From the waves to the romance, we love a good beach read here at BookTrib. And while true beach reads tend to have certain things in common (compelling relationships, family drama, a lake or an ocean visit), this year we’ve noticed a more specific trend: sisters and sisterhood.
It seems like almost every beach read we reach for this year is grappling with some aspect of sisterhood – including a long-lost sister returning, estranged sisters rediscovering their bond, or close sisters who find their relationships changing with time. No matter what the premise is, these summer books are all about how sisters can influence each other’s lives forever. Expect heartfelt, family-driven reads proving that important relationships can come in all forms.
So whether you have a sister or not, here are 10 sisterhood-themed beach reads that are sure to entertain you, move you, and keep you hooked from the very first page:
Lost and Found Sisters, Jill Shalvis (William Morrow, June 20, 2017)
Bestselling author Shalvis is no stranger to romance, but Lost and Found Sisters is her first foray into women’s fiction. After Quinn Weller loses her sister in a horrific car accident, she’s shocked to learn about a mysterious inheritance that will change her view of her family forever. Now she’s leaving behind her “perfect” life to travel to Wildstone, California, where she’ll learn that there are even more secrets and surprises waiting for her.
The Identicals, Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown and Company, June 13, 2017)
Harper and Tabitha Frost are twin sisters with a rivalry that feels like it will never die. While Tabitha is dignified but uptight, Harper is easygoing and a little lost. Both women are struggling with their responsibilities when they decide to switch lives, traveling between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in order to fix their family situations (and their complicated sister relationship) once and for all.
Secrets of the Tulip Sisters, Susan Mallery (HQN Books, July 11, 2017)
Set on an idyllic tulip farm, Secrets of the Tulip Sisters follows Kelly and Olivia Murphy as the two sisters reunite one tenuous summer. Kelly is tired of Olivia’s drama, and just wants to run her farm in peace. But Olivia has other ideas – as does Griffith, a handsome hometown boy who’s determined to make Kelly his. Olivia is as lost as ever, forcing the two sisters to finally confront the secrets and betrayals that have kept them apart all these years.
The Summer House, Hannah McKinnon (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, June 6, 2017)
It’s family reunion time in The Summer House, though of course it’s not all bbqs and beach days. Flossy Merrill has a reason for gathering her three adult children to their family beach home – she’s selling it, news which forces each family member to reflect on their time growing up there. Siblings Clementine, Samuel and Paige are all facing personal problems of their own, as well as their complicated relationships with one another. It’s not only about sisters in McKinnon’s latest read, but about family, siblings, and the messy realities of life.
The Light-Keeper’s Daughters, Jean E. Pendziwol (Harper, July 4, 2017)
The past and present meet in this heartfelt novel about a woman at the end of her life, and a young girl who’s still trying to unravel the mysteries of her past. Growing up on Lake Superior with their father as a light-keeper, Elizabeth and her twin sister Emily would spend hours watching the ships pass. Now, 70 years later, Elizabeth relies on troubled teen Morgan to help her read from her father’s diaries, drumming up the past for both of them. It turns out the two women are connected in ways they never could have imagined, unraveling a decades-long mystery and proving that sisterhood knows no age limits.
The Forever Summer, Jamie Brenner (Little, Brown and Company, April 25, 2017)
When a half-sister pops up into Marin Bishop’s life, it turns everything on its head. Especially since things are already chaotic enough, after Marin unexpectedly loses both her job and her fiancé. Lost and uncertain, Marin travels to meet her new, unknown grandmother at her beachside inn. It’s there that Marin starts to unravel the secrets of her family, as she struggles to build her life back up and claim the future she truly wants.
Slightly South of Simple, Kristy Woodson Harvey (Gallery Books, April 25, 2017)
The start of a new southern-set series, Slightly South of Simple tells the story of a mother and three sisters who come together one faithful summer. Ansley owns a design business on the beach, and she’s happy to welcome her daughter Caroline home after a disastrous marriage. But then her other two daughters arrive as well, taking away the freedom Ansley fought hard to achieve. It’s not long before secrets are revealed, the past makes an unexpected appearance, and the entire family is changed forever.
The Summer that Made Us, Robyn Carr (MIRA, September 1, 2017)
You’ll have to wait until September for Carr’s latest novel, but we’re 100 percent sure it’ll be worth it. The large Hempstead family loved going to their lake house, until a tragic accident made them board it up for good. Now the family is fractured, with sisters fighting sisters and no one talking about what really happened that terrible summer day. But one of the woman is determined to head to the lake again, and to start the process of healing for the entire Hempstead clan.
The Beach at Painter’s Cove, Shelley Noble (William Morrow Paperbacks, June 13, 2017)
Less about sisterhood and more about several generations of women under one roof, The Beach at Painter’s Cove is still a thoughtful look at how families function. After being estranged for years, four generations of women return to the Whitaker family mansion, called Muses by the Sea. From the stubborn matriarch to the shy 12-year-old, all of these women will be changed by summer’s end. Throw in a meddling sister-in-law and a few secrets, and it makes for one revelatory summer.
