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10 Highly-Rated Books Set on the Outer Banks
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.The Outer Banks of North Carolina, often referred to as OBX, are known for their wild beauty, dramatic coastline, and rich history. It’s not surprising that this popular vacation destination has also inspired numerous novels that capture life on these barrier islands through the years. Our list of Outer Banks books includes a wide range of stories, from historical novels and family sagas to modern mysteries and romances.
If you are looking for books set outside the OBX region of the state, our full North Carolina booklist includes nearly 30 highly-rated book recommendations.
Books About the Outer Banks
The Brighter the Light
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
Book Summary
This dual-timeline novel is set in Nags Head, North Carolina. In the present-day timeline, Ivy has inherited a beachfront cottage from her grandmother. However, returning home to Nags Head means facing those who betrayed her. To avoid that, she hopes to clean up the cottage’s clutter, sell it, and return to New York. However, something happens that leads her to believe the house is full of secrets.
In the 1950 timeline, you’ll follow 12-year-old Ruth (Ivy’s grandmother). She works at her parent’s small resort, and between cleaning rooms, she’s always up for an adventure with her cousin Tally. This summer is full of surprises, like a shipwreck uncovered during a storm and the arrival of a new entertainer for the resort, the beautiful Carlotta.
The two timelines are woven together as you slowly learn how the events of the 1950 summer still affect Ivy today.
The Book Girls Say…
Nags Head, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, is known for its towering sand dunes and for the towering Bodie Island Lighthouse.
Mary Ellen Taylor also has a book titled When the Rain Ends, which begins in the Outer Banks. Although much of the book is set in Virginia, the Outer Banks are mentioned throughout.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Summer Mystery Books & Beach Thrillers
North Carolina Books: The Best Books Set in the Tar Heel State
Summer Rental
Book Summary
In Nags Head, North Carolina, three best friends in their mid-30s have decided to take a month-long break from their hectic lives. Ellis, Julia, and Dorie, are each battling their own life challenges and are ready to relax and recharge at the beach house, fondly referred to as “Ebbtide”. Their landlord, Ty, lives in the garage and is on the verge of losing the property. That doesn’t stop Ellis from being instantly attracted to him.
Then, a glamorous stranger named Maryn introduces an element of mystery and tension to their summer getaway. Throughout their time at Ebbtide, Ellis grapples with her recent job loss, Julia contemplates a more serious commitment with her longtime boyfriend, and Dorie attempts to heal from a broken marriage. Meanwhile, Maryn’s secret past threatens to upend the calm they seek. With friendship, love, and suspense intertwined in classic Mary Kay Andrews style, this is a great pick from her backlist.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Katharine, the Wright Sister
Book Summary
We all know the names Wilbur and Orville Wright, but what about Katharine? She may just be one of the most important and overlooked women in history, and this historical fiction novel finally gives voice to her story.
Before becoming obsessed with flying, the Wright brothers jumped on the popular new fad of bicycle riding, opening a bike shop in their hometown of Dayton, Ohio. Repairing bikes led to tinkering and building, and eventually a new dream took shape. But their younger sister knew they couldn’t do it without her.
As the brothers began obsessing over blueprints and testing models on the beaches of North Carolina, Katharine became the mastermind behind the scenes. She sourced materials, managed communications, and kept the brothers focused on their goal even when it seemed that hope was lost.
When they finally achieved the first controlled, sustained flight, it resulted in both fame and fortune. The siblings traveled the world demonstrating their invention, training pilots, and building new models that could fly higher and further. But then, a tragedy tore the family apart and forced Katharine to make an impossible choice that would haunt her for the rest of her days.
The Book Girls Say…
Angela has been intrigued by learning more about the Wright family ever since visiting the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Museum in Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We highly recommend adding this to your itinerary the next time your travels take you to the Tar Heel State.
Lighthouse Library Mystery Series
Book Summary
Lucy enjoyed her job poring over rare tomes of literature for the Harvard Library, but when her 10-year relationship comes to an end, she decides to rewrite the plot of her life.
She plans a getaway to the Outer Banks in search of the sun, but she ends up taking a job as a librarian at the lighthouse library on Bodie Island.
In the most recent book, The Stranger in the Library, Lucy is working on an art show at the library when paintings – and people – start to go missing.
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Book Summary
Cary and Adam are best friends despite coming from opposite sides of the tracks. Then Jane comes into their lives like a whirlwind. Cary falls in love with her, and just like that, their twosome is a tight-knit group of three.
In the summer after high school graduation, Cary must remain in Killdeer, but Adam and Jane are heading to the Outer Banks. There, they fall under the spell of the Lost Colony Hotel and its charming but mysterious proprietors. Before summer is over, Adam’s feelings for Jane will force him to make a difficult choice.
The Book Girls Say…
One of our readers told us this book reminded them of a time when the Outer Banks of North Carolina were not yet such a crowded vacation spot. Having recently visited the Outer Banks for the first time, Book Girl Angela was immediately intrigued to glimpse an earlier view of this gorgeous beach community.
Some readers say this book has retained all its coming-of-age charm even 35 years after its initial publication, while others have difficulty getting past the characters’ flaws.
Book Summary
When her husband leaves her for a younger woman, 45-year-old Adrienne is forced to rethink everything. In need of a getaway, she escapes to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina, to tend to a friend’s inn for the weekend.
When a major storm begins rolling in, hope seems lost for a quiet and peaceful weekend. That is until a guest named Paul arrives. At fifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and fled to Rodanthe to escape his own shattered past.
With the storm closing in on them, Adrienne and Paul turn to one another for comfort. This one weekend away will set in motion feelings that will leave ripple effects for the rest of their lives.
The Book Girls Say…
Nicholas Sparks also wrote another novel set on the Outer Banks – The Wish – which is included on our list of Christmas Books Set in North Carolina.
Seaside Café Mysteries
Book Summary
This beachside cozy mystery series is set in the town of Charm, North Carolina, on the Outer Banks. Everly Swan has recently returned to her hometown following a breakup and opened a sweet tea shop and cafe on the beach.
In the first book in the series, Live and Let Chai, a grumpy customer is found dead on the boardwalk with one of her tea jars lying nearby. When the autopsy says he was poisoned, Everly fights to prove that she didn’t do it, but the townspeople turn their backs on her. Between attacks on her and her business and a too-handsome detective, Everly is in trouble.
The Book Girls Say…
If you love the cafe setting of this cozy mystery series, you’ll also want to check out our list of The Best Cozy Culinary Mysteries.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Summer Cozy Mysteries Set on the Beach
North Carolina Books: The Best Books Set in the Tar Heel State
Book Summary
With the wounds of the Civil War just beginning to heal, the once-wealthy Sinclair family moves to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for the summer. They take up residence at one of the first cottages on the ocean side of the resort village of Nags Head.
Seventeen-year-old Abigail is beautiful and book-smart, but she’s been sheltered by plantation life. To make use of her time on the quiet island, her family encourages her to teach her father’s fishing guide, Benjamin Whimble, how to read and write. There, on the porch of the cottage, Abby and Ben fall deeply in love.
But when, in direct opposition to everything he claims to represent, Ben becomes entangled with Abby’s father’s Ku Klux Klan work. A terrible tragedy and surprising revelations threaten to tear them apart for good.
Outer Banks Bookshop Mysteries
Book Summary
After being laid off from her reporting job, Callie returns to her hometown of Cattail Island to take a job at the local bookstore. The store has always been a safe place for her to turn when facing hard times. In fact, it’s also where she found comfort after her mom died.
Years ago, Callie’s mom, Teri, fell from the top of the lighthouse. The anniversary of her death is approaching, and townspeople are gossiping about it again. Then comes the devastating news that the lighthouse has claimed another victim. The police rule it suicide, but Callie thinks it was murder. And she thinks the same about her mom’s death.
Callie is determined to find answers with help from new friends and beloved books. But she’s making enemies along the way, and when another death shocks the island, she’s afraid she could be next.
The Book Girls Say…
In addition to the cozy mystery, the plots of the stories also include a treasure hunt element that many readers will enjoy.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Summer’s Child
Book Summary
Twenty years ago, 11-year-old Daria Cato found a baby abandoned on the beach in Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When the authorities were unable to locate the baby’s parents or relatives, Daria’s parents adopted the infant. Two decades later, both their mom and dad have passed away, and Daria is now Shelly’s guardian.
Without letting Daria in on her plans, Shelly contacts Rory Taylor, a childhood friend of Daria’s and the host of a television show called True Life Stories. Shelly asks Rory to help her find her birth mother. Rory was there on the beach with Daria the night Shelly was found, so he takes a personal interest in the story.
Meanwhile, Daria has been keeping two secrets – her crush on Rory, and Shelly’s true story.
The Book Girls Say…
We know author Diane Chamberlain for some of her more recent novels, including The Last House on the Street, The Dream Daughter, and Necessary Lies. We are excited to dive into one of her earlier works.
Reviewers say that the narrator of the audiobook is a bit dull, so we recommend reading a paper copy or the ebook.
Printable Version of this List
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More Books Set in North Carolina
We hope you enjoyed this book list of books about the Outer Banks and found some great titles to add to your TBR. For even more Tar Heel State reading, we recommend checking out our complete list of Books Set in North Carolina, as well as our list of Christmas Books Set in North Carolina.
Read Around the USA – Books Set in Other States
We hope you enjoyed this book list of books about Maine and found some great titles to add to your TBR. If you’re participating in our Read Around the USA Challenge, be sure to check out our alphabetical index of books set in each state.
