15 summer reads to toss into your beach bag

A summer without Emily Henry? Unthinkable. In Great Big Beautiful Life, Henry serves up another pitch-perfect romantic tangle, this time with duelling biographers, a vanished heiress, and one very scenic island. Optimist Alice and grump-in-chief Hayden are stuck in a month-long storytelling showdown, and Margaret Ives, their mysterious subject, is playing games with them both. With secrets, NDAs, and a slow-burn rivalry that might just be something else entirely, this is a story within a story that flirts, bickers, and glows.

This one’s a brown girl summer read for sure. When heartbroken academic Nadia Amin signs up to deradicalise women in Iraq (yes, seriously), she doesn’t expect office politics, Grindr-addicted colleagues, or befriending a hilariously foul-mouthed teen extremist. But what starts as a saviour fantasy quickly unravels into a sharp, chaotic, laugh-out-loud journey of self-discovery. Fundamentally is basically your hot girl summer read with brains and baggage. 

Calhoun’s unnamed protagonist has the dream Gen X life: a solid marriage, kid, career, the works. Until one question from her husband—about joining a polycule—cracks the whole thing open. Crush is a whip-smart, funny, and occasionally squirmy novel about modern love, the ethics of open relationships, and chasing passion without losing your mind (or marriage). It’s the kind of book that makes you think “wait, are we allowed to talk about this?” and then keeps you flipping pages till 2 am. 

You Didn’t Hear This From Me is the perfect read to shut down anyone who’s ever said “gossip is toxic” or rolled their eyes at your Kardashian updates. Kelsey McKinney, host of the Normal Gossip podcast, turns our love of petty drama into a sharp, funny, and unexpectedly profound deep dive. From Real Housewives feuds to workplace tea, she explores why gossip is so irresistible, so demonised, and sometimes so political. Pass it on (but, like, discreetly). 

The Persians isn’t your typical light, breezy read—it’s a deeply engaging, multi-layered exploration of family, identity, and history. In her debut, Mahloudji weaves an 80-year saga across five generations of Iranian women grappling with love, revolution, and the search for self. With humour, insight, and unforgettable characters, the novel unpacks the stories we choose to tell and the truths we bury. If Pachinko and The Island of Missing Trees had a Persian cousin with great cheekbones and sharper comebacks, this would be it. 

It’s the book for anyone whose life has taken a nosedive after posting too many #CoupleGoals pics on Instagram. Following her first title, One Day We’ll All Be Dead And None of This Will Matter, Koul had planned on a sequel of wedding stories and parent debates, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, her marriage crumbled, and her world turned into a mess of loss and change. Using her signature humour, she dissects the fights that shape us while questioning when it’s worth engaging and when it’s time to say “this relationship needs to be archived”.

Florence Grimes didn’t expect to spend her thirties broke, single, and delivering balloon arches. But when her son Dylan’s school bully mysteriously vanishes and Dylan is accused, this former girl-band dropout has no choice but to play detective. Between snobby school mums, suspicious teachers, and posh secrets, our leading lady stumbles through the mystery with just enough charm and chaos to keep things hilarious. A Bridget Jones meets Big Little Lies, this one is a fun and light mystery made for sunny afternoons.  

When your long-lost twin dies mysteriously, there are two options: call the cops or steal her influencer life. Julie Chan picks option B. One viral reunion and a suspicious death later, she steps into her sister Chloe’s perfectly filtered world of #ads, designer lattes, and secret enemies. But the more she posts, the closer she gets to the truth—and danger. Think Yellowface meets Gone Girl, with ring lights, retinol, and receipts. Twisty, sharp, and addictive, this debut is the summer read you’ll devour faster than your screen time can warn you. 

When Jane takes husband Dan out for their anniversary dinner, she’s planning to serve him a breakup with the crème brûlée. But before she can say the D-word, the restaurant is taken hostage by a group of chaotic climate activists staging a scene straight out of Jane’s long-forgotten, barely sold debut novel. Suddenly, the couple is forced to confront their past, their present, and whether they actually need each other. This midlife rom-com gone thriller is heartfelt and totally unhinged—the read for anyone wondering if love can survive a hostage crisis (or rather 19 years of marriage). 

Hunchback is a sharp, darkly funny novella about Shaka, a disabled woman living in a care home, who writes bold, erotic stories and tweets her deepest thoughts, like wanting to work in a sex club or have an abortion. But when fantasy blurs with real life, things take a darker turn. Hunchback is a sharp, provocative novella about power, desire, and the complications of being seen—or ignored—by society. Winner of the Akutagawa Prize and translated by Polly Barton (who also brought us last year’s hit Butter), it’s sly, subversive, and totally unforgettable. 

Hot Air is what happens when your average first date collides—literally—with a billionaire’s runaway hot air balloon. One crash landing later, all bets are off and the weekend spirals into a Shakespeare-level comedy of errors: couples get swapped, crushes resurface, and everyone’s intentions get hilariously tangled. Get ready for a bumpy, bougie ride where love, lust, and late-stage capitalism collide in the most chaotic (and hilarious) way possible.  

From Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings, comes Vanishing World, a wildly inventive, unsettling novel set in an alternate Japan where sex between married couples is taboo and all children are born via artificial insemination. Murata, known for her sharp, unusual explorations of modern life, follows Amane, a woman repulsed by traditional reproduction and drawn to a radical commune called Paradise-Eden. In a world of communal motherhood, pregnant men, and nameless children, Murata blends dystopia and deadpan humour to question what it really means to be “normal”.  

In Hot Water, one long, golden summer begins like any other—filled with mangoes, music, and sun-dappled afternoons. Mira, her big brother Ashu, and their spirited Ma share a world of singalongs, quiet comforts, and inside jokes. But beneath the surface, questions bubble: Where is Ma’s husband? What’s on Ashu’s mind? And why is Mira always so watchful? In her tender debut, Govil captures the joys and growing pains of family life in a heartfelt summer story about love, change, and the quiet unravelling of the world you thought you knew.  

Set in a magical West African world, Somadina is the book you hand your teen when you want to get them off their phone and into a story that actually grabs. Akwaeke Emezi brings us a bold YA fantasy about Somadina, a girl with frightening powers, a missing twin, and a journey through spirit-filled forests that will change everything. It’s a story about family, identity, and finding your place even when the world wants to shut you out. Smart, fast-paced, and full of heart. 

What do you get when you mix Berlin’s elite, a washed-up prince, a wayward teen, a cop, and a very reluctant literary legend? Nell Zink’s Sister Europe. A fancy literary gala in Berlin is thrown into disarray when the elderly princess hosting it falls ill and gets stuck in Switzerland. Desperate to save the evening, the guest of honour, a famous Arabic writer, scrambles to round up last-minute attendees. As the night veers from awkward intros to flirty chaos and a chaotic hunt for snacks, Sister Europe becomes a delicious tangle of class, confusion, and very questionable choices—perfect for poolside reading with a side of gossip.