are out in the open and both Louisa and Kristie have to figure out what’s next.
“The Hotel Nantucket” by Elin Hilderbrand
Lizbet Keaton is getting over a bad breakup. She takes a job as the general manager of the Hotel Nantucket, once an island gem but now an eyesore, bought and renovated by London billionaire Xavier Darling. Lizbet hopes that with her island knowledge and a new charismatic staff, she will impress both Darling and the guests. On the outside, the hotel has everything it needs to earn five keys from Shelly Carpenter, a popular Instagram reviewer who could make or break it. But on the inside, there is a whole lot of drama. All of the employees and guests have secrets to hide. It doesn’t help that a fire in 1922, which killed chambermaid Grace Hadley, earned the hotel the reputation that it is haunted, and a new guest sets out to prove that’s true. With Grace haunting the rooms and Lizbet’s always-complicated love life, will the hotel have a chance to flourish, or is it doomed to fail?
“Flying Solo” by Linda Holmes
Laurie Sassalyn is about to turn 40. She recently canceled her wedding and returned to her hometown in Maine to handle the estate of her great-aunt, Dot. Among the pictures and pottery, Laurie finds a mysterious wooden duck at the bottom of a cedar chest. Then she finds a letter written for her aunt that ends with the line: “And anyway, if you’re ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling.” Laurie is told that the duck isn’t worth anything, but her curiosity weighs in when the duck suddenly disappears. Laurie finds herself swept up in the world of antique dealers and con artists, yet through it all she reconnects with her first love and oldest friend. Laurie is desperate to uncover all of Dot’s secrets. But on the way, she has to reckon with her own past before she can embrace the future.
“The Woman in the Library” by Sulari Gentill
Imagine being in the quiet library when suddenly you hear a terrified woman screaming. The security guards rush in and everyone is ordered to not move until they can find the source of the scream and ensure no one is in danger. Four complete strangers happen to sit at the same table. They pass the time talking and getting to know each other. Each person has their own reason for being in the library that morning. Friendships are formed quickly but won’t last because, after all, one of them is a murderer. “The Woman in the Library” will keep you on the edge of your seat with twists you never expected.
“The It Girl” by Ruth Ware
If you are a Ruth Ware fan, brace yourself: This might be her best novel yet. When Hannah Jones went to Oxford, April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person she met. Bright, fun and sometimes even vicious, April quickly pulls Hannah into her world. During the first term they form close friendships with Will, Hugh, Ryan and Emily. By the end of the second term, April was dead. Now it’s 10 years later and Hannah and Will are expecting their first child. John Neville, the man who was convicted of killing April, died in prison. Hannah can finally breathe and move on from that terrible time. But then a journalist knocks on Hannah’s door claiming he has evidence that Neville might be innocent. Hannah has no choice but to revisit the time of April’s murder. As she reconnects with old friends, she realizes that everyone has something to hide. For one of them, it might be that they are a murderer.
“Carrie Soto Is Back” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Carrie Soto is a fierce tennis player who will stop at nothing to win. She is coached by her father, a former champion himself. By the time she retires, she is known as the best player in the world. She broke every record out there and claimed 20 Grand Slam titles. Carrie feels as if she sacrificed everything to be the best. Six years after she retires, she watches another incredible player break her record at the 1994 U.S. Open. Carrie decides to come out of retirement for one last year so that she can reclaim her record. Her body might not move like it used to, the media claims to have never liked her anyway, and she has to swallow her pride and train with the one man she opened her heart to. At 37, Carrie Soto is back for one more epic season.
