There’s something delightful about easy, breezy books for lolling away longer daylight hours and time at the beach—and not fretting about losing your place in a complex plot with repeat interruptions about popsicles or sunscreen.

We asked our BAMRbassadors for suggestions of their current favorite beach reads. The dozen paperbacks (+ one hardcover by a multi-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier!) should tide you over until our annual Summer Reading podcast, which airs on Friday, June 28.

Book Lovers: Emily Henry
“I like light-hearted books when life is super-crazy, and I don’t have time to process heavy content.” —Rhianna

Five-Star Weekend + The Hotel Nantucket: Elin Hilderbrand
“These two novels are light enough to relax into but have fleshed out characters, relationship wobbles, and growth.” —Casii

New Teeth: Simon Rich
“They are short stories so it’s easy to dip in and out. And the stories are all so ridiculous that you don’t have to concentrate too hard if you’re keeping one eye on the kiddos.” —Stephanie

Fight Night: Miriam Toews
“I heard an excerpt on NPR and fell in love with the voice of the protagonist, a 9-year-old girl who lives with her mom and grandma. The book is full of strong, sassy women.” —Kerry

How to End a Love Story: Yulin Kuang
“It deals with a little bit of a heavier base subject and shared trauma that brings the two main characters together, but I loved their relationship.” —Brooke

Nora Goes Off Script: Annabel Monaghan
“A fun, light read about a mother author whose recent book about the collapse of her marriage is made into a movie filmed on location at her house, starring a former Sexiest Man Alive.” —Stacey

Malibu Rising: Taylor Jenkins Reid
“Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of summer. In addition to the high drama of the party, there are twenty-four years of family drama.” —Heather

The Wishing Game: Meg Shaffer
“It’s equal parts adventure, suspense, romance, and touching. It’s like the Willy Wonka of the literary world. I loved it!” —Jaime

Just for the Summer: Abby Jimenez
“All of her books are so good: They are really cute, cotton-candy love stories. Plus, they take place in Minnesota [where Erin lives!]. Her books have lots of connections to one another, but it’s not required to read them all to enjoy each book.” —Erin

Mad Honey: Jodi Piccoult + Jennifer Finney Boylan
“This novel has unexpected twists, and it’s thought provoking: Do we know ‘everything’ about those closest to us? And the flip side, do we share all of ourself or are there parts of us that no one else knows.” —Kristen

Fire Weather: John Vaillant
This non-fiction entry from Summer Reading podcast co-host Ellison is about a massive fire in Canada’s largest oil industry location. Ellison says: “Terrific writing, riveting story.”

Middletide: Sarah Crouch
“It’s her debut novel, and she’s a 4-time Olympic marathon qualifier. This hard-back mystery, set in the Pacific Northwest, is a quick read. The ending didn’t match up to the rest of the book, but it’s still worth checking out. There’s running in it, too!” —Casii

Do you have a favorite right now? Add it below!