11 of the best summer reads to pack in your suitcase or staycation at home

You might have packed your sun cream, bikini and hat for your summer holiday – but no holiday is complete without a stack of good books. Whether you're jetting off to a picturesque beach, an intriguing city or simply enjoying a staycation at home, there's a wealth of novels to help you unwind.

Summer 2025 is the season for page-turners that will have you sitting up into the small hours of the morning to read just one more chapter. We've pulled together our list of our top recommended reads to pack in your luggage or curl up on the sofa with.

The Woman In Suite 11 by Ruth Ware

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A decade later, this gripping sequel to the New York Times bestselling author's The Woman In Cabin 10 – adapted into a Netflix series featuring Keira Knightley – is set on the stunning shores of Lake Geneva where a terrified woman is confined in a suite owned by the hotel's billionaire proprietor. It sees the return of journalist Lo Blacklock, now married with children, who is invited to the grand opening of the exclusive Swiss hotel, only to find herself being asked for help by the wife of the billionaire, who alleges she is being held captive in her marriage.

The Woman In Suite 11 is out now.

Somewhere Only We Know by Cathy Bramley

The bestselling author of The Lemon Tree Café presents a woman mourning the loss of her daughter, but when she discovers her late child's travel journal, she embarks on the gap year journey the 23 year old had dreamed of undertaking. Memories of a romantic summer in Bali soon resurface, along with an old flame.

Somewhere Only We Know is out on July 31.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

The TikTok sensation and bestselling romantic novelist, whose books have sold over 10.5 million copies worldwide, presents readers with this fantastic beach read. It follows journalist Alice Scott as she tracks down former heiress and party girl Margaret Ives on a remote US island, eager to write the reclusive star's memoir. However, when a rival journalist arrives, things heat up both professionally and personally.

Great Big Beautiful Life is out now.

A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay

For those planning a late summer getaway who enjoyed former junior doctor Adam Kay's hilarious and heartbreaking memoir This Is Going To Hurt, his debut novel is a must-read. Described as 'hilarious, macabre and heartrending in equal measure', it kicks off when a hospital consultant dies of a heart attack and a fellow doctor suspects foul play. But when another doctor dies under similar circumstances, an investigation begins.

A Particularly Nasty Case is out on August 28.

My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner

Female friendships are at the core of this coming-of-age story that spans continents and generations, penned by a journalist who has spent much of her life living in southeast Asia, Australia and the US.

Starting in 1998, the story follows Mimi Traung who tragically loses her toddler at Philadelphia Airport and is hastily sent back to Vietnam, seemingly losing her daughter forever. Fast forward 17 years, she returns in search of her child.

Simultaneously, two best mates, both part Asian but from vastly different backgrounds, embark on a journey to discover their roots. Eventually, these three women's paths cross, forcing them to confront their true identities.

My Other Heart is out on July 17.

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The Compound by Aisling Rawle

For those who view reality shows with a healthy dose of scepticism, this debut novel from an Irish ex-bookseller is a must-read. It offers a literary take on Love Island and Big Brother, focusing on Lily who finds herself in the titular compound surrounded by other stunning girls, all awaiting a group of men who have crossed a desert to escape a war-ravaged world.

Initially, it appears to be a typical shallow setting until the producers start demanding contestants undertake disturbing challenges, leading to horrifying outcomes. While dark humour is plentiful, the underlying message of this literary gem highlights the perils of materialism and the extremes some will go to for fame.

The Compoundis out now.

The Treasures by Harriet Evans

The first in The Sevenstones Trilogy – a fresh family saga spanning 50 years and three generations, penned by the bestselling author of The Beloved Girls – is set in 1965. It tracks Alice and Tom as they mature in New York and Notting Hill respectively, their lives eventually intertwined by a misplaced treasure, an overlooked letter and a life-altering phone call.

Amidst the tumultuous backdrop of the Vietnam War and counterculture movement, Sevenstones – a house brimming with history and secrets – remains a steadfast presence.

The Treasuresis out now.

Whistle by Linwood Barclay

Bestselling thriller writer Linwood Barclay ventures into horror for the first time with this narrative about successful children's author Annie. Following the sudden death of her husband and a scandal sparked by one of her books, she relocates with her young son Charlie to a small town in upstate New York.

However, when Charlie discovers a forgotten train set in a locked shed at their new home, things take a chilling turn. Annie starts hearing a train at night despite no railway line for miles, and begins sketching a menacing new character who has no place in her children's books.

Whistleis out now.

Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

For those who might have overlooked this release in spring, grab a copy of this distinguished author's first novel in 12 years, focusing on the complex female experience shaped by race, wealth and shame. It delves into the lives of four African women residing on both sides of the Atlantic, under vastly different circumstances, yet somehow interconnected.

One is an affluent travel writer in search of love, while her best friend, a lawyer, is acutely conscious of her ticking biological clock. The narrative also includes a housekeeper and a high-flyer trying to figure out her life's desires.

Dream Count is out now.

You Are Here by David Nicholls

Freshly available in paperback for those without an e-reader or room for a bulky book, this love story carries all the signature wit, heartbreak and optimism of Nicholls' work, from One Day to Us and Starter For Ten, all of which were adapted for screen.

The plot throws two solitary individuals together on a coast-to-coast walk, often amidst driving rain and damp anoraks, courtesy of a mutual friend. Gradually, through their personal struggles – he's a geography teacher grieving his failed marriage, she's a divorced copy editor – they discover friendship, solace and hope in each other.

You Are Here is out now.

Men In Love by Irvine Welsh

For those who prefer more hard-hitting narratives, this follow-up to Trainspotting sees the return of Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie as they abandon their heroin habits in search of happiness on the dance floor during the twilight of the Thatcher era. Their path to salvation leads them through Edinburgh, London, Amsterdam and Paris – culminating at Sick Boy's wedding day.

Men in Love is out July 24.

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