The Perfect Beach Reads — Defined by You, Recommended by Us

Summer has well and truly arrived here in the UK, and the scorching hot weather has us reminiscing over our favourite beach reads. 🏖️📖

But, the magic of beach reads is that they’re a particularly subjective category of books. They’re interpreted differently by everyone; what one person may enjoy indulging in whilst basking in the sunshine may be completely contrasting to the next person. We were really intrigued to know what you fairies would class as a perfect beach read, so we asked the question over on our Instagram Stories. And from those answers, we have compiled a list of personalised recommendations that we think you would love to read this summer! ☀️🧚‍♀️

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

They say you can never go home again, and ever since Persephone made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt all too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she now spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart. That is until she receives a call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam.

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

After Piper, a fashionable party girl, goes out of control and ends up in the slammer, her stepfather decides that enough is enough and cuts her and her sister off, sending them to rural Washington to learn some responsibility while running their late father’s dive bar. It’s not long before she meets big, bearded sea captain, Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. But Piper is determined to show both her stepfather, and the hot, grumpy local, that she’s more than just a pretty face.

You can purchase the FairyLoot Exclusive Mortal Editions of It Happened One Summer and the sequel, Hook, Line, and Sinker, as a set here.

The Wicked Sea by Jordan Stephanie Gray

On the run from a dangerous captor and years of abuse, mermaid Zephyra of the Syl has shed her tail, grown legs, and hidden herself on land in the merrow-loathing kingdom of Mortia, left to steal and barter on the dirty streets. But her freedom is short-lived when she’s caught by brutal warlock, Arion, who offers her a deal she can’t refuse.

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch. But then a girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived and that her magic wasn’t powerless after all. But this new Anna has secrets, and she can’t stay on two legs unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie must harness the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness. Whereas Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seem to show up right when her patience is thinnest. After yet another exasperating run-in, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”, and much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return.

The FairyLoot Exclusive Editions of the sequel, The Undermining of Twyla and Frank, and book 3, The Undercutting of Rosie and Adam, are still available to purchase.

A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

Prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries of the famed Spark family, Mariel knows not to trust a demon, especially one that wants her soul. But what’s a witch to do when he won’t leave her side, and she kind of doesn’t want him to?

You can purchase the FairyLoot Exclusive Editions of A Witches Guide to Fake Dating and Demon, A Demon’s Guide to Wooing a Witch, and A Werewolf’s Guide to Seducing a Vampire as a set here.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Dante can swim. Ari can’t. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari’s features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself. But when they meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

A memoir told like a fictional story, Dolly vividly recounts growing up, falling in love, finding a job, getting drunk, getting dumped, realising that Ivan from the corner shop might just be the only reliable man in her life, and that absolutely no one can ever compare to her best girlfriends. Everything I Know About Love is about bad dates, good friends, and above all else, realising that you are enough.

The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty

Nahri has never believed in magic. On the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent, but she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by are all tricks, sleights of hand, and learned skills. But when Nahri accidentally summons a darkly mysterious djinn warrior, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real, for the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, lies the legendary City of Brass to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim

In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls, and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits. But, her reputation has been overshadowed by her brother who was discovered stealing their nation’s coveted spice, a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, but Imani uncovers evidence that he may still be alive and spreading their nation’s magic beyond the desert.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Belly measures her life in summers, as everything good happens between the months of June and August. Every summer, Belly and her family stay at Susannah’s beach house with her two son’s, Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer; they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one terrible and wonderful summer, everything changes.

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

After Taylor’s dad receives some unexpected, terrible news, her family makes the last-minute decision to spend the summer together in the cramped quarters at their old lake house. Taylor hasn’t been there since she was twelve, and she definitely never planned to go back. But up at the lake she is confronted with people she thought she had left behind, including the likes of her former best friend and first crush.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Seven years ago, the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a “mockumentary” bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Now, a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain, and the secrets of the deep come with a price.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. Noemí is mesmerised by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, and may soon find it impossible to ever leave the enigmatic house behind.

The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

After a devastating heartbreak, Calisa is desperate for a change of scenery and decides to spend her summer helping her eccentric great aunt manage her quaint bed and breakfast in Vermont. But when she arrives, she’s shocked to find a rundown inn with only a handful of guests, and soon realises there is something strange and otherworldly about it.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

As a literary agent, Nora’s whole life is books. She reads them all, but she is not the type of heroine she reads about. So when her sister begs her for a trip to Sunshine Falls for the whole of August, Nora agrees. But instead of picnics in the meadows and run-ins with a handsome country doctor, Nora keeps running into Charlie, a brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times before and it’s never been cute.

Fable by Adrienne Young

It’s been four years since Fable watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm, and the next day her father, the most powerful trader in the Narrows, abandoned her on a legendary island. Ever since, she has been working toward the goal of getting off the island, finding her father, and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so, Fable enlists the help of a young trader, but she soon finds her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him.

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map, the key to a legendary treasure trove, pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship. More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, the only things standing in Alosa’s way is the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

The Heatwave by Kate Riordan

Elodie was beautiful. Elodie was smart. Elodie was manipulative. Elodie is dead. When Sylvie receives a letter calling her back to her crumbling family home in the South of France, she knows she has to go. In the middle of a sweltering 1990’s summer marked by unusual fires across the countryside, she returns to La Reverie, ignoring the deep sense of dread she feels for the place she’s long tried to forget.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctoral research has fizzled out and things with her aspiring actor boyfriend, Nico, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, The Perfect Couple, they find themselves whisked off to a tropical paradise to compete against four other couples for a cash prize. But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong…

We’d also love some new beach read recs! If your favourite hasn’t been mentioned above, be sure to tell us in the comments. 🌴📚