These Books from Reese’s Book Club Make Perfect Beach Reads

If you want a summer romance novel to read at the beach this year, look no further than “The Proposal” by Jasmine Guillory. Reese Witherspoon’s February 2019 pick features protagonist Nikole, who gets hit with a proposal many gals would dream of: one on a large scoreboard at a baseball game. The problem is that she’s only been dating Fisher for five months and is not even thinking about marriage. After she very publicly turns him down, he gets angry, and she’s rescued by siblings Carlos and Angie. Nikole and Carlos soon find themselves attracted to each other, but they both don’t want a serious relationship. Of course, romance books need some ups and downs, and after fighting their feelings, the two realize that they’re meant to be.

Along with Witherspoon, readers loved “The Proposal,” which has 4 stars on Amazon. One reviewer wrote, “Even though there are some familiar tropes happening in this story (casual relationship turns out to be not so casual; people with trust and commitment issues freak out over having feels for each other), I like the ways the character development made those interesting.” Another shared, “This was such a sweet read, this was the exact light romance I needed in my life.” The ending of the book may be a tad predictable, but for a fun summer romance read, “The Proposal” should fill all of your rom-com needs.

Reese Witherspoon’s November 2020 pick for her book club was “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow” by Laura Taylor Namey. The young adult novel follows a high school senior named Lila Reyes who suffers the loss of her beloved grandmother and gets broken up with by her boyfriend, all while her best friend announces she’s spending the summer in Africa. To give Reyes some much-needed R&R, her family sends her to stay with some family friends in England. Across the pond, Reyes slowly heals through her love of baking and getting to know a boy named Orion Maxwell — because no YA book would be complete without some romance.

Despite the target audience being on the younger side, “A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow” resonated with readers across the board, with one writing in an Amazon review, “I don’t typically read a lot of YA, but when I read what this was about I was drawn to it. I just like Lila was very close to my grandma.” Another fan wrote, “It was super cute with the right mix of serious and inspiring parts. The character growth was also really well done.” A book centered on food and love — what’s not to love? Perhaps that’s why the novel has a 4.4-star Amazon rating.

Those who are yearning for their camp days of yore may love “You Have a Match” by Emma Lord. Picked for Reese’s Book Club in January 2021, the story follows 17-year-old Abby Day, who discovers that she has an older sister named Savvy Tully. The two make their way to a summer camp to get to know each other and uncover their family’s secrets, but hijinks ensue when Abby finds out just how different Savvy is from her. To top it off, Abby’s secret love interest, Leo, is working at the camp as a chef, which further complicates things.

“You Have a Match” is a heartwarming story about love and sisterhood with a fun sleep-away summer camp as the backdrop. While this book wasn’t the highest-rated one on Witherspoon’s list — it has 3.5 stars on Goodreads — many have fallen in love with its story and characters. “Every character had my heart, the story just all together was so beautiful. By any means none of these characters were perfect, they all had their own flaws, and were very relatable,” one reader shared. Another wrote, “I enjoyed the sister time, the friend time, and the writing voice, though admittedly I was most interested in seeing how things would play out with the secret-sisters-adoption hook!” We won’t spoil the ending for you, but be prepared for a riveting read.

Every little girl dreams of being a princess, and “Tokyo Ever After” protagonist Izumi Tanaka never thought she’d be one for real in her wildest dreams. Written by Emiko Jean, this summer 2021 pick for Reese’s Book Club centers around Tanaka, who discovers her dad is the crown prince of Japan. She’s soon whisked off to Tokyo, where she needs to learn a completely new culture and fumbles as she navigates fame, greedy relatives, and a romance with her bodyguard.

Fans thought “Tokyo Ever After” was a bit reminiscent of “The Princess Diaries,” but they nonetheless loved the book, giving it 4.4 stars on Amazon. One reviewer raved, “I absolutely adored this book! The writing style was super easy and flowed well. The author wrote a believable 17-year-old girl going through an extreme coming-of-age transition.” Another reader admitted, “I found myself dragging this book out for days. Not because it was not good, but because I was not ready to say goodbye to the characters or the story, and I wanted to savor it as long as I could.” Fans of this book will be happy to learn that there is a sequel to the book titled “Tokyo Dreaming” that will make for great beach reading as well.

Readers who love glitz and glamour will likely be swept up by Reese’s Book Club’s April 2025 pick: “All That Life Can Afford” by Emily Everett. Set in 2009, Anna Byrne is an American living in London as a grad student who is barely making ends meet with her various tutoring jobs. Life isn’t as dazzling as she envisioned until the Wilders family invites Anna to tutor their daughter, Pippa, in Saint Tropez. Soon, instead of living in a dingy flat, Anna is living the life of luxury, with Pippa’s older sister, Faye, guiding her through elite social circles. After the break, Anna is asked to house-sit for the Wilders, and she gets caught up in her new faux identity, which ultimately culminates in her having to face all the lies she has woven.

“All That Life Can Afford” is a great escape that takes readers on a journey through Anna’s longing for a better life, the pretend world that she created, and her eventual personal growth. Over 4,900 reviewers gave the book a 3.78 on Goodreads and a 4.2 on Amazon, with one writing, “Anna’s such a delightfully complex character and I loved the journey she took as she found her place in London.” Another review read, “This was everything I love in a book. Coming of age stories are some of my favorites and this one was incredible.” Some readers compared “All That Life Can Afford” to “Pride and Prejudice,” so if you’re a Jane Austen fan, this one might be for you.

With dozens of books in Reese’s Book Club, narrowing down just five beach reads wasn’t easy, as there were so many great options. However, we perused the choices and read their synopses to determine which ones didn’t have an overly heavy theme. While the ones we picked do delve into topics of grief, loss, and emotional health in smaller capacities, their humor and romance make them lighthearted enough for a summer reading sesh.

We also took into consideration the ratings that readers have given the books. If they have at least 3 stars at the time of writing, they had enough for us to trust that bookworms largely consider them worth a few hours of their time. Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble were our primary scouting destinations, but we read independent reviews as well. Some of our choices also made it onto The New York Times bestseller list, which we all know is very coveted, so hopefully you’ll love at least one of our favorite beach books recommended by Reese Witherspoon.