Few things say “escapist” quite like…literally escaping. Travel-based romances are one of the best ways to go on a summer vacation (even if the most you can afford is a trip to the ice cream shop down the block). Catalina’s lies about a fake boyfriend have caught up to her. Her family expects to see her beau at her sister’s wedding in Spain, where her ex-fiancé will also be in attendance. Desperate to keep the lie going, she finds a willing accomplice in her infuriating coworker Aaron. I’m sure you know where this is going.

Calling all Schitt’s Creek lovers! Heiress and socialite Piper Bellinger has spent most of her adult life living it up in LA. Her parents have tolerated her hard partying lifestyle until it lands her in the drunk tank. Having had enough of Piper’s (and her sister’s) shenanigans, her stepfather cuts them off, throwing them a bone via her late father’s local haunt in Westport, Washington. After immediately butting heads with Brendan, one of the bar’s regulars, Piper is determined to show the gruff (and admittedly handsome) sea captain and her stepfather she can hack it in coastal Washington.

At seventeen, Alice spent an amazing summer on a lake called Barry’s Bay with her Nan. The memory sits preserved in amber in her mind like so many teenage dreams, especially because the photo she took that summer of three teens in a yellow boat started her photography career. A decade-ish later, Nan breaks her hip, and Alice decides a trip to Barry’s Bay is just what they both need to heel. She didn’t expect to reuinte with Charlie Florek – one of the subjects of her photo. Used to hiding behind a lens, Alice realizes that Charlie notices her in a way no one ever has.

Irene Steel has built her dream life – living in a lovingly restored Victorian home in Iowa, she’s raised two sons and is looking forward to a comfortable retirement in the near future. When she learns of her husband’s tragic death, Irene can’t understand the details – a helicopter crash? Near a remote island she’s never heard of? With another woman? Irene and her sons travel to St. John to investigate, and fall in love with the island (and some of its inhabitants). Not strictly a romance, this book will make you fall in love with St. John at the very least.

Part summer romance, part bildungsroman, this book is for Sally Rooney lovers. Like most small town girls, Lucy’s life is mapped out by the lives of those around her – marry a nice farm boy, have a million children, raise them in Crossmore. But not only does Lucy not want to stay in Crossmore, she has a deeper secret: she’s in love with her best friend, Susannah. As they grow closer and closer, Lucy feels more and more tension between who she is inside, and who the world wants her to be. Set in the 1990s, this is a beautiful, sweet, nostalgic book.

This is the ultimate comfort food for your brain! Fun, gossipy, and big-hearted, the novel follows Rachel Chu, a first-generation Chinese-American, as she travels with her boyfriend, Nick Young, to spend the summer with his family and friends in Singapore. Only, oopsies, he forgot to tell her he’s MASSIVELY wealthy. Equally unprepared her arrival, Rachel and Nick must navigate a new era of their relationship – and a lot more opinions about it. The movie also makes for a GREAT plane movie.

After leaving his rust belt roots to try and make it as a dancer on Broadway, Archer has one more shot: Shady Queens. The queer-centric revue running at a resort in the Catskills is the closest he’s gotten to a shot since moving to New York. AND, he gets to dance with Mateo Dixon, the Broadway heartthrob of his dreams. Drama and passion quickly derail Archer’s romantic plans, but will they derail his future, too? This modern retelling of Dirty Dancing removes the problematic age gap while keeping all the swoon-worthy romance.

After dropping out of medical school, Lily has moved to Cape Cod to lick her wounds. Squeaking by cleaning summer homes, Lily finds refuge living in (okay, squatting in) beautiful Dune Cottage, whose owners haven’t been back in decades. Until Cecilia Lapthorne returns, adrift, after her 70th birthday party. The pair strikes up an unlikely friendship, both needing what the other can provide. But an unexpected wrench in their friendly detente arrives in the form of Todd, Cecilia’s grandson and Lily’s unrequited crush.

Zeke and Lexi were only supposed to have a one night stand. Neither are ready for a relationship. His father’s death is still too fresh. She needs to help her friend care for her daughter. But when they forget to make sure Zeke’s father’s houseboat is securely moored, they wake up together to nothing but each other and miles of ocean. Now, they must figure out how to navigate back to dry land, while learning to navigate each other.

So it’s not SPECIFICALLY set in the summer (more like the spring), but come on! Look at that cover! Dani moved to Amsterdam looking for a new life when she runs into Wouter – her high-school ex and the exchange student her parents hosted. Dani needs a visa to stay. Wouter needs a wife to inherit his family’s home. Despite the painful memories re-ignited by meeting each other, they realize they can both get what they need by getting married. Only, of course, it turns out they actually like each other, still!

In addition to a romance, this book has a great murder mystery at the center, and LOTS of twists and turns. Daphne Berg has built a successful career as a plus size influencer. Out of the blue, her former best friend, Drue, contacts Daphne and asks her to be Drue’s maid of honor at her high-society wedding. Despite her better instincts, Daphne agrees, thinking that at least the wedding might help raise her online profile. Besides, she’ll get to spend the summer meeting cute guys at a mansion on Cape Cod…what could go wrong?

🔔Calling all Below Deck enthusiasts! 🔔 Lucky’s new job serving the ultrawealthy on a superyacht brings her one step closer to her dream of opening her own bakery. Lucky won’t screw this up. But her handsome bunkmate, and fellow staff member, Hunter, tests her resolve to its limits. Soon, Lucky falls under the spell of his piercing blue eyes, and the pair has to navigate keeping their jobs, and keeping their romance alive.