Candle snob and summer-beach-read expert Katie Shober (aka @BeachReadsandBubbly) shares five books to add to your summer reading list - plus the best candles to pair them with.

Shober is the creator of Beach Reads & Bubbly, an Instagram account and blog dedicated to sharing her favorite reads, and Beach Reads & Bubbly Bookclubs, spanning over 250 bookclubs all over the world. The account flourished after Shober began sharing fun reviews with friends, and it has grown into a wonderful community of smart and vivacious readers. She loves getting lost in a beach read, from sweet romances to twisty thrillers, and pairs each book with a tasty book-related cocktail. 

"I am a card-carrying Hotel Lobby addict. I subscribe to not one, but two hand soaps and thought I had my favorite scent decided (New York!)-until my meet-cute with the summer scents," she says.

"Insta-love is a trope that many romance fans find unrealistic, but I can assure you, after my experience with Capri, Hamptons, Poolside, Island, and Positano, it happens in real life! I love pairing beach reads with cocktails, and today I am pairing them with something that lasts longer than a sip of bubbly-a candle that's as layered and delicious as a really good book: Hotel Lobby candles!"

CAPRI

The Sicilian Inheritance is a sweeping historical fiction novel that alternates between the perspective of an American woman in the present day and her great-grandmother's point of view in the early 1900s. This book is utterly captivating, and Capri will transport you to the cobblestone streets of Sicily, where the salty sea air mingles with the fragrance of citrus orchards bursting with plump lemons

POSITANO

Set in Positano, it would be a complete and utter travesty not to light Positano while reading One Italian Summer. The novel follows a young woman who, after losing her mother, decides to embark on the once-in-a-lifetime trip to Positano they had planned together. The sights and sounds of the Amalfi Coast leap off the page, and the candle is the perfect companion, with notes of bitter orange reminiscent of the perfect Aperol Spritz.

ISLAND

Paradise Problem by romance powerhouse Christina Lauren is set on a luxurious private Indonesian island and features some of the best romance tropes: fake dating and forced proximity. Island will instantly transport you beachside, sipping piña coladas with your own tall, dark, and handsome travel companion

HAMPTONS

Elizabeth of East Hampton is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the present day, following a woman working at her family’s bakery and the brooding Will Darcy. Pairing this book with a Hamptons is an absolute no-brainer if you want to be completely transported to the sun-soaked summer town of East Hampton.

POOLSIDE

There’s a pool scene in The Ex Vows that lives rent-free in my mind, so I simply can’t pair Poolside with any other book. The candle smells like a midnight dip in the pool, and The Ex Vows is a second-chance romance set in wine country, brimming with anticipation, tension, and longing!