Favorite Sweet Romance Beach Reads

Tis the season for light romance, where the only thing gritty is the sand in your shoes.

I've certainly been in need of light and cozy entertainment in 2025. Here are some of my favorite reads so far this year.

Covers for "Younger" and its sequel "Older" by Pamela Redmond, showcasing vibrant designs that capture the essence of each story. "Younger" features a playful, energetic vibe, while "Older" presents a reflective, cool aesthetic.

Younger by Pamela Redmond is the novel that kicked off the hit series starring Sutton Foster. Somehow we'd missed the series when it first released, but we got caught up in it this winter and devoured every season. The book is quite a bit different, but what's fun is to read the book while watching the series and then read the sequel, Older, in which the protagonist now has a TV deal for her book. Characters' names change to match the show that we in the real world have already watched and the whole thing gets pretty meta.

Perfect for fans of Sex in the City and 13 Going on 30, it's a story of a recently divorced mother who gave up a career in publishing to raise her daughter. Now in need of a job, the industry finds her too old. Drowning her sorrows in a bar, a handsome young millennial hits on her, thinking she's about his age. Her best friend Maggie (a GEM of an actress in the TV show) encourages her to play the "younger" card. After a quick shopping spree and makeover, the protagonist (Alice/ Liz) lands another interview, lies by omission and lands an entry-level job in a publishing company.

It seems I've been reading a lot of Pamelas. The other Pamela is Pamela Kelley, who writes sweet romance set in Cape Cod and Nantucket.

So far I've read The Nantucket Inn and Nantucket Neighbors, two books set in Nantucket at the fictional Beach Plum Inn. I also read The Christmas Inn, which is set in Chatham, on the Cape. The author mentions all her favorite restaurants (and they're real ones you can visit yourself) gives details on their menus, and talks quite a lot about which wines go with which cheeses. Not a lot happens, but people eat well and fall in love. It's easy. Again, the only grit you'll find here might be a little sand that accidentally got into your beach bag.

If you like books about starting over, travel, enjoying good food and a little romance, my Highlands Christmas series might be just the books for you.

Melissa Mackenzie finds herself facing divorce at Christmas, but she unexpectedly inherits an ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands. She makes new friends, tries new foods, and over the course of the three novellas re-invents herself and finds love and a home along the way. What better way to escape the heat than to imagine yourself sipping tea in the rainy Highlands while you're soaking in the vitamin D on the beach? It's the best of all worlds!

There are three fast-paced novellas, or if you prefer one onmibus, that's available as well!

Available at Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, The Haven in Jamaica Plain, MA, and Porter Square Books.