Rest, relaxation and reading: Drift away with a 2024 beach read

by Jessica Martell

Beach reads are escapist literature of the highest order. The genre includes instantly engaging, mind-candy page-turners that are easy to digest while at the beach. Often, but not always, books in this genre are also set in beachy locales—from Southern California, to the British seaside, to eastern Australia.

This year, three members of beach-read royalty published new offerings just in time for summer.

“Funny Story” by Emily Henry (April 2024): Emily Henry cemented her role in the beach read scene by publishing a book in 2020 literally titled Beach Read. Using a similar titling strategy, this year Henry delivered “Funny Story.” Henry writes books for book lovers—they’re a bit more literary than a typical rom-com, and main characters are often connected to books or writing in some way. Incidentally, in 2022 Henry actually wrote a book called “Book Lovers.”

Her latest book takes place in a small town on the shores of Lake Michigan. In the early pages of the novel, the reader learns the “funny story” of how the heroine, Daphne, a children’s librarian, met her recently exed ex-fiance. Throughout the rest of the book, the reader is treated to the much funnier (think irony more than side-splitting laughter) story of how Daphne ends up with someone else. While enjoyable, this entry from Henry seemed to lack some of the depth of her earlier books, but that might be the very thing that makes it the perfect book to take to the lake.

“Summers at the Saint” by Mary Kay Andrews (May 2024): Before assuming the pen name Mary Kay Andrews, the writer published southern murder mysteries as Kathy Hogan Trocheck. The name change signified a shift from shady whodunits (it’s a stretch to call them “dark” but they’re not exactly cozy either) to a broader range of contemporary fiction featuring elements of comedy, drama, romance and mystery. In other words: beach reads.

Setting often plays a prominent role in Andrews’ works, many of which take place in and around Savannah, Georgia. “Summers at the Saint” delivers as expected on setting, taking place at a 5-star historic island resort off the coast of Savannah. However, Andrews seems to be returning to her murder-mystery roots with this darker-than-usual plot that includes three deaths, two attempted murders, and a sexual assault.

“Summers at the Saint” builds slowly as the reader meets an almost too large cast, which includes this year’s hires at the resort, several members of the extended family that owns the resort, and many people who used to work and vacation there. That’s a lot to keep track of for a beach reader whose attention might be divided between the book and waves lapping at the shore. Thankfully, once the action gets moving, the pieces fall into place, and readers are treated to a satisfying denouement.

“Swan Song” by Elin Hilderbrand (June 2024): Since the debut of her first book, “Beach Club,” in 2000, Elin Hilderbrand has written nearly 30 books, almost all of which take place on Nantucket, making her the undisputed queen of the beach read. Over the course of her novels, Hilderbrand has resisted formulaic writing—some stories are mysteries, while others are romances, workplace dramas, or tributes to sisterhood.

Over the years, it seems like Hilderbrand has experimented with characters and style, really peaking with her last three books. Thus, the beach reading community is in something of a tizzy right now as Hilderbrand released the aptly named “Swan Song” in June, claiming that it will be her last Nantucket novel and that she is retiring from writing.

I started this year’s beach reading by devouring “Funny Story,” but I mosied through “Summers at the Saint.” “Swan Song” is up next on my summer reading list. While I hope it lives up to the expectations set by her most recent titles, the read will be bittersweet knowing it’s my last summer with a new Nantucket novel to dive into. Fortunately, Hilderbrand cracked open this beloved genre to make room for fresh voices following in her wake.

This year, three authors who are considered beach-read royalty published
new offerings just in time for summer. Photo credits: Amazon.com

Jessica Martell spent 17 years as a high school English teacher before accepting her current position as an educational consultant. She and her husband live in Munith with their cat, Scootie.