6 Perfect Beach Reads By Annabel Monaghan To Devour This Summer

The Housemaid (1 & 2) by Freida McFadden

These two books will keep you on your toes from start to finish. The books follows a woman, Millie, as she works as a housemaid for a family. She starts to imagine what it would be like to switch places with the wife, and fantasizes about their life. But she soon crosses a line, and the wife finds out. The story unravels in this psychological thriller, causing you to always be guessing who the actual villain in the story is. Will you ever find out the truth? And will Millie's real past be reveled? Read to find out!

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

This story follows Louise, a single mom, who has the time of her life when she kisses a man, David, on a rare night out. Only to find out the next day that the man is her new boss, and he's actually married. To her new friend. Although, she slowly realizes that their seemingly perfect marriage is really not that, and David is not who he seems. This thriller will have you second guessing each character's decisions throughout the whole book. It's a page-turner you don't want to miss.

The Silent Patientby Alex Michaelides

Alice's life looks picture perfect from the outside: she's a very successful painter, with a big house, and a good husband. It all looks perfect. Until she becomes famous for shooting her husband in the face one night, and stops talking for good. This makes her well-known and put away into an institution. Theo, a detective, is convinced to get her to speak and share what happened. But will he succeed? Or will she die the silent killer?

A Good Girl's Guide To Murderby Holly Jackson

Everyone in the town of Fairview knows how Sal killed his girlfriend in cold blood, then killed himself. It's all anyone can talk about. But even 5 years later, Pip can't seem to ignore the feeling that maybe this murder-suicide isn't what it seems... And the more Pip looks into it, the more it seems like she's right. Except, there's someone who doesn't want her snooping around. Who could it be? And more importantly, was Sal innocent? Follow Pip in this action-packed mystery that is sure to have you hooked from the first page! Read it before the A Good Girl's Guide To Murder drops on Netflix!

Five Surviveby Holly Jackson

Six friends all go on an eight hour road trip together. Except the big twist... only five of them will survive. When they get lost in the middle of nowhere without cell service, they have to face the truth: That a killer might be among them. Who will they trust? How do they figure out who the killer actually is. Find out who will survive and who the killer is in this murder-mystery full of twists.

The Perfect Marriageby Geneva Rose

This book by Geneva Rose tells the story of Sarah Morgan who just got her dream promotion of partner at a law firm. But her husband hasn't been lucky enough to have that same success as a writer. Struggling to overcome his insecurities he has an affair that quickly backfires when his mistress' dead body is found in his home. Sarah is faced with the incredibly difficult task of defending her unfaithful husband in court who is being accused of murdering his mistress. Read this story that's full of twists and turns between this couple as they navigate marriage, murder, and mourning.

The Last Thing He Told Meby Laura Dave

The Perfect Sonby Freida McFadden

Erika loves her quiet suburban life and sweet family. She thinks she has it all, right up until she founds out a young girl was killed in her town...and her son was the last person to see her alive. This causes her to think what she's always known deep inside; her son might have some dark energy inside of him. What she once thought was a perfect life, turns out to be the opposite. Follow this story to see how her life unfolds in this murder mystery-thriller!

The Inmateby Freida McFadden

The Only One Leftby Riley Sager

None of This Is Trueby Lisa Jewell

This tells the story of a podcaster, Alix, who spends the night out celebrating her birthday. She then meets a girl who has her exact birthday named Josie. The two connect over stories and Josie wanting to be featured on Alix's podcast, but things get strange when Alix finds out some eerie details of Josie's life which have her questioning the truth — and sanity — of this girl she's now become friends with. Then, Josie disappears without a trace, leaving nothing but fear behind. Will Alex became the start of a new podcast episode in this eerie story? Will Josie ever come back? And who is she really?

We Were Liarsby E. Lockhart

This popular book follows the lives of friends as they go to an island to be together. Their friend group is called "the liars," and they all experience a life-changing accident together. How will they cover up the damage? Will their lies be able to save them this time? And more importantly will it save their friendship? Read to find out more, and finish it before the show comes out!

Real Americans by Rachel Khong

I think a lot about how we relate to each other in the 21st century — and especially how that currently plays out in the "melting pot" of America's many diverse citizens and who we deem "belongs" here.

Rachel Khong's Real Americans takes that idea and runs with it. It begins with intern Lily Chen meeting and falling in love with Matthew, someone who works at the media company she works at. Though they seem to come from two different worlds, it doesn't stop their attraction towards each other.

Eventually, the hidden plots of their love story picks back up when Lily's son Nick decides he wants to know more about his father. It doesn't make sense to him that his mother won't talk about everything from her past, but he refuses to take her silence for a definite answer.

It takes everyone involved on a journey that coaxes the reader into answer questions about class and if time really can heal all wounds.

All Fours by Miranda July

All Fours sparked something in me because I've wondered how many wives and mothers would choose a different journey for themselves if given the chance. That's not to say that everyone in these roles are unhappy. Instead, my mind's always approaching things from a "what if" perspective.

In her own way, Miranda July answers this question by introducing readers to a woman who makes the decision to reinvent herself. She experiences a reawakening that changes how she approaches different things and it makes sense that some of it is a little awkward.

But, that's a part of the beauty of this touching book. Sometimes we don't know how to approach new things because we've never experienced them before. It's almost like learning how to ride a bike for the first time...a very poignant bike that has the power to move our life in a new direction.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

I had a strong feeling that The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren would become a #1 best-seller the moment I read it. It's nice to see that the New York Times and Amazon both agreed! So, what makes it so appealing?

For one, you can barely tell that two people are writing the book. Best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings have found a way to synchronize their writing so that their written words sound like one distinct voice. If you ask me, that's genius.

As far as the rom-com trope found in The Paradise Problem, I loved how Anna Green and Liam aka "West" approached each other. Though they were apprehensive about the situation they found themselves in, they quickly began to let down any guards they'd maintained in order to protect themselves.

At first glance, it's easy to think Anna is flightless and has no idea whether she's coming or going. But, we find out that "West" has even more emotional scars due to his upbringing.

I'll always have a special place in my heart for their love story, steamy scenes included.

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

Yulin Kuang doesn't think of How to End a Love Story as a rom-com, and that honestly doesn't me. I actually looked at the title of this book and wondered how far she would take the non-traditional route to not only romance, but the tale of two distinct characters. There's nothing more I love than well-thought out characters who are multi-dimensional and are capable of triggering my own conflicted emotions.

With every page I turned, I was either rooting for Helen Zhang and Grant Shepard (as individuals), wondering why they were being stubborn about their emotions. What I found is that they weren't so different from people I know — or even myself.

And, let's be honest, they were totally trauma bonded whether they wanted to initially admit that or not. According to social media, this is the worst way to start a relationship. To that I say, "Well, yeah. Sometimes bad beginnings require a ton of peeling back layers to start something fresh."

The Age of Magical Overthinking by Amanda Montell

It's been a few months since I talked to Amanda Montell about The Age of Magical Overthinking, but I still can't get over how thought-provoking this book is. It's a masterpiece that talks about social behavior and our growing tendency to overanalyze every d*mn thing.

It's not a self-improvement book, but I'm just going to say it did inspire me to do some introspective work. Of course I haven't stopped overthinking, but I'm more aware of how it triggers my inner fight or flight. Basically, I'm able to remind myself that perceived threats are usually things I shouldn't get upset over.

Also, The Age of Magical Overthinking reads like you're talking to the best friend who doesn't mind having deep conversations while telling you, "Hey babe, you're being a little delulu right now."

During an appearance on The View on June 26, Letitia Wright expressed just how much the character of Shuri means to her. “Let’s just say I would like to continue with Shuri,” she says. “She’s one of my favorite characters. Such a blessing, honestly. I kid you not, I’m so grateful for her.”

While MCU movies like an unnamed fifth Avengers movie (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) are coming up, fans are also hoping to see Letitia return as Shuri in a third Black Panther movie. When The View's Sunny Hostin asks the actress about Black Panther 3, Letitia responds, “There’s a lot to, a lot to — a lot coming up.”

The cast of Black Panther 2 faced some challenges while making the movie. Lead actor Chadwick Boseman passed away from a private battle with colon cancer in 2020, and even after production on the film started, Letitia Wright faced an injury that delayed production for a few months.

Letitia says that remembering Chadwick helped her through recovery. “I thought a lot about his perseverance and his relentlessness just to keep going no matter what life was throwing at him," she says. "I just thought, like, ‘If my brother could make it, you know, I can get back on set and finish the job.’ So, I just carried that panther spirit with me.”