Best Books to Read This Spring Break
With spring break right around the corner, chances are you’ve found yourself in one of the following scenarios recently: panicking about passports, shopping every chance you get for family swimsuits, or wondering how in the world you’re going to entertain everyone during a week at home. Whether it will be a week of leisure or adventure, we have to make the most of it. I like to think of spring break as a time to take a deep breath and do something I enjoy that often gets put on the back burner during the craziness of life. One of my favorite things to do is pick up a book on my TBR list and finally get a mental escape.
No matter what your spring break looks like this year—lounging on a beach towel, curled up with a cozy blanket, or something in between—don’t find yourself in the perfect position to be reading a book without having the perfect book in hand. We know ‘perfect’ is a relative term that looks different for everyone. That’s why you deserve options. Maybe a twisted thriller is just the kind of story you need to draw you in, or you want to live out your wildest dreams with an adventurous fantasy, or you’re in need of a spicy romance story. No matter what appeals to you, there’s a book for that.
We’ve rounded up 20+ of the best can’t-put-down books that are a perfect companion for whatever your spring break plans entail.
20+ Books to Read This Spring Break
In Stacy Willingham's second psychological thriller—her first was 2022's A Flicker in the Dark—she touches on a parent's worst fear: when Isabelle and her husband were sound asleep, their toddler son, Mason, was taken from his crib one night. Since then, Isabelle isn't able to rest until she brings her son home—and a year goes by with no answers. Caught in a dead end, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster who starts asking surprising questions about her past. The inquiry paired with her insomnia causes her to question everyone, including herself.
While everyone around Chani is advancing their careers in big ways, she's stuck writing puff pieces. That is until she lands a job writing a profile on celebrity heartthrob Gabe Parker. What's meant to be a quick interview turns into a 72-hour romance that Chani hasn't been able to forget in the last 10 years. Now, she's been asked to meet with him again for a second interview and she wonders if their whirlwind romance was as unforgettable to him as it was to her.
Following three upper class women in Brooklyn, this incredibly smart novel tells the story of how each paved their own path. Darley chose to follow her heart over money and is living through the aftermath of her decision. Sasha comes from a middle-class family, but marries into an affluent family and must manage being the outsider. Georgiana falls in love with someone she shouldn't have and begins to wonder who she really is. Witty, sophisticated, and simply delightful, you'll love escaping into the world of New York's one-percenters with this one-of-a-kind novel.
We love a novel that makes us wonder: what would I do in this situation? Emma was lucky enough to have two great loves of her life: Sam, her adoring, ever-supportive fiancé, and her late husband, Jesse, who was lost at sea three years ago. As she's beginning to plan a new life with Sam, Jesse is found alive. Now she must choose between the two people she loves the most.
From the outside, you wouldn't think that Maggie's life was all that great. She's recently divorced, she's broke, and she's struggling with her graduate thesis. Despite her struggles, she's determined to love her life. She's trying new things, leaning on her friends and family, and embracing her sexuality. We can all learn something from Maggie's journey of self discovery.
It's always a good idea to pick up a love story that you've never read before, and this is one of the best options out there to do just that. Sam and Sadie are two college friends that never really cross the line of lovers. Their creative souls work together to craft a world of video games that lead them to more fame, happiness, and tragedy than they ever could have known.
For Emily Henry fans, we've found your newest obsession. Grey Brooks is desperate to keep her acting career alive after her TV show ends. So desperate that she actually agrees to publicist's PR stunt: a fake relationship with one of Hollywood's biggest heartthrobs. Ethan Atkins is in need of the publicity as well, but for different reasons. What starts as an awkward publicity stunt quickly gets the duo questioning how much of what they're feeling is fake.
Diane's life is perfectly on track and she knows her boyfriend, a surgical resident, will be proposing on their upcoming trip to the Galapagos Islands. But, when an unknown virus arrives in New York City, he must stay behind at the hospital while she goes on the trip. When what seemed like an unfortunate occurrence that would quickly pass turns into a global pandemic, Diane finds herself in lockdown on the island until the borders reopen. With the help of a local family, Diane learns to navigate a truly unprecedented situation.
This novel follows three Anglo-Nigerian friends whose relationship begins to crack when a fourth woman named Isobel joins their group. According to the book's Amazon description, this story is a "sharp, modern take on friendship, ambition, culture, and betrayal," making it a perfect can't-put-down spring break read.
Florence Day can't catch a break. It's her job to ghostwrite for a prolific romance novelist, but after a messy breakup, she no longer believes in love. Her new editor won't give her an extension, and on top of it all, she has to return to her hometown because her father passed away. While at the funeral parlor, she sees the ghost of her handsome, "mountain of a man" editor who suddenly passed. Seeing him and learning of his unfinished business has her questioning everything she thought she knew about love stories.
Bearded bad-boy barber Knox doesn't tolerate drama. But when Naomi runs away from her wedding and her life starts to implode, the least Knox can do is help her get back on her feet. Though this book is more than 500 pages long, readers are obsessed with Knox and Naomi's story—and you will be too!
Meredith Fox hasn't been herself since she lost her sister, but she's determined to rejoin the world at her annual family gathering in Martha's Vineyard this summer. While in town, her family will be attending a wedding and playing a traditional family game that her sister loved. Meredith is set on winning the game in honor of her sister, but when she gets paired with a handsome groomsman, she quickly becomes distracted and at risk of losing more than the game.
When her husband disappears after being investigated for a crime, Hannah Michaels and her stepdaughter, Bailey, create an unexpected bond while trying to bring him home, uncovering dark secrets along the way. Read this one before it premiers as an Apple TV+ miniseries starring Jennifer Garner on April 14!
This Emily Henry novel (she also authored the wildly popular Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation) follows literary agent Nora and her sister, Libby, as they take a summer vacation to North Carolina. But when Nora runs into Charlie, a book editor she knows from the city, their lives begin to intertwine and the carefully-crafted stories they've written about themselves unravel.
Taking us through old Hollywood, Evelyn Hugo tells her story to journalist Monique Grant who is hoping to use the interviews to jumpstart her career. But she soon finds her own story connected to Evelyn’s in surprising ways.
This book came out in 2018, but if you haven't read it yet, now's the time as Netflix recently announced there’s a film version of the book in the works.
From bestselling author Colleen Hoover—who also wrote Verity and It Ends With Us—this book tells the story of a young mother, Kenna, as she desperately tries to reunite with her 4-year-old daughter after serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake.
Even though Solène Marchand is reluctant to take her teenage daughter to see her favorite boy band, she agrees in an effort to become closer with her after Solène's divorce from her husband put a strain on their relationship. She couldn't anticipate meeting and falling for one of the band members, who happens to be 20 years old. A fling quickly turns into a heated relationship they meant to keep private. But when the truth comes out to the world, Solène must deal with the consequences of her choices and how they will affect those she cares about.
Already in development as a series on Hulu, siblings Byron and Benny are left a traditional Caribbean black cake and a voice recording as part of their inheritance after their mother dies. In the recording, Eleanor tells a story about a young woman under suspicion of murder and the tale challenges everything Byron and Benny know about their mom, their family history, and even themselves.
Helen seemingly lives a perfect life. And when she meets Rachel at a prenatal class, she gets a new best friend. But when Rachel's erratic behavior starts to worry Helen, this story turns into a twisty and fast-paced thriller.
Author Rebecca Serle's latest novel follows a young woman named Katy as she goes on a summer trip to Positano after losing her beloved mother. Then on the trip, Katy's mom, Carol, appears—but she's 30 years old and perfectly healthy. Katy has no idea what's happening, but embraces the opportunity to spend a summer in Italy with her mom and learns that the people we love never truly leave us.
As the only Black women working at Wagner Books, Nella and Hazel become fast friends. But when Nella receives a mysterious note on her desk that says "LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.," she suspects it might be from Hazel—but why? As Nella's thoughts begin to spiral, she soon realizes more than just her career might be at stake.
It's the summer of 1983 and the famous Riva siblings are getting ready to host their annual star-studded house party. Taking place over the span of 24 hours with flashback chapters interspersed throughout, you'll fall in love with Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit as their past and present family drama is unveiled.
In 1714 France, a young woman named Addie LaRue makes a desperate bargain to live forever—but is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Fast forward 300 years and Addie meets a man in a hidden bookstore who remembers her after she steals a book from his shop. Next, the two embark on a journey together that will keep readers captivated.
