Beach Reads 2022

Whether you’re heading to the beach this year or not, here are some warm-days stories that will surely make your lounge-chair reading a real breeze.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry (Released: May 3rd, 2022)

This much-hyped rom-com makes a caricature of book editors and literary agents, Nora Stephens is a no-nonsense editor while Charlie Lastra is Midas in the book editing world. Both successful in their professional lives, they struggle with their personal ones. When fate brings them together in the sleepy town of Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, where Nora and her sister, Libby, try to reconnect, never did they expect that sparks would fly and that their professional personas would overlap into their personal space. The quick repartee between Nora and Charlie makes for a good easy read as you follow along in their attempts to hide how they truly feel from each other. It is a book that will at times make you feel bad for Nora’s sad past, but also make you cheer for Nora and Charlie to win over their personal insecurities. This was one book where I also enjoyed the multi-faceted supporting characters, one of which is Libby, who tries to make her own decisions outside her older sister’s influence. Not your usual light rom-com; it does have enough romance to make the summer sizzle even hotter.

Dog Friendly by Victoria Schade (Release Date: June 28th, 2022)

Set in Nantucket, the book is a cross between a travel diary and a Cesar Milan manual on rehabilitating dogs. But it is more than that. Morgan Pearce, a burnt-out veterinarian, decides to take up a client’s offer to dog-sit for the summer at their Nantucket residence. She uses this opportunity to decompress and reassess her work and future. As she gets off the ferry, she comes across Nathan Keating hawking his “functional beverages” and is instantly drawn to his pin-up good looks and surfer bod. As their relationship progresses from summer fling status to this-could-be-a-serious relationship, their past comes to haunt them which throws a possible monkey wrench into their chances for a future. Amidst dog walks and visiting Nantucket establishments, you will start craving to visit this vacationers’ paradise as well as pick up tips and tricks for dealing with dog issues. The book makes you root, not just for Nathan and Morgan, but also for Hudson, the rescue dog, to find a good forever family with. Now, if I can only find someone to host me and my family for a week in Nantucket…

Bayou Sweetheart by Lexi Blake (Release Date: July 26th, 2022)

Welcome to small town Papillon, Louisiana where characters both ordinary and odd take center stage and make this a small-town setting a magical place where butterflies and bayous mingle with rougarous and raccoons.
Don’t let the wholesome book covers fool you as the stories sizzle with steamy _ _ _ and Bayou Sweetheart (Book 5) is no exception.
Brynn, an actress all her life, meets Major, a deputy who has devoted his life to serving his father and his community. When Brynn comes to a crossroad in her career, she has to make a choice whether to venture into something she has always wanted to do or to continue chasing after one acting project after another. Major has to decide whether he fits into her grand scheme of things or whether he needs to stay out of it so she can be free to make her choices. A story is always more interesting when there is a colorful cast of supporting characters and it is certainly not lacking with Brynn’s stage mother, Diane, and antsy sister, Ally. Critters are a recurring theme in Blake’s books. Though Otis the gator had a brief cameo in this story, it was Brian the raccoon who stole the show. A fun (guilty-pleasure) read you won’t want to miss.

While waiting for its release…

Read Books 1-4 of the Butterfly Bayou series and get a more in-depth look at the love stories of other popular Papillon residents.

The Boy with the Bookstore by Sarah Echevarre Smith (Release Date September 6th, 2022)

Sarah Echevarre Smith incorporates aspects of her Filipino heritage in this classic rom-com of boy-meets-girl, loves the food she makes, patronizes her store, until they are inadvertently thrown together by their physical attraction to each other and circumstances beyond their control. If you are a foodie with a mean sweet tooth, you will be salivating over pork adobo croissants and thirsting for ube (purple yam) latte while cheering for Max and Joelle to finally put their heads together to save their businesses. Books, boys, and bakeries are always a delectable combination. Have some bibingka (Filipino coconut-rice cake) handy as you’ll need it after reading all the graphic love scenes that is a Sarah Smith hallmark. As someone who grew up with the tastes and flavors that appear in Joelle’s fusion bakery, this book will make anyone salivate for more!

While waiting for its release…

On Location which was released last year focuses on Utah’s national parks where her main character, Alia, is working to produce her very own TV series for an outdoor channel. Drew works for her and, despite a weird start, they continue to be drawn towards each other as they deal with an unprofessional host and overcome the challenges of location shooting.

PAST RELEASES

These light reading selections are not new releases but are from the last 3 years which may have been overlooked or may have been missed when they first came out. They are still good reads and definitely worth checking out from the library or local bookstore.

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck & Fortune / Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim

These books revolve around characters in the same book universe. A combination of foodie, romance, and magic, Roselle Lim’s signature style is a good light reading that is perfect for lounge chair reading. Catch these two books first since Book 3 will be coming out soon!

The Second Worst Restaurant in France by Alexander McCall Smith

Though not a rom-com, this cozy mystery by prolific author, Alexander McCall Smith of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency fame, is a can’t miss whodunnit combined with French food talk. His style is light and it’s always an enjoyable read as you take in the scenic French countryside for this story. Love his wit and humor as well.

Note: There are more books coming out in the pipeline but these are the ones I have actually read. For the new releases, I had received these for review from the publishers.