Beach Reads
By Cindy Bilbao
By Suzanne Simonetti
In the quaint coastal town of Cape May, New Jersey, three creative women meet and form an uplifting bond of friendship. In this story, the reader is immersed into the thoughts of each of the characters, learning about their insecurities and fears. Goldie is a talented potter who is haunted by her late husband, Krystal is a jewelry artist who is traumatized by the bullying she received in high school, and Jocelyn is a writer who is trying to meet a writing deadline.
Jocelyn desperately misses her six-year-old son who is staying with her ex-husband and his new family for the summer. To help Jocelyn take her mind off missing her little boy, she starts to read her late mother-in-law’s diary, where she discovers a story that holds the key to a mystery that started in Cape May many years before.
Lush descriptions of Goldie’s enchanting garden and cocktail parties hosted at exquisite harborfront homes add to the charm of this novel as it touches upon the beauty of friendships, the strength of bonds between women, and how important these connections can be.
By Sharon Brubaker
Kelsi is a beautiful selkie: she’s a seal when she’s in the ocean, but she turns into a human when she’s on dry land. Ian spots Kelsi walking on the beach one evening and becomes intrigued by her. Kelsi is equally intrigued by Ian and battles with making a decision about whether she wants to return to her seal family or remain in human form.
Ian wants Kelsi to stay on land as a woman, and he must help her navigate her new surroundings, life on land, and his family. When Kelsi meets Ian’s grandfather, Ian learns family secrets going back through the generations. Can Ian and Kelsi make their complicated relationship work?
If you love a romantic beach read, this is a book that you’ll want to toss into your beach bag.
For more books for reference, inspiration, and reading, visit Cindy’s list of the Best Beachcombing Books, Best New Beachcombing Books, and her list of favorite Children’s Beach Books.
Read more beach book recommendations from Cindy Bilbao.
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This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 49, the July/August 2025 issue.
