Spring break packing calls for a few essentials. You’ll need sunscreen, bathing suits, a pub sub or two and a few books to help the tanning time pass. Beach reads are an essential part of a beach day. However, finding the perfect book for your time in the sand can sometimes prove difficult. It must be engaging but also compact. From romance to self-improvement, everyone has their favorite beach reads. Though taste and genre range from person to person, at least one of the books below should make your 2023 spring break packing list.
Beach Read by Emily Henry
An absolute classic beach read could only start this list. Thus, number one on the list is Emily Henry’s Beach Read. Henry’s novel has been out for quite a while now, but spring break is a perfect time for those of you who still haven’t gotten around to it. As the title implies, this book is very much the quintessential beach read. A summer slow-burn romance between a broken hero and an optimistic heroine is the best way to pass the time in the sun. Spend your day at the beach with January Andrews and Augustus Everett; you won’t regret it.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Actor and now author Jennette McCurdy was likely a memorable figure in your childhood. In her memoir, McCurdy dives into her life behind the screen and tells the truth of her experience as a child star. A complicated relationship with her mother and mental struggles draw you in, but McCurdy’s resilience to overcome makes you stay. This beach read may not be as light-hearted as others, but its dark humor and emotional journey are worth making room for.
Funny You Should Ask By Elissa Sussman
Sussman’s Funny You Should Ask is great for a quick beach trip. The novel follows the slow burn between a journalist and an actor through two life-changing interviews. It’s funny, moving and an easy read. A Hollywood heartthrob falling for the twenty-something journalist is a romance that will have you glued to the page. Chances are you will finish this novel in a day or two, making it perfect for a weekend beach trip.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
This novel follows the story of protagonist Feyi Adekola as she re-enters the dating scene five years after losing the love of her life. Through an unprecedented series of events, the closed-off Feyi has a summer vacation she could have never imagined. Emezi’s novel would be a fantastic addition to your spring break beach bag. Experience love and loss alongside Feyi while you perfect your spring break tan.
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney is a genius at depicting imperfect human connection; this novel is no exception. The story of Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon will have you frustrated yet infatuated. Complicated break-ups, new romances, old flames and miscommunication make this novel so perfectly human. While it is a romance novel, it does step away from the genre’s typical (yet great) formula. Spending a beach day with Sally Rooney may end with a few tears, but it is always satisfying.
When packing your beach bag, save room for a book or two. All five novels may not make your spring break packing list, but hopefully, one finds its way in. Henry, McCurdy, Sussman, Emezi and Rooney all will have you laughing, crying, or yearning for summer romance by the end of their novels and your beach day.
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