Top Ten Tuesday used to be a weekly post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl. “It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” This is definitely something I can understand and want to participate in.
Now that July is almost over, I’m ready to say goodbye to summer. I haven’t gotten to do a lot of summer activities, but the few I did make it to were fun, and I have something going on for the weekend, which should be a great time. In the meantime, I haven’t even been to the beach at all this year, so I’m going to add my own little twist on the prompt: not your typical beach read. Long Island has some very rocky beaches, so this week I want to talk about some of my top reads that take place at a beach but are not what you’d usually consider a beachy read. Here goes:
- The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. This mystery takes place overlooking a rocky cliffside beach, and it lurks behind all of the events of the story.
- Saltwater by Katy Hays. Taking place on the glamorous island of Capri, this book was a well-written suspense novel that had me glued to the pages.
- The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave. Another mystery that takes place at a cliffside property, overlooking a rocky beach. That seems to be the new fave setting for suspense novels.
- Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack. A fun start to a new cozy mystery series, this book has a memorable beach scene as they travel through Italy.
- The Lighthouse Witches by CJ Cooke. This book blew my mind when I read it, and I’m so glad my friend encouraged me to give it a try. A horror-fantasy novel, this isn’t my usual read but I’m still thinking about it all this time later.
- The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi Hahn. Another book that I found fascinating, it was my introduction to the women from Jeju who free dive for pearls and abalone.
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. There wasn’t any way I could come up with a list that doesn’t involve this drama. The beach overshadows the entirety of the story, and it just wouldn’t be the same set anywhere else.
- Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah. Another cozy mystery series starter, this one is set on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan. It also has incredible recipes at the end of each novel.
- The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Okay, this one is a little romance-y, but it starts out with a catastrophic case of food poisoning at a wedding that finds the maid of honor and best man going on the honeymoon. The only catch? They hate each other.
- Saint X by Alexis Schaitken. This fantastic debut knocked my socks off. It’s been made into a show on Hulu, and it was fascinating to see the long-term effects of a family fractured through both flashbacks and present-day events.
Have you read any of these?
Categories: Top Ten Tuesday
Leah's Books 
I’ve heard of a few of these and reading through your list makes me curious about some, too! Catherine’s looks fun and a cozy mystery is always a must. 🙂
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I really try to only include books that I really loved on my top ten lists, so I can say they’re all recs from me. The Catherine Mack series is such a fun one, I finished the latest book a while ago and I’m already antsy for the next one!
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I need to try more Sally Hepworth – thanks for the reminder!
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I always think that. She’s got a backlog that should keep us busy for a while while she writes the next book. Have you tried Liane Moriarty?
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Malibu Rising is on my list as well!
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2025/07/29/top-ten-tuesday-beach-reads/
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I think that might have been the beachiest book I have ever read!
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I love the title of the Mack book. The second one in the series has a great title too. I should give them a read soon.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/summertime-vibes-13-book-covers-with-summertime-vibes/
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I hope you do! They’re such fun reads, and the fun titles only make it better.
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What a fantastic and unique take on “beach reads” for Top Ten Tuesday! I love your approach to focusing on those darker or more suspenseful stories set by the sea. Your list has some really intriguing titles that sound perfect for a compelling holiday read, especially The Soulmate and The Lighthouse Witches!
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Thank you! I was always more of a bonfire on the beach at night kind of girl, as opposed to someone who goes for the sun. So it makes sense that I’d associate these darker stories with the beach. I hope you give them a read – The Soulmate and The Lighthouse Witches are books that have really stuck with me.
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The Mermaid from Jeju looks interesting.
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It was – I know there are a few different books about Jeju, including The Island of Sea Women, which I haven’t read yet, but heard good things about.
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I like your twist on the topic! I’ve been wanting to read Saltwater – I am glad to to hear that it was good!
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Thank you! I loved that book – no matter how much I read I still couldn’t guess the next twist or turn.
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oooo these all look like my kind of beach read!! My TTT
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Right? How come no one ever makes books of atypical beach reads?!
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We have two in common and I loved The Soulmate and The Night we Lost Him!
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Those are great books! Clearly we both have great taste.
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I really enjoyed The Night We Lost Him. And I love your twist on the theme, too!
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
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Thank you! I loved how twisty that story was.
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These look good.
My son has only just started his Summer Holidays and we have been threatened with another heatwave so Summer is still not over here – sigh 🤣
Have a great week!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
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Ugh summer! It’s been in the 90s here, and then we got a little break. Hopefully you get some new beach read recs to bring with you to the beach!
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Horrendous! We have had a nice couple of weeks with grey skies. I have missed them 😂
Haha fingers crossed. At the moment I’m fancying Cosy Fantasy. I’ve recently finished reading A Witch’s Guide To Magical Innkeeping and really want to read similar books
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I love cozy fantasy! Have you read Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree?
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I have and wasn’t keen. It sort of put me off the genre a bit for a while, but then I read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and was hooked again!
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I think it has a lot to do with the author. I especially enjoed Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin.
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I will have to have a look at that one.
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Added to my Goodreads list 😂
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Yay!!!
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Your idea for “not your typical beach read” is totally smart. It’s cool how you found mysteries and even horror at the beach instead of just fluffy romances. I especially like that you included The Mermaid from Jeju; those free divers are amazing.
http://www.melodyjacob.com
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Thank you! I like to march to the beat of my own drum, what can I say? It does show the diversity of genres that include beaches as a setting. And I was blown away by what those women could do!
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