Seaside-Set Books To Read This Summer

A list of books inspired by the sea that make for a perfect summer read

There are two reading seasons that hold special appeal: winter and summer.

In winter, there’s nothing better than curling up under a blanket by the fireplace, candles and Christmas lights twinkling in the background, and the scent of a freshly baked apple pie cooling on the kitchen counter.

In summer, the magic shifts. It’s about being near water — a pool, a lake, or preferably (at least for me) the sea. You’re stretched out on a towel under a parasol, the scent of sunscreen in the air, the sun warming your skin.

Both seasons invite a certain kind of book.

Winter calls for something weightier — gritty, layered novels like Demon Copperhead or A Little Life. Or perhaps something provocative like Yellowface, or sweeping and emotional like The Most Fun We Ever Had.

Summer, on the other hand, draws us to stories that are tender, thoughtful, reflective, human, and deeply realistic — slices of life pressed between covers. Stories of complex relationships, forgiveness, and quiet redemption.

If you're in the mood for the same, here are some wonderful books to add to your summer TBR pile.

Thank you for reading For Love of Words! My publication is free, but if you enjoy my content, please consider supporting me by pre-ordering a copy of my novel, SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA, out July 8,2025 from Simon & Schuster.

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1. Thirst for Salt* by Madelaine Lucas

There is no book that says “sea” as much as Madelaine Lucas’ Thirst for Salt. Set in a fictional seaside town in southern Australia, it follows an unnamed protagonist as she falls in love with the emotionally unavailable older man, Jude. The sea frames and shapes and tempers their fraught relationship. Longing, sensuality, regret, coming-of-age and coming-to-terms… this book gripped me from the first sentence, and never let me go.

2. Lucy By the Sea* by Elizabeth Strout

Set during the pandemic, Lucy and her ex-husband William leave behind the chaos of New York City for a quiet house on the coast of Maine, beside the moody, ever-shifting sea. As the world slows down, the isolation brings old emotions to the surface. Over the course of several months, Lucy and William find themselves confronting the complexities of their past and their complicated relationship that suddenly starts echoing loudly amidst the isolating silence of the pandemic.

3. Banyan Moon* by

   Thao Thai

Set along the Florida coast, in a house that feels like a character in its own right, an estranged mother and daughter reunite to mourn the death of their family’s matriarch. Told through the perspectives of three generations of the Tran women—each grappling with the weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future—the novel explores the echoes of generational trauma, identity, regret, and the ways we carve out a place for ourselves in the world.

4. Playground by Richard Powers

I adored Powers’ previous novel, Bewilderment, and the way he weaved in a speculative element in an innovative, literary narrative. I haven’t yet read this one, but according to the book jacket copy blurb, the author has done it again in Playground. In it, four lives converge on a remote island in the Pacific. Four characters, Evie, Ina, Rafi, and Todd—are each shaped by curiosity, loss, and the search for meaning. Set against the backdrop of a proposed floating city project, this richly imagined novel explores the collision of technology, environment, and the enduring ties that connect us all.

5. Sea Wife by Amity Gaige

I posted a story about my husband choosing to take Sea Wife on vacation yesterday, alongside some other books, and immediately got replies to the story from several people whose book opinion I appreciate immensely, telling me it was one of their favorite books and to read it ASAP. I have always been drawn to books and narratives set on a sailboat; there is something so special about the juxtaposition of such a confined space with the vastness of the ocean. In Sea Wife, a young family trades suburban life for a year aboard a sailboat bound for Panama—an adventure that tests their marriage, identities, and survival. I might have to snatch this from my husband’s hands!

6. Slanting Towards the Sea* by Lidija Hilje

It may be a shameless plug to feature my own novel on this list, but I do feel it earns its place here. Set along Croatia’s coastal region, the sea is ever-present force that shapes the mood, the landscape, and the characters, becoming a force of its own. Slanting Towards the Sea follows a woman in her late thirties as she grapples with the heartbreak of a life that hasn’t turned out as she hoped—or deserved. Having divorced the love of her life, she finds herself drawn back into his orbit as he starts a new family. But when someone new enters her life, the fragile balance begins to fracture, and the perspectives of all four entwined lives begin to collide.

7. Hot Milk by Deborah Levy

Another one that’s been on my TBR, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into. Set on the sun-soaked Spanish coast, Hot Milk follows a mother and daughter seeking a cure for the mother’s mysterious illness from a controversial doctor with dubious intentions. As they navigate the heat and the village’s hypnotic rhythms and seductive people who move through it, these two women will start seeing their lives in ways they hadn’t expected.

8. The Paper Palace* by Miranda Cowley Heller

No seaside reading list would be complete without The Paper Palace. Set on Cape Cod, in a summer home steeped in family history and long-buried secrets, it follows Elle, a woman who, in a single day, must decide between the devoted husband she built a life with and the childhood love she’s never truly let go. As the past and present collide, Elle sifts through decades of memory, trauma, and desire to uncover the truth of what—and who—she really wants.

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* Books marked with the asterisk are the ones I’ve read (or, in case of SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA, wrote myself) so I can fully and enthusiastically endorse these; as for the ones that are still on my TBR, I have heard exceptional things so I believe them to be great reads.

My novel, SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA is now available for pre-order. Pre-orders are crucial for authors: they signal to their publisher, booksellers, and librarians that this is a book worth paying attention to. It would mean the world to me if you pre-ordered, or shared news about my book with someone who might like it. You can also add it on Goodreads on your to-read shelf.

Links for pre-order: Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Books-A-Million, Amazon.