15 Authors Who Write Beach Reads like Elin Hilderbrand
Elin Hilderbrand is an enormously successful author of books that are synonymous with summer. The affectionately known “Queen of the Beach Read” has announced her retirement following the release of her last novel in 2024, so there is no time like the present to find other authors who write beach reads like Elin Hilderbrand.
This post is all about authors who write beach reads like Elin Hilderbrand, with links to their most recent sun soaked novel or book one of a steamy book series based in a summertime setting.
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Elin Hilderbrand Best Books
Elin Hilderbrand’s literary career began in 2000 with the publication of her debut novel, The Beach Club. One of her most well-noted series is the “Nantucket Series,” which includes titles such as Summer People and The Matchmaker.
Among her most popular books to date are The Perfect Couple, a riveting tale of scandal and secrets set on Nantucket, and 28 Summers, a poignant story of love and loyalty spanning decades.
Best Elin Hilderbrand Books In Order
Here is a complete list of Elin Hilberbrand books in order:
- “The Beach Club” (2000)
- “Nantucket Nights” (2002)
- “Summer People” (2003)
- “The Blue Bistro” (2005)
- “The Love Season” (2006)
- “Barefoot” (2007)
- “A Summer Affair” (2008)
- “The Castaways” (2009)
- “Silver Girl” (2011)
- “Summerland” (2012)
- “Beautiful Day” (2013)
- “The Matchmaker” (2014)
- “Winter Street” (2014) – Part of the “Winter Series,” Book #1
- “The Rumor” (2015)
- “Winter Stroll” (2015) – Part of the “Winter Series,” Book #2
- “Winter Storms” (2016) – Part of the “Winter Series,” Book #3
- “Here’s to Us” (2016)
- “The Identicals” (2017)
- “Winter Solstice” (2017) – Part of the “Winter Series,” Book #4
- “The Perfect Couple” (2018)
- “Winter in Paradise” (2018) – Part of the “Paradise Series,” Book #1
- “What Happens in Paradise” (2019) – Part of the “Paradise Series,” Book #2
- “Troubles in Paradise” (2020) – Part of the “Paradise Series,” Book #3
- “Golden Girl” (2021)
- “Summer of ’69” (2019)
- “28 Summers” (2020)
- “Golden Girl” (2021)
- “The Hotel Nantucket” (2022)
- “The Five-Star Weekend” (2023)
- “Swan Song” (2024)
Elin Hilderbrand Final Book
Her 2024 release is the aptly named, Swan Song.
Chief of Police Ed Kapenash is about to retire. Blond Sharon is going through a divorce. But when a 22-million-dollar summer home is purchased by the mysterious Richardsons—how did they make their money, exactly?—Ed, Sharon, and everyone in the community are swept up in high drama. The Richardsons throw lavish parties, flirt with multiple locals, flaunt their wealth with not one but two yachts, and raise impossible hopes of everyone they meet. When their house burns to the ground and their most essential employee goes missing, the entire island is up in arms.
Elin Hilderbrand Writing Style
What is the Elin Hilderbrand style? Her books are enormously popular based on her ability to write relatable characters who are going through emotional issues that many women face. She makes the settings of these stories an indelible part of her books, her most notable series being set in Nantucket.
Her dominance of the beach read genre is based in part on a writing style that is not just fast paced and funny, but in her ability to weave in real world, contemporary issues that add some emotional heft, helping to endear the characters to the reader.
What Are Beach Reads
This can be completely subjective, of course, but generally speaking, a “beach read” is a book that is fun to read, fast paced and completely addictive. This isn’t a heavy, detail oriented book, but more of a guilty pleasure. A book that makes it easy to escape from reality, and equally easy to follow the plot – even if you are sunning on a very busy beach or lazily hanging out by the pool. They are fun, usually plot driven romance or family drama books, typically set in the summer, that leave you feeling happy.
Beach Reads Like Elin Hilderbrand
Now that you know who Elin Hilderbrand is and the type of books she writes, let’s get to our list of 15 authors who write beach reads like Elin Hilderbrand.
These authors include Nancy Thayer, Wendy Francis, Jamie Brenner, Pamela Kelly, Wendy Wax, Juny Blundell, Linda Hope Lee, Rachel Hanna, Hope Holloway, Amelia Addler, Maggie Miller, Mia Kent, Rebecca Regnier, Annie Cabot, &Kellie Coates Gilbert. We are sure that among this list you will find your next guilty pleasure that you will become addicted to this summer!
Several of these books are series, with a main component being told around the location itself – much like Hilderbrand did with the Nantucket series. We have listed book 1 in the series so you can start from the beginning.
Other authors are listed and if a series isn’t indicated, we have featured one of their newest releases.
Charming ladies’ man Rory Randall dies with one last trick up his sleeve: His will includes a calculating clause mandating a summer-long reunion for his daughters, all from different marriages—that is, if they hope to inherit his posh Nantucket house. Relations among the three sisters are sour thanks to long-festering jealousies, resentments, and misunderstandings. Arden, a successful television host in Boston, hasn’t been back to the island since her teenage years, when accusations of serious misbehavior led to her banishment. College professor Meg hopes to use her summer to finish a literary biography and avoid an amorous colleague. And secretive Jenny, an IT specialist, faces troubling questions about her identity while longing for her sisters’ acceptance. To their surprise, the three young women find their newfound sisterhood easier to trust than the men who show up to complicate their lives. And if that weren’t problematic enough, their mothers descend on the island. When yet another visitor drops by the house with shocking news, the past comes screaming back with a vengeance.
Three college roommates are celebrating a twentieth wedding anniversary by taking a cruise to Bermuda. As the ship pulls away from the pier, everyone is looking forward to lounging by the pool, sipping sunset cocktails, and reminiscing. Abby, the mother hen of the group, will be celebrating her wedding anniversary in style, even as she and her husband keep a secret from the group. Ambitious career woman Caroline happily anticipates several stress-free days away from her magazine job with her boyfriend, Javier, who may or may not be finally inspired to propose. And single mom Lee (annoyingly gorgeous and irresistibly popular in college) hopes she’ll win back the affections of her formerly sweet daughter Lacey, who after her first year in college, has inexplicably become a little bit of a monster.
Ruth Cooperman arrives in beautiful beachside Provincetown for her retirement, renting the perfect waterfront cottage while she searches for her forever home. After years of hard work and making peace with life's compromises, Ruth is looking forward to a carefree summer of solitude. But when she finds a baby girl abandoned on her doorstep, Ruth turns to her new neighbors for help and is drawn into the drama of the close-knit community.
TWO LIFELONG FRIENDS. Jess loves her work as a high-profile lawyer in Charleston. But when her marriage implodes, she retreats to her childhood home on Cape Cod with her thirty-year-old daughter, Caitlin, hoping to regroup with her longtime best friend, Alison.
ONE BOOKSHOP BY THE BAY. Alison’s career has taken a hit after twenty years as an editor for the magazine Cape Cod Living. But when she learns her beloved bookstore on the Cape is looking for new ownership, a new dream starts to form. AND THE SUMMER THAT COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING. As the two friends reopen the bookstore, they also open themselves up to the magic of second chances.
Dr. Olivia Moore has a lot in common with the women she advises every day on WTLK Radio’s Liv Live. She’s strong and independent but just can’t seem to pick the right men. First, she let a commitment-phobic man-child break her heart, then she married a cheater. Now she’s kicked the cheater to the curb, but the man-child is back. And he hasn’t grown up at all. A decade after he broke Olivia’s heart, Matt Ransom is her co-worker, her competition, and the host of WTLK’s highly rated and excruciatingly irreverent late-night show, Guy Talk. Not to mention Atlanta’s Bachelor of the Year. All Olivia wants is to remain professional and keep their past a secret, but when Matt starts sniping at her on the air, all bets are off. As their battle of the sexes heats up, their bosses see dollar signs.
No matter what the world throws her way, at least Ruthie Beamish has the house. Located by the sea in a quiet Long Island village, the house is her nest egg—the retirement account shared with her ex-husband, Mike, and the college fund for their teenage daughter, Jem. The catch? To afford the house, Ruthie must let it go during the best part of the year. It’s Memorial Day weekend and the start of what Jem calls “the summer bummer”: the family’s annual exodus to make way for renters. This year, the Hamptons set has arrived. Adeline Clay is elegant and connected—and will never need to worry about money. Before long, she demonstrates an uncanny ability to help herself to Ruthie’s life. Is Adeline just being her fabulous self, or is she out to take what she wants?
Kallie Davis travels to St. Charles Island to search for her missing brother, Andy, who disappeared one night while out in his boat. The shark haunting the offshore waters presents a challenge, but so does Mark Bennett, the new dive master at Villa Marie, the resort owned by Andy and his wife, Leona. Mark offers to aid Kallie in her search, but she’s reluctant. Something about him just doesn’t add up. Plus, her troubled past makes trusting difficult. Undercover investigator Mark Bennett has his own reasons for wanting to find Andy. He intends to stick close to Kallie, in case she discovers something useful, or Andy contacts her. But he doesn’t want any personal involvement. Risking his heart is as dangerous as losing his cover.
Julie's husband of twenty-one years was living a secret life, which ended her marriage and forced her to start over alone at forty-three years old. Faced with a new reality, she decides to rebuild her life on an island off the coast of South Carolina and learn to make it on her own. The only thing she isn't expecting is to be thrown together with her estranged sister, the flower child wanna-be, yoga teaching bane of her existence. She also doesn't expect to meet a handsome stranger who will help her transform the money pit she accidentally bought into the home of her dreams. As she starts to create a life she loves, her husband causes a wrench in her plans once again. Will she be forced to help the man who broke her heart? Or will she finally break away and live life on her terms? You're going to love The Beach House and its quirky cast of characters, including Dixie, the epitome of Southern charm and wit, who runs the local bookstore called Down Yonder!
When 53-year-old Eliza Whitney loses both her beloved husband and her high-powered job in the same month, she’s uncertain what the next chapter of her life will look like. Then her estranged father’s widow contacts her and asks her to come to Sanibel Island to help settle his affairs. Eliza sees the trip to a place called Shellseeker Beach as a distraction from her loss, and maybe a way to get some closure on the difficult relationship she'd had with her father. For seventy years, Theodora Blessing’s sole purpose on this earth has been to heal the hurting, and to run Shellseeker Cottages, a cozy beachfront resort that has been in her family for decades. But Teddy no longer owns the gorgeous property, and Eliza is her only hope to get it back. Will Eliza help Teddy and save the family business…or claim it as her own and sell it to developers?Together, the two women begin to unravel the mystery of Eliza’s father, the late, great “Dutch” Vanderveen, an enigmatic pilot who led multiple, secretive lives. With the help of Teddy’s healing heart, Eliza discovers a family she never knew she had, a purpose she never knew she needed, and a life she never dreamed was possible.
At 48 years old, Margie Clifton never expected to be starting her life all over again. But when her brother gifts her a property on San Juan Island, that’s exactly what she decides to do. After all, it’s the perfect place to start a new business venture, provide a second home for her adult children, and recover from her nasty divorce. And if her new life happens to involve the town’s gruff and ruggedly handsome Chief Deputy Sheriff? All the better. The last thing Hank Kowalski wants is an emotional entanglement. It’s only been two years since his beloved wife passed, and there’s no way his daughter is ready to accept him dating anyone new. Still, there’s something about Margie’s quiet strength and beauty that draws him in, making him wonder if maybe a fresh start—and possibly a new love—is exactly what he needs in his life. But Margie is harboring a secret—a dark one that threatens to destroy the new life she’s worked so hard to build. Can Margie and Hank find the courage and faith to overcome all that stands between them? Or will their second chance at happily ever after be lost forever?
Five former sorority sisters, all in their 50's, undertake the adventure of a lifetime when a mysterious invite reunites them at an exclusive resort set on a private island. Olivia was the quiet one. Her divorce from her alcoholic husband freed her in many ways but caused a rift with her daughter that seems impossible to heal. Amanda was the perfect one. Widowed and desperately broke but hiding it, she needs a new start more than anyone can imagine. Leigh Ann was the cheerleader. Her ongoing divorce is completely amicable, or so she’d like everyone to believe. The truth isn’t quite as rosy. Grace was the party girl. And she still is, much to the dismay of her husband, who’s struggling to keep their restaurant afloat. Grace hopes her time away will give them both the space she thinks they need. Katie was the brains. Now she’s incredibly successful but hiding secrets that could change her life if they were to get out. When their beloved house mother invites them on an all-expenses-paid vacation, then drops a huge surprise on them, the five friends face a major decision. Can they overcome their pasts in order to take advantage of the amazing future being offered?
Leah Turner had it all—a happy marriage of twenty-five years, two grown children, and a flourishing career in her best friend’s business.
Until she found out the truth about what happened thirteen years ago. Blindsided, Leah is left to pick up the pieces, and her suitcase, and return to the seaside town she once called home. There, familiar faces and white-sand beaches await, along with a chance to heal… and reconnect with the boy she used to love. Now, Leah is faced with an impossible choice: the life she’s built for herself, or the one she’s left behind?
The beach of her childhood may hold the keys to the second chance of her dreams.
On the cusp of her fiftieth birthday Libby Quinn’s Pinterest perfect life has turned into a disaster. When her husband leaves with all her money, Libby is left broke, alone, and unemployable. A surprise invitation from her aunt to enjoy a retreat at the family's old summer beach house could be the balm she needs. The first moment the warm breeze blows in her hair, sun-soaked memories, cherished friendships, and an old flame begin to remind Libby of who she used to be. The best times of her life were at the beach house but the past also holds a secret that Libby has buried for decades. Libby will have to combine the fearless girl she once was with the woman she’s become to fight for her piece of paradise. Warm sand, sun, and a second chance is there for the taking if Libby can repair her shattered confidence enough to see it.
High-school sweethearts Daniel and Maggie Wheeler live an idyllic and picture-perfect life in the suburbs of Boston. Daniel works at a prestigious investment firm in the city, and Maggie has been his devoted and supportive wife for over thirty years. They have five children, two boys, and three girls, and are the envy of all their friends. Everything about the Wheeler home seems full of joy and love just as long as no one looks too closely. When Daniel makes an announcement that Maggie never anticipated, her world is turned upside down. With her faith in everything she has ever known completely shattered, Maggie is forced to look within to understand how she ended up where she is. When an unplanned trip to visit her friend on Captiva Island, Florida presents, she decides to use that time to come to terms with her new reality. It will take all her courage to forge a new life for herself and her family. A trip to paradise, new friends, a beloved property, and a handsome stranger open a new world with exciting possibilities for Maggie and a belief that just when you think that you can't go on, a beautiful future awaits.
Set against the lush backdrop of a tropical island, Under the Maui Sky captures the emotionally charged, complex dynamics that come with being part of a family. Readers will laugh and shed a few tears as Ava Briscoe and her children discover what it means to be loved, supported and accepted by the people who mean the most…even in the face of deep betrayal. Ava Briscoe wants nothing more than for her children and the family’s pineapple business to flourish. When a dark secret comes to light, more than her steadfast resilience is tested. Christel is picking up thepieces after a painful divorce. She’s found solace in the family business. But a bitter discovery soon shakes the once-steady foundation under her feet. Katie is a wife and mother with a full plate. She yearns for purpose but her efforts to make her dreams come true falter when she learns nothing is at it seems. Aiden makes his living rescuing people on the island of Maui. When facing life’s changes, can he rescue his own family when it matters most? Shane believes life is a party, but sometimes life hands out more than a good time—fun crashes to an end and growing up is no longer an option. Come along on the journey . . . with all the messy wonder, humor, pain and ultimate hope of this heartwarming family as they grapple with an uncertain future and learn they can face anything, as long as they do it together.
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Beach Reads Like Elin Hilderbrand
You will be sure to find your next favorite author who writes beach reads like Elin Hilderbrand with this list! If you want to find more books in these series, or other books by these authors, check out our books from the blog storefront.
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[…] reads are typically romance or love story focused and often take place in a beachy setting. If Elin Hilderbrand is the queen of the beach read with her Hotel Nantucket series, Emily Henry is the heir apparent since Hilderbrand is retiring […]