Best Books Like Beach Read by Emily Henry

Book Summary

Emma has spent her life as an aspiring (and talented) screenwriter, but a past family tragedy keeps her in Texas as a full-time caregiver. However, when the opportunity of a lifetime is presented, it may finally be her chance to pursue the career of her dreams.

Emma’s screenwriting idol, Charlie Yates, has written his first romance script – and it’s terrible. His agent wants to bring in Emma to help with the rewrite, but there are problems. Charlie is cranky, he doesn’t work with co-writers, and he doesn’t believe in love.

Can Emma convince him that romance and love exist? And, can her younger sister handle caring for their dad while she is away?

Book Summary

When Rachel is fired from her management job at a Miami Beach luxury hotel – for something she didn’t even do – the single mom needs to find a new job as soon as possible. She hears about a position at a brewery hotel on Kelleys Island. The man who offered her the job over the phone sounded incredibly grumpy, but she’s desperate, so she packs up and makes the move.

When she arrives, she finds that the owner, Mason, knows a lot about brewing beer, but almost nothing about running a hotel. If you can even call it a hotel – it’s barely more than a foundation and studs. She considers leaving, but she desperately needs a chance to rebuild a life for herself and her daughter Maisie. When Mason offers her full control of the design of the cabins/hotel, in addition to her management role, she decides to stay.

Book Summary

Kat and Blake first met at summer camp when they were just 12 years old. They had an instant connection, but their friendship was shattered when they learned that they were not just besties, but also half-sisters.

Fifteen years later, following the sudden death of their father, Kat and Blake discover that he’s left both of them the family beach house in Destin, Florida. This joint inheritance puts the sisters at immediate odds. Blake desperately needs the money (after being demoted from nanny to dog nanny) and wants to sell the house. Social media influencer Kat, on the other hand, desperately wants to hold onto the house because it holds so many happy childhood memories.

The two agree that they’ll spend the summer renovating the run-down beach house, and then Kat will buy Blake out. They immediately begin butting heads when Blake’s renovation plans don’t align with Kat’s artistic vision. As the summer goes on, the two will have to come to terms with their shared past and learn how to become sisters.

Book Summary

The suburbs get sexy in this war between neighbors. Collins just moved back to her parent’s home and didn’t expect to be spending her days tending to the compost pile with her dad and fighting with an old nemesis.

Nathaniel is living his dream of a quiet suburban life in his hometown. However, things became nightmare-ish when former classmate Collins moved back home. They started as childhood friends, but high school pulled them apart and turned them enemies. Now, their battle continues as Collins challenges Nathaniel’s bid for the HOA presidency. However, the more their rivalry heats up, the more they seem to be pulled together.

Book Summary

Emmy is a screenwriter known as the queen of romantic comedies. However, a tragedy in her own life made her stop believing in happy endings. After a long break, she’s been convinced to return to her career by not only writing but also starring in a rom-com, even though it’s been a decade since she has been in front of the camera.

When her co-star is injured, the replacement male lead is dreamy superstar actor Grayson West. It’s a win for the film, but a disaster for Emmy, who blames Grayson for the end of her acting career ten years earlier.

The friction between Emmy & Grayson floats between awkwardness and sexual tension. They need to figure out how to control their energy with each other quickly before the whole movie is a bust.

Book Summary

It’s been thirteen years since Helen and Grant were connected through a tragedy, and they haven’t seen each other since. Helen is a bestselling author working on an adaption of her popular YA novels. She hopes that spending time in LA will help her forget her past.

Grant has also done everything possible to move on, but still has panic attacks. He hopes his new screenwriting job will open new doors in his career. Could the key to both of them moving forward from the past be accepting each other in the present?

Book Summary

Similar to Beach Read, Twice Shy starts with the main character inheriting a house. In this case, hopeless romantic Maybell gets a home in the Smokies from her Great-Aunt Violet. However, she arrives in Tennessee only to discover the house is falling apart. Perhaps worse, it also comes with a grouchy (and gorgeous) groundkeeper, Wesley.

His future vision for the property is very different from Maybell’s plans. But if they can both step outside of their comfort zones, the results may be worth letting their guards down.