Whether you’re relaxing on the porch with an ocean view, stretched out on a beach blanket listening to the waves, or curled up inside your vacation rental on a rainy afternoon, there’s no better companion than a book that takes you somewhere you already love.
The Crystal Coast has inspired novelists for decades. From Nicholas Sparks romances like A Walk to Remember to Delia Owens’ celebrated Where the Crawdads Sing, here’s a summer reading list that celebrates the beautiful beaches and charming seaside towns of Emerald Isle and beyond.
Set in Emerald Isle
Beach Rental by Grace Greene
Set in Emerald Isle, this book is full of romance, mystery, and thrills that will keep you turning page after page late into the night. The first book in Greene’s Emerald Isle, NC Stories, Beach Rental follows a woman named Juli Cooke who marries a dying man for his financial fortune.
The tables turn when her new husband’s friends and family start to question her intentions…and her past. As her previous life returns to haunt her, Juli must navigate a complicated situation, overcome her mistakes, and keep her heart open to love and hope.
Emerald Isle, NC Stories by Grace Greene
If you can’t get enough of the characters in Beach Rental, you may enjoy the rest of the Emerald Isle, NC Stories. Beach Towel, a short story, is the next installment in the series, followed by Beach Winds, Beach Christmas (a novella), and Beach Walk. Each story blends heartwarming romance with emotional depth, a unique female perspective, and an element of mystery, making the series a fun ride from start to finish.
Beach Wedding by Grace Greene
In Beach Wedding, the final installment of the Emerald Isle, NC Stories, Greene tells the story of Maia Donovan. After helping her friends find true love, Maia is ready for her own happily-ever-after. It could be just around the corner, but is she willing to risk another broken heart? This heartwarming series combines suspense, romance, and inspiration, set against the sunlit beaches of Emerald Isle.
The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen is a North Carolina native who loves to spend her free time on the Crystal Coast. Set in the fictional town of Colby, based on Emerald Isle, The Moon and More tells the story of Emaline, a high school teenager on the verge of graduation.
As she plans to embark on a new life in another city, Emaline finds herself torn between two love interests: long-term boyfriend Luke and a New York filmmaker named Theo. As she balances love, family expectations, and her own ambitions, Emaline faces the difficult choice between staying true to her roots or branching out on her own path.
The Bridge by Tom Gill
Part love story, part mystery, The Bridge follows high school sophomore Kirby Smith as she visits her grandparents’ house in Emerald Isle for summer vacation and possibly meets the love of her life. When she stumbles on an old family secret, her innocent summer romance becomes something much more destructive. In the end, The Bridge is a poignant story about love, loss, and the power of forgiveness.
Return to Emerald Isle by Tom Gill
A sequel, Return to Emerald Isle, revisits Kirby after a devastating tragedy shatters her happy ending. Back on Emerald Isle, she meets two men who may offer a new start: a young handyman and a handsome pilot. Forced to choose between two potential lovers, Kirby finds herself once again faced with a decision that could end in either happiness or heartbreak.
Set in Beaufort
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
Nicholas Sparks is a long-time resident of New Bern, NC, and many of his novels draw inspiration from the area. One of his most beloved romances, A Walk to Remember, is set in Beaufort. Adapted into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Mandy Moore and Shane West, it’s a great story to read or watch while vacationing on the Crystal Coast.
When a jaded high school rebel falls in love with an innocent preacher’s daughter, the two try to hide the relationship from family and friends. But as their romance blossoms, powers beyond their control are destined to pull them apart. Devastating and inspiring, A Walk to Remember is a forceful coming-of-age romance about the true nature of love.
A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Written by a Morehead City resident, this New York Times bestseller centers on a historic home in Beaufort. When Keaton Smith arrives to put her grandparents’ beach house on the market, she finds more than she bargained for, including a tantalizing set of clues leading up to the fateful night in 1976 when her grandparents disappeared.
This dual-timeline novel follows the stories of Keaton and her grandmother Rebecca as they sift through secrets, hopes, and dreams in the house on Sunset Lane. Currently in development for a film by MGM/Amazon, A Happier Life is a hot read this summer.
Along the North Carolina Coast
The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks
Another Nicholas Sparks novel, The Guardian, is a romantic thriller about Julie Barenson: a young widow caught between two love interests. When her Great Dane senses danger from one of the suitors, Julie’s seemingly innocent romance takes a dark turn. Set in Swansboro, this edge-of-your-seat story shows what happens when love turns deadly.
The Return by Nicholas Sparks
The Return follows Trevor Benson, an injured army doctor who returns to his grandfather’s cabin in New Bern to recover from PTSD. While there, he meets two women: Deputy Sheriff Natalie Masterson and Callie, a troubled teenage girl whose own past is somehow tied to the death of Trevor’s grandfather.
As he navigates his own healing process, his budding romance with Natalie, and the search to uncover the truth about his grandfather, Trevor discovers that life is all about second chances.
Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks
When a divorced single mother, Theresa Osborne, finds a love letter in a bottle, she travels to Wilmington, NC, in search of the writer. Once there, she meets Garrett Blake: a boat builder still grieving the death of his wife. Over the course of their relationship, Theresa and Garrett discover that love continues, and that the end of one story may just be the beginning of another.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Also set in Sparks’ hometown of New Bern, The Notebook is a tale of love that endures decades of separation, reunion, happiness, and illness. Inspired by the real-life story of Sparks’ wife’s grandparents, The Notebook is heartbreaking, beautiful, and riveting from cover to cover. The film adaptation starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams makes for a great beach vacation movie.
Beyond Our Coast
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
A New York Times bestseller, popular 2022 movie starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, and 2018 Reese Witherspoon book club pick, Where the Crawdads Sing is a thrilling mystery set in the fictional town of Berkley Cove, NC.
When a man is murdered, the trail leads to Kya, a young woman who lives alone in the marshlands. As an outcast, she becomes a prime suspect. But in the process of uncovering what truly happened, the case may unravel other secrets as well. Where the Crawdads Sing is a celebration of nature, a devastating coming-of-age story, and a thriller with a surprising twist.
Turtle Summer by Mary Alice Monroe
Need a family read? Turtle Summer: A Journal for My Daughter teaches kids about the nesting cycle of loggerhead sea turtles. In the form of a scrapbook written by a mother for her daughter, it outlines their experience working with a sea turtle rescue team on the beaches of South Carolina. It’s a great way for kids to learn about sea turtles before seeing them in real life on the Crystal Coast.
The Sound of Glass by Karen White
This New York Times bestseller centers on Merritt Heyward, a widow who inherits her husband’s family home in Beaufort, SC. As she deals with family relationships, long-buried secrets, and her own grief, Merritt begins to pick up the pieces of her past life. With themes of domestic abuse, second chances, and healing through nature, this is a gripping read set on the beautiful South Carolina coastline.
The Wish by Nicholas Sparks
As travel photographer Maggie Dawes reflects on her life after a terminal cancer diagnosis, she recalls visiting her aunt in the remote town of Ocracoke on the Outer Banks, where she fell in love with photography and Bryce Trickett, a young man bound for West Point. As she grapples with the ripple effects of her own choices, the story weaves in and out of her first love on the Outer Banks and her current life in New York City. It’s a tale about the glow of first love and the decisions that shape our lives.
Every Great Vacation Deserves a Great Book
Whether it’s the historic Beaufort waterfront, the scenic bridge to Emerald Isle, or beaches where you can watch dolphins splash in the surf, the Crystal Coast is full of places and moments that have inspired Nicholas Sparks and other great authors.
If you find yourself picturing these destinations while reading your favorite novel, take the next step and experience the Crystal Coast’s wonder, beauty, and romance in real life. Book your vacation and start writing your own unforgettable story.
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