Sarah Dessen’s Along for the Ride and Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After are the closest books like The Summer I Turned Pretty. At ReadNext, we check candidate titles against Open Library’s catalog. Both capture the exact pull of returning to the water every year, watching old friendships shift into romantic longing, and handling family tension against sunny coastal backdrops. Jenny Han’s own To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before shares that same intimate first-person voice and romantic confusion.
The twelve books below focus on three qualities from Jenny Han’s novel: coastal getaways, tangled love triangles with the boy next door, and bittersweet family milestones. Readers who want sweet teen romance will find multiple options, while older readers looking for more mature themes will spot clear labels where content shifts.
Twelve Romances to Read After The Summer I Turned Pretty
Summer beach houses and coastal getaways
1. Along for the Ride
Sarah Dessen
A quiet ocean town, late-night diner runs, and a heroine processing her parents’ divorce give this story the exact atmosphere of Cousins Beach. Auden meets Eli during sleepless nights by the water, and their slow connection matches the rhythm of an oceanfront vacation. Readers who want an intense love triangle will find a gentle romance instead. It suits anyone craving coastal nights.
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2. Every Summer After
Carley Fortune
Childhood friendship turning into romantic devotion across multiple summers at a shared lake house makes this the strongest thematic counterpart to Jenny Han’s story. Percy and Sam share years of porch talks, water routines, and unspoken feelings before choices pull them apart. Pass on this pick if you prefer young adult fiction, because it contains moderate explicit romance scenes.
Find it on Amazon3. Float
Kate Marchant
Waverly spends the summer before college with her aunt in Florida, where she meets Blake, the lifeguard next door who volunteers to teach her how to swim. The sun-drenched beach routines, close-knit neighborhood dynamics, and sun-bleached humor will charm readers who love seasonal settings. Skip this title if you want high-stakes melodrama, as the conflict remains gentle and grounded.
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4. Twenty Boy Summer
Sarah Ockler
An annual trip to the California shore blends romantic curiosity with heavy grief after a devastating loss. Anna and Frankie spend their vacation balancing ocean breezes with hidden heartache that mirrors the darker undercurrents of the beach house in Jenny Han’s work. Readers seeking a lighthearted escape should choose a different title, as this story tackles intense emotional healing.
Find it on AmazonBoy-next-door crushes and messy triangles
5. To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Jenny Han
Written by the same author, this story delivers the warm domestic scenes, sisterly bonds, and romantic yearning that defined Cousins Beach. Lara Jean deals with secret letters sent to past crushes, including the boy next door, sparking a fake-dating scheme filled with tension. Anyone who loved Belly’s internal monologue will feel right at home with Lara Jean’s voice.
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6. 99 Days
Katie Cotugno
Molly returns to her small town for one difficult summer and ends up pulled between two brothers once again. The emotional fallout, guilt, and small-town gossip capture the chaotic side of Belly’s indecision between Conrad and Jeremiah. Readers who dislike morally flawed heroines or intense romantic drama will want to skip this messy love triangle.
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7. My Life Next Door
Huntley Fitzpatrick
Samantha spends years watching the loud, chaotic Garrett family next door from her pristine balcony before falling for their son Jase. Their sweet romance provides the comfort of proximity, secret meetings, and deep family loyalty. Readers who demand fast pacing might find the quiet neighborhood focus slow, but the emotional payoff feels authentic.
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8. Better Than the Movies
Lynn Painter
Liz Buxbaum recruits her irritating childhood neighbor Wes to help her capture the attention of a long-time crush, only for real sparks to fly between them. The banter, shared neighborhood history, and romantic comedy references mirror the boy-next-door energy of Jenny Han’s writing. Skip this book if you are looking for coastal locations, as it takes place during the school year.
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9. Starry Eyes
Jenn Bennett
Zorie and Lennon were inseparable neighbors until a painful falling out turned them into enemies. When an outdoor camping trip strands them together, they are forced to untangle old misunderstandings and unresolved attraction. Readers who love forced proximity and lifelong friends confronting past romantic tension will appreciate the balance of humor and outdoor scenery.
Find it on AmazonBittersweet nostalgia, family, and growing up
10. Second Chance Summer
Morgan Matson
Taylor Edwards returns to her family’s lake house for one final vacation together, reconnecting with the former best friend and childhood boy she abandoned years earlier. The lakeside beauty, shared history, and devastating parental illness reflect the exact emotional balance that made Jenny Han’s beach house memorable. Skip this story if you cannot handle severe grief.
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11. Stay Sweet
Siobhan Vivian
A historic summer ice cream stand, generational traditions, and female friendships create a rich seasonal atmosphere. Amelia manages her final summer running the stand while adjusting to ownership changes and romantic tension with a visiting relative. Readers looking for a central love triangle will not find one here, as the focus centers on personal growth and legacy.
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12. Love & Gelato
Jenna Evans Welch
Lina spends a summer in Italy honoring her late mother’s dying wish, using an old journal to explore Tuscany and uncover family secrets. Along the way, she discovers friendship, grief, and romance with a boy named Ren. Readers who loved the emotional daughter-mother bond in Jenny Han’s books will connect deeply with Lina’s discovery of her mother’s past.
Find it on AmazonThe Elements Behind the Cousins Beach Charm
The Summer I Turned Pretty succeeds because it roots teenage romance in sacred vacation rituals and lingering family bonds. Readers live inside the ritual of packing the car, arriving at Cousins Beach, and settling into a place where regular life pauses. That setting acts as an emotional incubator where characters reveal feelings they hide during the school year.
The romantic tension works because it builds on years of shared history instead of sudden attraction. Belly loves Conrad long before the book starts, which gives every stolen glance and harsh dismissal genuine emotional weight. The sibling triangle with Jeremiah adds friction because choosing one brother threatens the fragile stability of the beach house itself.
Underneath the summer romance is a frank portrait of growing up and facing parental vulnerability. Susannah’s illness frames the sunlit days with quiet urgency, reminding the reader that childhood summers cannot last forever. Books that match this tone must honor that grief alongside the joy of first love.
How to Choose Your Next Summer Read
Pick your next title based on which specific element of Cousins Beach you miss the most. If your favorite part of the story was the salty air and the timeless escape of a waterfront community, start with Along for the Ride, Float, or Twenty Boy Summer. These novels keep the shoreline at the center of daily life.
If you read primarily for the drama of lifelong crushes and divided loyalties, pick 99 Days, Better Than the Movies, or My Life Next Door. These stories lean into the tension of living next door to someone you cannot stop thinking about. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before also fits this mood perfectly through Jenny Han’s recognizable character dynamics.
Readers who responded most to the tender family dynamics and emotional farewells should select Second Chance Summer or Love & Gelato. Both titles handle parental illness with warmth and sensitivity while providing sweet romance to cushion the emotional weight.
Reading Order for the Summer I Turned Pretty Books
Start with The Summer I Turned Pretty and read the sequels in publication order to experience the full arc of Belly’s choices. Following Jenny Han’s series in order allows you to watch the characters mature from uncertain teenagers into young adults making permanent life decisions.
Rereading Jenny Han’s series reveals how carefully the author plants hints about the brothers’ motivations in earlier chapters. Once you finish the series, turning to the author’s other works provides a similar comfort without losing the intimate emotional voice.
If you want to find more titles matched to your current reading taste, take our What Should I Read Quiz or explore our directory of Books Like the One You Just Finished.
Content and Age Guidance for Readers and Parents
Most books like The Summer I Turned Pretty fit young adults, but heat levels and maturity vary across these titles. Jenny Han’s original novel focuses on emotional yearning, mild partying, and sweet kissing suitable for teen readers. Titles like Float, Better Than the Movies, and Love & Gelato share that same clean approach.
A few recommendations introduce heavier themes that parents and sensitive readers should know about before picking up a copy. Twenty Boy Summer and 99 Days include teen sex (not graphic) and underage drinking. Every Summer After is written for an adult audience and features explicit sexual scenes along with mature relationship conflict.
Emotional intensity also differs across these picks. Second Chance Summer and Twenty Boy Summer center on terminal illness and grief, which may be difficult for readers who prefer lighthearted beach escapes. Match the book’s emotional weight to your current reading mood.
Who Should Skip These Books
Readers who dislike romantic indecision, lingering pining, and emotional coming-of-age themes should pass on these titles. If you need tight pacing, high-stakes external danger, fantasy world-building, or clean moral choices without messy teen mistakes, these character-focused contemporary stories will frustrate you.
Our recommendation would flip if you wanted intense action or dark psychological thrillers instead of sentimental relationship arcs. For readers seeking different genres or completely different emotional tones, check our broader reading guides at Books Like the One You Just Finished to discover books tailored to your preferences.
