On a pink-sand island where everyone knows your story, one summer brings her face-to-face with the love that once broke her and a man who makes her question what comes next.
Lucy returns to her grandmother’s beloved island house on Harbour Island planning to get her footing and figure out what it means to inherit not just a home, but a life that still echoes in every room. What she finds instead is a summer that pulls her straight back into the love, and the version of herself she thought she’d left behind.
Jack is history. Familiar and devastating in all the ways that matter. He knows Lucy without asking, carries years of shared summers and unfinished conversations, and still holds a piece of her heart she never quite got back, no matter how hard she tried.
Noah arrives on the island with a guitar and a way of paying attention that catches Lucy off guard. New to Harbour Island, he feels unclaimed by her history. He asks unexpected questions and makes her curious about who she might be becoming, without offering any guarantees.
As island life fills her days, Lucy’s focus keeps getting pulled back into the familiar orbit of friends and routines, and toward Jack, in ways that feel accidental but never quite are. Afternoons meant for painting slip sideways, the pressure of her upcoming island show building as distraction becomes harder to resist.
Dinner parties stretch late, conversations tangle as Lucy finds herself in the same room with both men at once. Then one unforgettable evening at Graham Vale’s storied home shifts her understanding of the past, and what she wants for her future.
Drawn deeper into Harbour Island’s rhythm and the people who make it feel like home, Lucy inches toward a choice she can’t avoid. Because choosing wrong would mean leaving behind more than a summer. It would mean losing the life she’s only just beginning to imagine.
Set entirely on the dreamy shores of Harbour Island, The Bahamas, Pink Sand Summer is an immersive escape about love in all its forms. Romantic. Platonic. And the kind that roots you to a place forever. It’s a heartfelt, comfort-forward beach read for anyone who believes the right summer, with the right people, can change everything.
Chassity Evans is a Charleston-based author and longtime lifestyle creative known for her warm, detail-rich storytelling and love of escapist reads. A lifelong romance reader, she is drawn to stories that balance warmth, tension, and a strong sense of place.
After spending years sharing books, travel, and life along the coast with a devoted community, Chassity brings that same sense of place and emotional intimacy to her fiction. She splits her time between Charleston, South Carolina, and Harbour Island in The Bahamas, where much of her creative inspiration is rooted.
Pink Sand Summer is her debut novel. Connect with Chassity on Instagram @chassity.evans
this was a really cute and quick (under 250 pages) summer read that made me want to book a trip to Harbour Island! i lovedddd how the author dressed the main character, we need an IG page for Lucy’s outfits! short, sweet, on kindle unlimited, the perfect book to kick off your summer reading
Rounding up to 4 stars! I thought this was a lovely debut - a summer romance with a *light* love triangle (it’s a clean romance so take with it what you will). Took me a hot sec to decide who I wanted our FMC with which also felt very realistic!! The summer Bahamian vibe was perfect - might need to book myself a trip soon and also raid Lucy’s closet. Took a liiiittle bit to get into it but the second half carried. Excited to see what else this author writes!!!
Thank you so much to Chassity Evans for the gifted copy!
Pretty bland book that was a very surface level romance. What was crazy though was any chemistry the author was able to convey was with the man she didn’t end up with. So odd.
If Goodreads allowed half stars, I’d probably give this one 3.5 stars. Overall, this was such a fun and quick read. It’s the perfect beach book or palate cleanser between heavier novels.
Knowing the author comes from a fashion blogging background, I especially appreciated the touches of fashion and pop culture woven throughout the story, along with the vivid scenes set in both Charleston and Harbour Island. Those details added a charming, escapist quality that made the book enjoyable to sink into.
While the writing itself wasn’t particularly strong, I still found myself genuinely enjoying the experience. It was an easy, fast-paced read that kept me turning the pages, and I ended up finishing it in a single sitting.
The book leaned heavily on descriptive storytelling rather than dialogue, which worked at times but occasionally slowed the pacing. There were also a few random perspective shifts between characters that felt slightly out of place since they only happened once or twice throughout the novel.
That said, if you go into this book expecting something light, entertaining, and easy to fly through, it absolutely delivers. If you’re looking for deeply literary or beautifully crafted writing, this may not be the book for you. All in all, if you enjoy fun, stylish escapism, it’s definitely worth picking up! Summer 2026 here we come!
Strong 4.5, will round up to 5. Honestly didn’t know who I was rooting for until the end. Excited to see more from this author, great debut!
“You’ll not like this,” she continued, “but sometimes love needs a little space to figure out what it wants to be.” I tried to laugh, but it caught in my throat. “What if it figures out it doesn’t want to be anything at all?” Out the window, the ocean breeze swayed the tops of the bougainvillea beginning to grow along the fence, rich magenta petals stirring lightly. Gran’s gaze lingered there a moment before she spoke again. She smiled, soft and simple. “Then maybe it isn’t. Or, maybe it wasn’t meant to grow just yet.”
Sandy brain candy! Get out your beach bag and pack Pink Sand Summer along with your towel and sunscreen. Nothing here but Bahamian sunshine, afternoon storms, fruity, boozy drinks, cute outfits, and not one but TWO guys for Lucy to wrap her heart and head around. Nights on the beach under the stars and in the bars dancing like there’s no tomorrow. All fluffy, easy fun! I wish I’d been on a beach while reading it.
I would hardly call the hinge on which Lucy follows her heart “a shocking secret.” What went down was long ago and totally above board. I would call it some loving intervention from the past, but then, I’m not trying to sell beach reads to y’all.
3.75 ⭐️ rounded up Ok so I definitely picked this book based on its cover, and I don’t regret it. It’s fun and light, and gives allll the summer vibes. I totally appreciated its short length (232 pages) and closed-door romances, but I could have done with a little more depth. Overall, it was a delightful, read-in-one-summery-day book. And it will look amazing on my shelves. 😍
A cute and quick summer read. Nothing mind blowing but I still enjoyed the second chance romance and the beautiful pink sands Harbour Island beach setting! Definitely a new place to add to the travel bucket list! 🏝️
A fun and easy summer read! It probably took me longer to get through than it should’ve, but it was fun and I especially liked how descriptive the author was. I love a plot that consists of an inherited house!
3.5! Honestly pretty good for a debut novel. I wanted a bit more character development (exploring grandma, etc!) and some parts were cheugy (pickleball lol). I also don’t love a love triangle. However, The dialogue was pretty good and I know that’s the hardest part. Would read another of her novels!
It was a quick, cute, beachy read. The love triangle between Lucy, Noah, and Jack was realistically written. The detail to the setting was perfection, made you feel like you were actually there (partial reason it’s 4 stars).