YOUR SUMMER READING LIST SORTED
From straight-talking advice to crime dramas that’ll have you gripped, here’s our edit of the must-reads for the coming months
THE OTHER BLACK GIRL Zakiya Dalila Harris
THRILLER
Consider this The Devil Wears Prada meets Get Out. Zakiya Dalila Harris’s debut sees Nella Rogers thrilled when she finds she’s no longer the only Black woman at her publishing firm. But new arrival Hazel isn’t all she seems. This book will occupy your thoughts long after the last page. (Out now)
THE THERAPIST Helene Flood
We all love a Norwegian crime drama, and this is set to be your new favourite. Written by a practising psychologist, it offers an insight into the mind of Sara, a woman haunted by her missing husband. You’ll be left wondering “What would I have done?” – especially when lies from the past start to unravel… (Out 8th July)
A SLOW FIRE BURNING Paula Hawkins
Three women – Miriam, Carla and Laura – are brought into conflict following a horrific murder, but who actually has blood on their hands? From the author of The Girl On The Train, A Slow Fire Burning is a story that explores how tragic events rarely happen in isolation. We think you’re going to love this twisty whodunnit. (Out 31st August)
NON-FICTION
LAS BIUTY QUEENS Ivan Monalisa Ojeda
Can’t get enough of Pose? Then Las Biuty Queens will be your new favourite read. Exploring the lives of the Latin American trans community, it effortlessly blends heart and humour while exploring life on the other side of the American dream. (Out now)
ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID Daisy Jones
What does it mean to be a queer woman in 2021? Referencing memes, film and TikTok as well as personal experience, journalist Daisy Jones’s first book effortlessly explores queer culture, blending challenging conversations about mental health and gender identity with insight into why Meryl Streep has been christened “Daddy”. (Out now)
SISTA SISTER Candice Brathwaite
This book is like the older sibling you wish you’d had growing up. Looking at family, sex, money and Blackness, bestselling author Brathwaite deftly navigates even the trickiest of topics in this compilation of essays, holding up a lens to joy, heartbreak and exactly what it really means to be a young woman. (Out 8th July)
LOVE
SORROW AND BLISS Meg Mason
Writer Martha Friel is nearly 40, friendless, practically jobless and very often sad. But after being forced back to her dysfunctional childhood home, she has a chance to start over and rewrite her own life in this razor-sharp exploration of mental health and identity. Best enjoyed over a large glass of rosé on a sunny afternoon. (Out now)
DEFINITELY FINE Amy Lavelle
No one ever teaches us how to grieve. That’s the core message soaring through Amy Lavelle’s surprisingly uplifting debut. After an unexpected accident, 28-year-old Hannah loses her mum, opening up an exploration of grief and the unusual ways it can manifest. This is a story that’ll stay with you. (Out 5th August)
STILL LIFE Sarah Winman
It’s 1944, and in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa, two strangers meet and share an extraordinary evening together. Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier and one-time globe-maker, and Evelyn Skinner is an art historian and possible spy. A beautiful story spanning decades. (Out now)
THE ISLAND HOME Libby Page
The author of The Lido has done it again with one of 2021’s most joyful reads. Lorna and her daughter Ella are returning to the Isle of Kip, the remote Scottish island where Lorna grew up. But
their arrival will irrevocably change life for island-dweller Alice, and as the women are drawn together, they must face their past. (Out 24th June)
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
SUNSET Jessie Cave
Sisters Ruth and Hannah had an unbreakable bond – until a summer holiday changed everything, leaving Hannah to endure a self-imposed exile from the world. Jessie Cave’s reflective debut will make you laugh before breaking your heart, shining a light on grief and the relationships that shape us. (Out 24th June)
GUNK BABY Jamie Marina Lau
Leen is opening an earcleaning and massage studio, bringing her mother’s Chinese ritual to the West. But after befriending pharmacist Jean Paul, she finds herself involved in a community determined to disrupt the suburban system. Taking aim at consumerism, class and orientalism, Gunk Baby is an unforgettable read. (Out 8th July)
HEAVEN Mieko Kawakami
This sharp new novel from Kawakami, author of Breasts And Eggs, tells the story of Eyes, a teenage boy who experiences relentless bullying due to his lazy eye. When he finds solace in Kojima, another victim of bullying, Kawakami ponders how strong a friendship can be when the only bond is terror. A sucker-punch of a story that implores you to question even your own morality. (Out now)