15 books to read while you wait for Emily Henry's 'Beach Read' movie to come out
Greg Doherty/Getty Images for St. Regis/Amy Sussman/Getty Images
- Emily Henry's "Beach Read" is being adapted into a film for 20th Century Studios.
- Phoebe Dynevor and Patrick Schwarzenegger will star in the movie.
- While you wait for the movie to come out, you can read books that are similar to "Beach Read."
The "Beach Read" movie is officially on the way.
Emily Henry's romance debut tells the love story of writers January Andrews and Augustus Everett. The novel, published in 2020, was an instant hit, and Henry went on to write five more bestselling romance books. Several are being adapted into films, including "Beach Read."
In April 2023, Deadline reported that Yulin Kuang, who cowrote the adaptation of Henry's "People We Meet on Vacation," released on Netflix in January 2026, would be adapting and directing the film version of "Beach Read" for 20th Century Studios.
Updates about the film have been sparse in the years since, but traction finally began to build in early 2026. In February, Deadline reported that "Bridgerton" star Phoebe Dynevor had been cast as January, and on Tuesday, the outlet announced Patrick Schwarzenegger, who starred in season three of "The White Lotus," would play Gus.
Though the leads have been cast, 20th Century Studios has yet to announce when filming will begin or when the movie will premiere. Fans will have to wait a while before they can see Gus and January brought to life on the big screen, but they can read books similar to "Beach Read" in the meantime.
Read on to check out 15 books that are perfect for fans of "Beach Read."
Penguin Random House
Emily Henry's second novel, "People We Meet on Vacation," is just as delightful as its predecessor. The book swaps "Beach Read's" enemies-to-lovers trope for friends-to-lovers.
No one expected Alex and Poppy to be friends, let alone best friends. Alex is a homebody who has a codependent relationship with his cat, while Poppy is a free spirit who writes a travel blog.
Despite all odds, Alex and Poppy have clicked since college, managing to keep their friendship alive after Poppy moved to New York City through an annual weeklong vacation. Then, after a decade of trips, they make a mistake they can't take back, leaving their friendship in pieces.
Two years later, they still haven't spoken, and Poppy feels lost even as everything in her life falls into place. Fixing things with Alex feels like the key to it all, so she breaks their stand-off to see if he'll go on a last vacation with her.
When Alex says yes, Poppy knows it's her last chance to make their relationship right. A reunion means they'll both have to confront feelings for each other they don't want to have, putting their friendship on the line once again.
Amazon
Christina Lauren's New York Times bestseller stars Olive Torres, the unlucky twin who feels like she's always living in her sister's shadow.
Things change at her sister's wedding, though. The entire wedding party gets sick, aside from Olive and Ethan Thomas, a groomsman she happens to loathe. The pair is given the chance to take the newlyweds' 10-day honeymoon in Hawaii, and Olive agrees to go for the free trip despite her hatred of Ethan.
As the unlikely pair enjoy their surprise vacation, Olive finds herself feeling things for Ethan she never expected. Has her luck finally changed?
Penguin Random House
Every installment of Jasmine Guillory's "The Wedding Date" series offers a steamy love affair, and the third book, "The Wedding Party," is no exception.
Theo and Maddie have never liked each other — though they share a mutual attraction that's hard to ignore. Most of the time, they do their best to avoid each other, only hanging out when their best friend Alexa forces them to.
When Alexa gets engaged and Theo and Maddie are both made members of the bridal party, they're forced to spend time together, making it harder and harder to ignore the spark between them as the wedding looms closer.
Eventually, they give in to their temptation, swearing that they'll end their secret affair the second Alexa says "I do." What will Theo and Maddie do when they realize they're falling for each other?
HarperCollins
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman might both be assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing house, but that's where their similarities end. Josh is as type A as they come, while Lucy approaches her life with excitement and colorful clothes.
It's no secret that they hate each other, and their loathing only increases when they realize they're up for the same promotion.
Lucy decides she's not going to let Josh intimidate her anymore, and soon, their fiery hate is turning into something else entirely. After years of fighting, how can either of them trust that this change of heart is real?
Sally Thorne's debut is the enthralling workplace rom-com you've been waiting for, and you can stream the movie adaptation after you finish the book.
HarperCollins
Fans of Talia Hibbert will love "Act Your Age, Eve Brown," the third installment of the Brown sisters series.
The novel follows Eve, who has always been more comfortable with chaos than order, as her purple hair makes clear.
It's no surprise that constantly controlled Jacob Wayne doesn't hire her to be the chef at his bed and breakfast — but it is a shock when Eve accidentally hits his car and breaks his arm.
To make amends, Eve lingers around the B&B, becoming a nuisance that Jacob is prepared to hate. His loathing soon turns to something else, warming a place inside him he didn't know existed.
Macmillan Publishers
The enemies-to-lovers trope gets a fresh twist in this delightful debut by Casey McQuiston, which has since been adapted into an Amazon film. "Red, White, & Royal Blue" follows Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the first female president of the United States.
As his mother begins her reelection campaign, Alex causes an international crisis when he gets into a public fight with his sworn nemesis, Henry, who happens to be the Prince of England. The two begin a fake friendship to appease their families, but they soon find themselves drawn to each other in ways they never expected.
As Alex and Henry grow closer, they'll have to decide if they're willing to put their families and political careers on the line for love.
Simon & Schuster
In Angie Hockman's "Shipped," Henley Evans and Graeme Crawford-Collins have been enemies from the day they started working together at a cruise line — though they've never met in person since Graeme works remotely.
Their first IRL meeting comes in the form of a company trip to the Galápagos Islands, where they'll both be competing for their dream promotion. Henley is prepared to do whatever it takes to crush Graeme, but her plan falls apart when she meets Graeme and discovers he's nothing like she thought he was.
Her feelings for him threaten to ruin everything she's been working toward — which might be the best thing that ever happened to her.
HarperCollins
Julia Quinn's second "Bridgerton" book, "The Viscount Who Loved Me," is a great fit for "Beach Read" fans. Plus, when you're done, you can stream the Netflix series and check out Dynevor's acting chops ahead of the film's premiere.
When Anthony Bridgerton decides he's finally ready to marry, he doesn't anticipate any obstacles. After all, as Viscount Bridgerton, any lady of the ton should be thrilled to marry him.
To his surprise, there is one lady who doesn't think Anthony is marriage material: Kate, the sister of the lady he hoped to marry.
Anthony is determined to win Kate's approval, but Kate is focused on protecting her sister from a rake. As they continue to vex each other, Anthony and Kate find the tension between them turning into a different kind of heat.
Carina Press
If you somehow missed the "Heated Rivalry" craze after the show dropped on Crave in 2025, reading the book is a great entry point to Rachel Reid's series.
As two of the best professional hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been pitted against each other for years. Shane, captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, is steadfast and reserved, while Ilya is cocky and unafraid to make enemies on the ice as captain of the Boston Bears.
The world expects them to hate each other, and on the ice, they do. Little does the world know, though, that Ilya and Shane have been finding ways to steal moments alone together since their rookie season. Their connection is addictive — and terrifying, as getting outed could cost them their careers.
As their feelings for each other grow and the stakes of getting caught rise, Ilya and Shane will have to decide whether what they have is worth the risk.
Penguin Random House
If you loved the second-chance element of "Beach Read," you'll love "Every Summer After" by Carley Fortune.
Sam Florek was the center of Persephone (Percy) Fraser's summers for six years. After her family bought a lake house on Barry's Bay, Sam and Percy became inseparable, and their friendship blossomed into something all-consuming as they went from tweens to teens. At 17, when she pictures her life, all Percy sees is Sam.
Then, one mistake ruins it all, and Percy doesn't return to Barry's Bay — or see Sam — for a decade. When she's finally accepted that there will always be a Sam-shaped hole in her life, his mother's funeral brings her back to her beloved lake for one weekend — and face to face with the man she's loved for nearly all her life.
Percy and Sam's bond is as strong as ever when they reconnect, but all that's unsaid between them is keeping them at a distance. With the story spanning the weekend and the summers of their youth, Percy and Sam will have to decide if it's worth digging up their past for a shot at their future.
Penguin Random House
Rue Siebert feels like she owes everything to her career as a biotech engineer at Kline. She loves her work, the financial stability it brings, and the close friends she's made at the company.
Everything she loves feels at risk when The Harkness Group walks into Kline, intent on taking over the company. Rue is ready to hate every member of the group — until she lays eyes on Eli Killgore, Harkness' money man and the guy she had an almost-one-night stand with the night before.
Rue wasn't part of Eli's plans, but now that he knows she's at Kline, he's struggling to let her "no repeats" rule or his company's objectives stand in the way of pursuing her. Soon, Rue and Eli give in to their attraction, agreeing to a no-strings-attached relationship that won't compromise their loyalty to their respective companies.
The more time they spend together, the harder it is for either to remember why staying unattached was the best plan.
HarperCollins
The sequel to her debut novel, "Honey and Spice," Bolu Babalola's "Sweet Heat" asks whether true love really deserves a second chance.
At 28, Kiki Banjo already feels like she's on the precipice of more change than she can handle when her ex-boyfriend Malakai walks back into her life. Three years after their breakup, which Kiki feels she barely walked away from, she and Malakai have to reunite to serve as the maid of honor and best man at their best friends' wedding.
Kiki hopes she can get through the wedding season by avoiding Malakai, whom she's disappointed to discover is as gorgeous, funny, frustrating, and talented as ever. When their career ambitions lead them to work on a joint project, she'll have no choice but to reenter his orbit.
Kiki tells herself she can handle a few months of dealing with Malakai, but her heart might not be as ready to shut him out as her brain.
Hachette
Jacob Maddox joining the staff at her hospital is the last thing Briana Ortiz needs in "Yours Truly" by Abby Jimenez.
Fresh off a divorce and caring for her sick brother, Briana has no time for the new doctor who is her competition for the Chief of Emergency Medicine job she deserves after 10 years of service. It doesn't help that he makes the worst first impression, confirming all her suspicions about the supposed hotshot doctor.
Briana is sure she'll loathe Jacob for the rest of their time working together, until he is shockingly kind to her when he finds her crying and sends her a letter that shows her he's not the menace she thought. Briana and Jacob become pen pals and work friends, and then she finds herself rethinking everything about him when he gives her brother a kidney.
When Jacob asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend for a family wedding, Briana is more than happy to oblige. However, what will Briana and Jacob do when they realize there's nothing fake about their feelings for each other?
Hachette
Like "Beach Read," Katie Naymon's "You Between the Lines" also tells the love story of two writers with a complicated history.
Leigh has a serious case of imposter syndrome when she is accepted into an MFA program. She's always loved writing, and she doesn't think her sorority girl life has to be at odds with that. However, Leigh took it to heart when Will, her high school crush, told her that a poem she wrote was superficial.
So when Leigh arrives at her grad program and discovers that Will, who now goes by William, is in her cohort, she feels 16 and unsure of herself all over again. Beating William out for the program's fellowship seems like the best way to get past her insecurities once and for all, and the competitive spark between them burns back to life instantly.
Yet there's more to her history with William than Leigh wants to face — until he writes a poem that makes her realize she might not be the only one haunted by what they could have been.
Penguin Random House
Aiden Valentine is a love skeptic, which is a bit inconvenient considering he hosts the most popular romance hotline show in Baltimore, "Heartstrings."
He needs something to make him believe in love again. The answer to his problems comes in the form of a call from a kid looking to help her mom find a boyfriend.
Lucie Stone is mortified when her daughter calls into "Heartstrings" on her behalf, but as she speaks to Aiden, she finds herself opening up about loneliness and her fears about dating. Her plight strikes a chord, and soon, Aiden's network wants to help Lucie find love.
Aiden is tasked with helping Lucie date as Baltimore listens in. But as they share the radio booth several times a week, Aiden and Lucie find themselves drawn to each other when they're supposed to be searching for her soulmate.