Summer Beach Reads

Summer is a great time to relax and catch up your reading. Here, our favorite beach reads.

Names My Sisters Call Me, by Megan Crane (Grand Central Publishing; $13.99) Whether you're getting married or have long dealt with the challenges of navigating sisterly relationships, you'll relate to this light, entertaining novel. The story follows Courtney, the family "baby," who's finally decided to get married. But the road to the altar isn't without its challenges, thanks to two feuding sisters and a sultry old flame who sneaks back into Courtney's life.

Mrs. Perfect, by Jane Porter (Grand Central Publishing; $13.99) At first, it's hard to like this novel's affluent, uppity main character, Taylor Young. She's rich, beautiful, and entirely occupied with thoughts on designer clothes and the circumference of her stomach. But then her secretive husband drops a bombshell that shatters their once-perfect lifestyle. It's then that we begin to see the woman behind the put-together exterior, and understand the true strength of Taylor's character.

Change of Heart, by Jodi Picoult (Atria Books, $26.95) In addition to stunning prose and well-researched plotlines, Jodi Picoult's novels always leave the reader questioning what they would do if they found themselves in the terribly complex, tragic situations of her characters. This time, a mother of a desperately ill daughter must decide whether to accept the heart of a death-row inmate- the man who was convicted of killing her family.

Dedication, by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (Atria Books, $14) From the duo that brought us the witty Nanny Diaries and Citizen Girl comes this telling look at high school romance, celebrity culture, and the things we'll do (and won't do) to right a romance gone bad. Returning home to face her ex after 13 years of absence, Kate Hollis is determined to make her famous, adored-by-America ex regret his entire existence for breaking her heart and using their memories to launch his music career. But doing so involves her family, her friends, and, like everything relating to first loves, her heart.

Certain Girls, by Jennifer Weiner (Atria Books, $26.95) Cannie Shapiro, the heroine of Weiner's first novel, Good in Bed, is back in this sequel, which picks up 13 years after Good in Bed left off. Though still happily married to diet doctor Peter, Cannie's writing career has taken a backseat, and that's exactly how she wants it. But when Cannie's daughter Joy finds out she was an accidental pregnancy, her publisher pushes her to write another best-seller, and her hubby decides he wants another baby, the quiet world Cannie was living in suddenly gets turned upside down.