These 23 July Books Are Perfect Poolside Reads

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Love is magical, love is painful, love is sexy. July's diverse group of romantic stories cover the array of experiences we all have when falling in and out of love and chronicle the relatable along with the fantastical. From love potions and erotic encounters to the everyday flow of marriage and family life, these reads are perfect for poolside lounging or enjoying with your toes in the sand.

01
The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
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The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

A harsh food critic and an aspiring chef find themselves going from fighting to falling in love in Amy E. Reichert's romantic novel The Coincidence of Coconut Cake.

Out July 21

02
If I Could Turn Back Time
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If I Could Turn Back Time

If you were able, would you go back in time and do anything differently? One woman is given a chance to do just that in Beth Harbison's heartwarming novel If I Could Turn Back Time, about someone who is transported back to her 18-year-old self.

Out July 28

03
Love Lies Beneath
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Love Lies Beneath

Ellen Hopkins's Love Lies Beneath depicts the ups and downs of a woman's love affair — one that may either lift her up or tear her down completely.

Out July 21

04
The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach
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The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach

A young woman fleeing a Fascist Italy for America boards a boat to find freedom but also ends up falling in love. Pam Jenoff's historical fiction The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach begins in 1941 and follows a woman's path through war, tragedy, self-discovery, and reuniting with a lost love.

Out July 28

05
Between the Tides
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Between the Tides

On the surface, Lainie Smith Morris is completely content with her life in a wealthy suburb of New York City, but her picture-perfect world is shattered by betrayal. Susannah Marren's Between the Tides explores the intricacies of marriage, family, and friendship.

Out July 21

06
Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?
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Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?

Mother/daughter duo Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella present a collection of hilarious true confessions that all women can relate to. Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat? is about seizing the day and learning to laugh at yourself and at this crazy world.

Out July 7

07
Maybe in Another Life
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Maybe in Another Life

After moving aimlessly around several cities and holding many meaningless jobs, a woman in her late 20s returns home, only to run into an old flame. When the night comes to an end, she has two choices: should she go home or see where the night leads with her ex? In Taylor Jenkins Reid's Maybe in Another Life, Hannah Martin's experience unfolds in two concurrent story lines — one plays out what would have happened if she left that night, and one shows what happens if she stays and potentially rekindles a romance. The book poses the question: is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Out July 7

08
The Art of Sinning
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The Art of Sinning

Bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries is back with The Art of Sinning, a tantalizing tale of mystery, scandal, and romance.

Out July 21

09
Bell Weather
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Bell Weather

In Dennis Mahoney's dark fantasy Bell Weather, a man rescues a mysterious woman from a river only to realize that their fates are more intertwined than he expected.

Out July 7

10
The Flying Circus
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The Flying Circus

In what Booklist calls a "historical fiction with appeal to both romance and adventure fans," Susan Crandall's The Flying Circus tells the tale of two daredevils and a farm boy on a journey full of planes, danger, and love — all set against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties.

Out July 7

11
Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva
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Naked: A Novel of Lady Godiva

Eliza Redgold's Naked is the retelling of the story of Lady Godiva's famous naked ride through her husband's town in order to save the people from starving — but this version has a twist.

Out July 14

12
The Potion Diaries
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The Potion Diaries

In Amy Alward's hilariously endearing YA novel The Potion Diaries, a princess accidentally doses herself with her own love potion, falls in love with her reflection, and must go on a magical journey for the cure.

Out July 2

13
A Paris Affair
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A Paris Affair

Paris is perhaps one of the most romantic cities in the world. Sarah's Key author Tatiana de Rosnay's A Paris Affair is a collection of passionate, humorous, and heartfelt love stories.

Out July 7

14
Pretty Is
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Pretty Is

Two young women are kidnapped when they are 12 years old and spend two months held captive by a handsome and oddly charismatic stranger. Maggie Mitchell's Pretty Is follows the stories of the two girls as they grow up and deal with the aftermath of their abductions.

Out July 7

15
Going Home
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Going Home

Going Home by James D. Shipman is a Civil War novel about an injured soldier and his nurse finding love in light of tragedy.

Out July 28

16
A School For Brides: A Story of Maidens, Mystery, and Matrimony
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A School For Brides: A Story of Maidens, Mystery, and Matrimony

Lovers of all things Jane Austen will enjoy A School For Brides by Patrice Kindl, who pens a lighthearted story about Winthrop Hopkins Female Academy, a school women attend with the purpose of getting married off.

Out July 14

17
The Woman Who Stole My Life
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The Woman Who Stole My Life

Marian Keyes is back with a hilarious book that tells the story of beautician Stella Sweeney, a self-help writer who develops a rare autoimmune disease. The Woman Who Stole My Life is about love, resilience, and finding the positive during difficult times.

Out July 7

18
The Someday Jar
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The Someday Jar

A real-estate broker thinks her life is perfect — until she discovers her old Someday jar that holds her childhood wishes written on the back of fortune cookies. In Allison Morgan's The Someday Jar, one woman realizes that life is too short for regrets and decides to do something about it.

Out July 7

19
Circling the Sun
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Circling the Sun

Paula McLain's Circling the Sun brings famous female aviator Beryl Markham to life by detailing her record-setting career as a pilot as well as the passionate love triangle between herself, a female writer, and a safari hunter.

Out July 28

20
Among the Ten Thousand Things
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Among the Ten Thousand Things

A family's world begins to fall apart when a husband's secrets are unexpectedly discovered. In Julia Pierpont's Among the Ten Thousand Things, the bonds between husband and wife and parents and children are tested in this emotional, honest, and relatable novel.

Out July 7

21
The Summer of Good Intentions
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The Summer of Good Intentions

A dysfunctional family comes together for a Summer at their Cape Cod beach house, and in Wendy Francis's heartfelt novel The Summer of Good Intentions, the loved ones must confront their issues and find common ground for all of their sakes.

Out July 7

22
A Master Plan For Rescue
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A Master Plan For Rescue

A Master Plan is two love stories — but not told in the typical way. Janis Cooke Newman weaves together the lives of two men who have suffered tragedy and lost loved ones, and through their friendship, the two dream to make the impossible happen and prove that love lives on long after someone is gone.

Out July 14

23
Lovers on All Saints' Day
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Lovers on All Saints' Day

Juan Gabriel Vásquez's collection of stories, Lovers on All Saints' Day, showcases his beautiful prose while exploring themes such as love and memory.

Out July 21

24
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