What Beach Read You Should Dive Into Next Based on Your Zodiac Sign
EEK!!!! Happy summer my gorgeous, smart, lovely NOVL nation readers!! Summertime = beach time (unless you live somewhere costal that’s warm year-round… in that case, no need to rub it in) but for those of us who get our beach fix majority in the summertime, we have our perfect beach day down to a science. And one of the key factors in that perfect beach day is, of course, a perfect beach read.
No pressure there… JK!! No need to panic because, lucky for you, I have created the cheat code for summer reading, and all you must do is sit down and find your zodiac sign. Whether you’re a casual reader and simply want a classic sun sign rec, or a speed reader pulling up your entire chart for a whole slew of recommendations, this is for you. Happy reading beach babes☀️
ARIES (March 21st-April 19th)
Twelve months ago, an escape room fire took everything from Steffi Zamekova. In just one hour, she lost it all: her popular blog, her close-knit inner circle, and her memories of the night that killed one of the group’s own … the charismatic (if infuriating) Matt Cesari.
On the anniversary of the bewildering tragedy, Steffi is still desperate to piece together what went wrong. So when she receives an ominous invitation in the mail summoning her to the new escape room across town, she seizes the chance for answers.
Reunited with her former friends, Steffi sees the game as a last chance to uncover the truth behind Matt’s death. But it’s soon clear that each participant has their own cagey reasons for accepting the challenge. And as tensions rise and the players are picked off one by one, it’s a race against the clock for Steffi to uncover their secrets and unlock her own memories before the game’s mastermind ensures that no one escapes the room alive.
TAURUS (April 20th-May 20th)
After a party, four teens are in a hit-and-run accident that results in a young boy’s death. Unable to deal with the consequences, they leave the body behind and make an anonymous phone call to the police, tipping them off.
The group makes a secret pact to bury the memory of that night and never speak of it again, but when one of the girls receives a note that reads, “I know what you did last summer,” their dark lie is unearthed. With twists and turns at every corner, they’ll have to fight to stay steps ahead of a killer determined to make them pay. “Does anyone write scarier books than Lois Duncan? I don’t think so.” ―R.L. Stine, New York Times bestselling author of the Goosebump and Fear Street series
GEMINI (May 21st-June 21st)
It’s 1927 and the strict laws of prohibition have done little to temper the roaring ’20s nightlife, even in the nation’s capitol. Everyone knows the booze has never stopped flowing, especially among the rich and powerful, and seventeen-year-old Gertrude and her best friends Clara and Milly are determined to get a taste of freedom and liquor, propriety be damned.
But after sneaking out of the Washington Female Seminary to visit a speakeasy, they return to discover that their controversial young headmistress, Mrs. Rose, has been murdered.
Reeling from the death of her beloved mentor, Gertrude enlists her friends in her quest to clear Mrs. Rose’s reputation, while trying to keep her own intact. But in Prohibition Washington, it’s impossible to sidestep grifters, bootleggers, and shady federal agents when investigating a murder. And with all the secrets being uncovered, Gertrude is finding it harder and harder to keep her attraction to her best friends hidden.
A proper, upscale life is all Gertrude has ever known, but murder sure makes a gal wonder: Is all that glitters really gold?
CANCER (June 21st-July 22nd)
Gymnast Caroline Kepler has three state balance beam titles, a new trick even most elites can’t do—and chronic, undeniable back pain. While she might never be an Olympian, she has dreams of leveling up to elite, making Nationals, and competing in college. But when one epic face-plant changes all that and Caroline’s back pain goes from chronic to career-ending, her dreams are shattered and her life is flipped upside down.
Enter Alex Zavala, a three-sport athlete who’s both incredibly cute…and her brother’s best friend. He offers to give Caroline a crash course in all the sports she’s missed, and she has an offer for him in return: For every sport Alex teaches her, she’ll play matchmaker for him. Deal done. Caroline “dates” new sports with Alex for the rest of the summer, which is loads more fun than wallowing in despair. Just as Caroline starts to see herself as more than her past athletic successes, she picks up something she didn’t bargain for: a big fat crush on Alex.
Turns out life was way easier when it was just layout-fulls and beam burns.
LEO (July 23rd-August 22nd)
Ren says he’s in love, but Colin knows better.
Sure, he can’t remember much about how it all began. But he remembers dancing at a club he and Ren were too young to dance in. He remembers the boys who harassed them on their way home. He remembers a ghost emerging from the trees, and a white hand reaching for Ren through a thick fog. What Colin can’t remember is what happened next. Only two things are clear to him: Ren is different now, and the new guy vying for his heart is not who he claims to be.
With the help of two unlikely allies and a cranky old medium, Colin must learn to conquer his self-doubt and save his best friend from a love that could cost him his life.
Equal parts campy and bewitching, Corey Liu’s debut YA novel explores predation, isolation, and what happens when a childhood dream of fairytale romance turns into a deadly nightmare.
VIRGO (August 23rd-September 22nd)
Six years ago, three Long Island teenagers were murdered, their drowned bodies discovered with sand dollars placed over their eyes. The mystery of the drowning summer was never solved, but as far as the town’s concerned, Evelyn Mackenzie’s father did it. His charges were dropped only because Evelyn summoned a ghost to clear his name. She swore never to call a spirit again.
She lied.
For generations, Mina Zanetti’s family has used the ocean’s power to guide the dead to their final resting place. But as sea levels rise, the ghosts grow more dangerous, and Mina has been shut out of the family business. When her former friend Evelyn performs another summoning that goes horribly wrong, the two girls must uncover who was really behind the drowning summer murders—and navigate their growing attraction—before the line between life and death dissolves for good.
Beautifully written and enticingly witchy, The Drowning Summer is an eerie story perfect for reading under a full moon.
LIBRA (September 23rd-October 22nd)
Born into a world on fire, Godling Hekate has never known safety. After her parents are on the losing side of the war between the Titans and Olympian Gods, Hekate is taken to the Underworld, where Styx and Hades agree to raise her. Orphaned and alone, Hekate grows up, desperate to uncover her divine purpose and sense of belonging amongst the horrors and beauties that make the land of the dead. When Hekate finally uncovers her powers and ascends as the Goddess of witchcraft and necromancy, she realizes that even the most powerful Olympians fear her. But when immortal war breaks out again, threatening to destroy all everyone has ever known, Hekate finds that she’s the only one who can bring the deadly conflict to an end.In this stunningly intimate reimagining of a Greek myth, internationally renowned poet Nikita Gill showcases the underworld and its chthonic deities in all their glory, and weaves a gripping story about the young Goddess Hekate coming of age within their midst.
SCORPIO (October 23rd-November 21st)
Audre & Bash are JUST friends… and just like you dear Scorpio they are REALLY trying to pretend they aren’t in love (sorry not sorry for the call out, and minor spoiler but c’mon)
Meet Audre. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time.
Meet Bash. Mysterious new senior. Everybody’s crush. Tall, floppy, great taste in jewelry. King of having a good time.
It’s the last day of school at Cheshire Prep, Brooklyn’s elite academy—and Audre Mercy-Moore’s life is a mess. Her dad cancelled her annual summer visit to his Malibu beach house. Now? She’s stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby).
Under these conditions, she’ll never finish writing her self-help book—i.e., the key to winning over Stanford’s admissions board.
Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her “fun consultant.” His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge—her list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She’ll get inspo; he’ll get paid. Everybody wins.
He isn’t boyfriend material. And she’s not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?
Fun fact: Audre Mercy-Moore first appeared in the New York Times bestseller Seven Days in June and now stars in her own story!
SAGITTARIUS (November 22nd- December 21st)
Rumors are the lifeblood of Idlewood, Indiana. The locals whisper that the De Lucas are witches, and that decades prior they cursed the wealthy Barrion family as revenge for a love gone tragically wrong: now, if a Barrion falls in love with you, you’ll die. If this isn’t reason enough for wallflower Penny Emberly to stay away from both families, she doesn’t know what is. But when Penny’s mom is in an accident that leaves her on the brink of death, Penny can’t ignore the rumors anymore—because the Barrion curse is real. And her mom is its latest victim.
In order to save her mom’s life, Penny must bring together two bitter enemies on either side of the feud and work with them to break the curse. For star quarterback Corey Barrion, doing so would mean finally saving his family from the magic that killed his mom. And for misfit witch Alonso De Luca, it would mean convincing everyone in Idlewood—especially Penny—that he isn’t the villain they believe him to be.
But as the trio navigates Alonso’s unpredictable magic, the tangled web of Barrion-De Luca history, and an increasingly chaotic group chat, it soon becomes clear that the curse is not what they expected. Did a De Luca really curse the Barrions in a fit of jealousy, or is something even more sinister afoot? Penny will have to conquer her anxiety, wrestle with her budding feelings for Alonso, and delve into dangerous, forbidden magic to find the truth and save her mom—even if it means putting her own life at risk.
The sequel, THE NEON SKY, will be published in 2026 and is available for preorder now!
For Fans of:
CAPRICORN (December 22nd-January 19th)
My loyal dependable Capricorns, for you, a fiercely beloved and dependable series: Belladonna. If you are one of the few souls to have not yet fallen in love with this series then it is EXTRA important you RUN to your nearest local bookstore.
Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each one more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation, and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger, and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.
However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.
Read the entire Belladonna series:
Belladonna
Foxglove
Wisteria
Holly: A Belladonna Novella
AQUARIUS (January 20th-February 18th)
October 11th, 1943 — A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it’s barely begun.
When “Verity” is arrested by the Gestapo, she’s sure she doesn’t stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she’s living a spy’s worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.
As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?
A universally acclaimed Edgar Award winner, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other. This updated edition features a brand-new short story, essay from the author, a discussion guide, and more.
**Don’t miss Elizabeth Wein’s next masterpiece, Stateless, available for preorder now!
PISCES (February 19th-March 20th)
Lou Patterson and Sam Alvarez were inseparable—the best of friends—until the most embarrassing middle school promposal ever. Now, four years later, Lou is an introverted romantic who’s bearing the weight of her mother’s expectations. Meanwhile, Sam is the golden boy with plenty of friends who’s still mourning the death of his father.
When Lou finds the bucket list she and Sam wrote together as kids, she’s disappointed to see that she hasn’t accomplished a single one of her goals. Go to a party? Nope. Pull the greatest prank of all time? Still no. Learn how to be a really good kisser? Definitely not.
Lou sets out to finish the list, and in a stroke of fate, Sam decides to tag along, stirring up old arguments and some very new feelings. But with the bucket list to guide them, Sam and Lou might just be able to find a way toward the future and each other.