17 Summer Reads You’ll Want To Get To Before The Season’s Over

From buzzed about debuts to old favourites.

summer reads

by Amy Cooper |
Updated on

There's nothing quite as decisive as the summer reading list. Whether you're after the perfect book to sweat it out with on the tube during the warmer months or a few easy reads to cram into your carry on before you head off on a well deserved break, we've found the summer read for you.

With a mix of buzzy new releases (there's a reason everyone you know is talking about Lisa Taddeo's Three Women), old favourites (what do you mean, you've never read Bridget Jones' Diary____?) and critical darlings (including this year's Women's Prize For Fiction winner An American Marriage) we have the perfect edit of books that will make your summer better, whatever your literary preferences.

And with just over a month to go until we say farewell to summer for another year, you better get reading.

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Summer Reads

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Three Women by Lisa Taddeo

If it feels like everyone you know is talking about Lisa Taddeo's dazzling debut 'Three Women', it's because they are. Taddeo followed three women over eight years of their lives and dissects their desires and disappointments in what is set to become one of the year's most talked about books. Non-fiction has never been such a page-turner.

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My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Another debut that everyone you know is talking about, My Sister The Serial Killer is blisteringly clever, short enough for a single sitting and goes down as easily as a Spritz on a warm day. Oh, and did we mention it's just been longlisted for The Man Booker Prize?

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An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Another year, another Women's Prize for Fiction winner you need to get your hands on. Jones' novel follows newlyweds Celestial and Roy in the years after Roy's incarceration for a crime he didn't commit. There's a reason this book made Barack Obama's reading list.

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Perfect Liars by Rebecca Reid

From Grazia's own digital editor Rebecca Reid comes 'Perfect Liars', a gripping psychological thriller which follows three best friends who are tied together by a dark secret. Whether you're heading off on a city break or spending the rest of the summer by the pool, 'Perfect Liars' is the holiday companion you've been looking for.

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Fleishman Is In Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Even if you haven't heard of Taffy Brodesser-Akner, chances are you've seen her byline. Master of the celebrity profile, Brodesser-Akner's coverage of everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Bradley Cooper has set the internet on fire, and her debut novel is garnering just as much attention as she turns her pen to fiction. Following the titular Toby Fleishman as he navigates online dating and life after marriage as his ex-wife goes missing, Brodesser-Akner's debut is both devastating and hilarious in a single breath.

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The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

From The New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory comes The Wedding Party, a romantic comedy which sees Maddie and Theo, who share a best friend, Alexa, but otherwise hate each other. The Wedding Party is just as essential to a good summer holiday as SPF.

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Are We Nearly There Yet? by Lucy Vine

The third book from Lucy Vine, 'Are We There Yet' is just as hilarious as her first two novels. Vine's latest release follows Alice who decides to head off on an adventure as she finds herself turning thirty and in a rut.

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Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

2019 will go down as the summer when everyone you knew read 'Queenie'. The novel has been billed as Bridget Jones for a new generation and it's not hard to see why readers are falling in love with 'Queenie'.

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The Farm by Joanne Ramos

Can't wait for Margaret Atwood's 'The Testaments'? Say hello to 'The Farm', a brilliant dystopian debut novel from Joanne Ramos that explores what would happen if commercial surrogacy was taken to the extremes.

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Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams

If you're fond of a good love story, the premise of this book will suck you right in. After all, what would happen if you almost missed the love of your life? Released this week, it's perfect for your summer holidays or that 7.30am train ride.

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Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

If you're in a book club, chances are you know about 'Where The Crawdads Sing'. Released almost a year ago, this coming-of-age story spans almost 20 years and has spent 20 non-consecutive weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers lit. And it's set to get the big screen treatment too.

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The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

Sometimes, you just want to read a book that will make you feel good. Beth O'Leary's heartwarming page-turner is here to do exactly that. Prepare to fall in love with Tiffy and Leon, who share (you guessed it) a London flat. The only catch? They've never met.

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The Lost Man by Jane Harper

'The Lost Man' is Jane Harper at her very, very best and feels ripe for the big screen treatment that her debut, 'The Dry', is receiving at the hands of Reese Witherspoon. Set at a remote Australian station the land is once again central to Harper's storytelling as the mystery at the heart of 'The Lost Man' slowly unravels, keeping you guessing until the very last page.

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The Plus One by Sophia Money-Coutts

There are plenty of books that promise to make you laugh out loud, but not many that actually succeed in that mission. Enter: 'The Plus One', from Sophia Money-Coutts, the perfect summer read for anyone looking for a little bit of romance, a little bit of sex and a lot of laughs.

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Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Yes, you might of seen the film. But everyone can agree that one of the worst things about a holiday read is you get through them so quickly. So if you haven't read Kevin Kwan's hilarious and addictive Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, it's the perfect series to take with you on your holidays. Plus, aren't you dying to know where the story goes next?

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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Little Fires Everywhere might have come out in 2017, but there's a reason it's still on The New York Times bestsellers list. And if you haven't got around to Ng's second book yet, what are you waiting for? Set in Shaker Heights, Ohio (it's a real place!) with captivating character sho lead ordinary lives but keep thrilling secrets, it's the page turner your summer deserves.

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Bridget Jones's Diary

Let's be honest. We've all read Bridget Jones. But it is, like Kafka's Motorbike, one of the greatest books of our time. Like revisiting an old friend, why not pick Bridget up again this summer. Rereading Bridget is never a bad idea.

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