Home improvement tips for summer 2024
Take some time now to get your home back in shape before the summer season officially arrives.
- From fictional places like Evergreen or Cedarfield to iconic spots like Atlantic City and Cape May, there are many books that take place in New Jersey
- For your next trip to the Jersey Shore, here are 10 beach reads based in the Garden State
Summer is all about taking advantage of the many beautiful beaches that the Jersey Shore has to offer. And for those that enjoy a good book, this means enjoying a beach read while basking in the sun.
If you’d really like to soak in the New Jersey vibe, then this is the perfect opportunity to pick up a book that’s based right here in the Garden State. Whether it be fictional places like Evergreen of Cedarfield, or iconic spots like Atlantic City and Cape May, there are plenty to choose from.
The next time you find yourself heading to the beach this summer, here are 10 beach reads based in New Jersey that you should bring with you:
‘The View from Lake Como’ by Adriana Trigiani
Adriana Trigiani is the bestselling author of 21 fiction and nonfiction books. And she’s set to release her latest Jersey-based novel, “The View from Lake Como,” (Dutton, 2025) later this summer.
Jess Capodimonte Baratta moves into her parents’ basement in Lake Como, New Jersey, after her divorce from “the perfect husband.” But after the Capodimonte and Baratta families experience an unexpected loss, long-buried secrets make Jess question her loyalty. So she escapes to her ancestral home, Carrara, Italy, and meets passionate artist Angelo Strazza. As she uncovers the truth about her family history there, it will change the course of her life.
Order “The View from Lake Como” on Amazon
’32 Days in May’ by Betty Corrello
Just released in May 2025, “32 Days in May” (Harper Collins, 2025) is Philadelphia-native Betty Corrello’s sophomore novel. And while it may seem like a typical contemporary romance book, the story is one that weaves together happiness, wit, sadness and pain with a nice summertime backdrop.
It follows Philadelphia-based advertising executive Nadia Fabiola as she returns to the fictional Jersey Shore town of Evergreen, where she grew up vacationing with her family, after receiving a shocking lupus diagnosis. While she’s there, she goes on a blind date with troubled TV star Marco Antoniou, who is in town recovering from struggles with substance use. The pair jump into a relationship that they both agree will only last the month of May, but the idea of saying goodbye becomes increasingly difficult as they get closer to that deadline. Follow them as they navigate this passion, while Fabiola experiences what it means to live with lupus.
Order “32 Days in May” from Amazon
‘I Leave It Up to You’ by Jinwoo Chong
Award-winning author Jinwoo Chong published his second novel, “I Leave It Up to You” (Ballantine Books, 2025) earlier this year. The North Jersey-based writer originally penned it as a short story for the Florida Review, but later expanded it into this recently-released book.
It tells the story of 30-year-old Jack Jr., who wakes up from a two-year coma to find himself jobless, homeless and newly single. He returns to his hometown of Fort Lee to work at his estranged family’s ever-struggling sushi restaurant — which he was once poised to take over — as he learns how to find his place in the world again between a life he once abandoned and new experiences.
Order “I Leave It Up to You” on Amazon
‘DOWNBEACH’ by Matt Overs
Matt Overs of Mount Laurel has spent the last two decades of his writing career covering local boxing matches for platforms like Boxing Insider, The Boardwalk Journal and BreakingAC.com. He officially published his debut fiction novel “DOWNBEACH” (Moonshine Cove Publishing, 2024) in December.
Set in 1988 Atlantic City, which has just been named as the worst place to live in America by Time Magazine, sixteen-year-old Mike Gibbon can’t help but get into some mischief with his friends. But that mischief keeps escalating until one fateful night, when his front door gets kicked in. Now, before his senior year at Atlantic City High School even starts, the teenager must learn to cope with loss, blame and his first taste of real life.
‘The Way to Cape May’ by Kimberly Brighton
Award-winning author Kimberly Brighton offers the perfect light-hearted summer reading with her Cape May Romcom Beach Series, starting with her debut novel “The Way to Cape May” (Cape Island Publishers, 2023).
The story explores the power of choice, fate and the complexities of love through a host of charming characters. Delaney is planning her dream wedding in the quaint Jersey Shore town of Cape May, but plans unravel at the hands of a Groomzilla and a life-altering secret. Kate, Delaney’s made of honor, is forced to confront her past, while bridesmaids Cleo and Marley begin to question their relationships. See how their lives unravel in this novel, as well as the following two books, “A Cape May Kind of Love” and “Cape May Ever After.”
Order “The Way to Cape May” on Amazon
‘The Stranger’ by Harlan Coben
Harlan Coben — who was born in Newark, raised in Livingston and now lives in Ridgewood — is a New York Times bestselling author of dozens of mystery and thriller novels known for their unexpected twists and relatable characters. And most of his work is based in or inspired by different New Jersey towns, including his 2015 novel “The Stranger” (Dutton, 2015).
Adam Price is living the American dream in fictional Cedarfield, New Jersey with his wife, two sons and a well-paying job. But in an encounter with The Stranger, he’s told a devasting secret about his wife. And while she says that there is more to it than appears on the surface, she has seemingly disappeared, never showing up for her meeting with Adam to explain it. More secrets are then discovered to have been revealed or leveraged by The Stranger, threatening to ruin and end lives.
Order “The Stranger” on Amazon
‘Girl Waits With Gun’ by Amy Stewart
Bestselling author and artist Amy Stewart may not have a connection to New Jersey herself — with the exception of visiting for research — but she has crafted a beloved seven-book historic fiction series based on the real-life Kopp sisters, who resided in Wyckoff in the early 1900s.
The first novel in the series, “Girl Waits with Gun” (Houghton Mifflin, 2015), follows Constance Kopp and her two sisters after they experience life-altering incident involving a car collision and harassment from the car’s owner. Constance teams up with the local sheriff to bring the perpetrator to justice. And as a fun fact, Constance was actually hired as the first female undersheriff in the United States for Bergen County during World War I, serving for about a year until a new sheriff was elected.
The remaining six books in the series continue to follow the lives of the three sisters in Bergen County, as well as other areas of New Jersey, so there’s plenty more for you to enjoy.
Order “Girl Waits with Gun” on Amazon
‘Our Little World’ by Karen Winn
Karen Winn, who was born and raised in New Jersey and now lives in Boston, takes a suspenseful approach to writing about the Garden State in her debut novel, “Our Little World.” (Dutton, 2022)
This coming-of-age story follows seventh grader Bee Kocsis as she spends the summer of 1985 on fictional Deer Chase Lake in New Jersey with her sister Audrina and new neighbor Max. When Max’s little sister, Sally, goes missing, suspicions grow in their close-knit community and things in Bee’s home become increasingly strained, especially with her sister. Read as Bee navigates her already-fraught relationship with her younger sister amid a mysterious tragedy.
Order “Our Little World” on Amazon
‘The Reminders’ by Val Emmich
Born in Manalapan and currently a resident of Jersey City, Val Emmich is a writer, singer-songwriter and actor. And in his debut novel, “The Reminders,” (Little, Brown and Company, 2017) he humorously writes about loss, memory and friendship in New Jersey.
It follows Gavin, who flees Los Angeles for New Jersey to find peace with the family of an old friend after his partner Sydney’s death. He meets Joan, the family’s ten-year-old daughter who was born with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory. While Joan has never met Gavin, she knew his partner and has vivid memories of her, so Gavin strikes a deal to help her win a songwriting contest in exchange for her memories of Sydney.
Order “The Remindenrs” on Amazon
‘Please See Us’ by Caitlin Mullen
In her debut novel, “Please See Us,” (Gallery Books, 2020) author Caitlin Mullen — who partially grew up on the Jersey Shore — tells the story of one fateful summer in Atlantic, where mysterious disappearances hit close to home for the main characters.
Clara, a young and struggling psychic on the Atlantic City boardwalk, begins experiencing very real and disturbing visions that she suspects could be related to recent cases of women that have gone missing. She meets Lily, an ex-Soho art gallery girl working at a bleak casino spa, and together they try to put the pieces together in time to save another lost girl. But their efforts may attract dangerous attention before they can do so.
Order “Please See Us” on Amazon
And if this list isn’t enough for you, take a look at our roundup from last summer with 10 more books that are based in New Jersey.
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.
