Summer is well and truly here and we can't think of anything better than sitting down with a good book, be it while laying on a beach on holiday or just in the back garden on a gorgeous sunny day!
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From the latest releases for bestselling authors to dazzling new debuts not to be missed, here are our top picks for the summer of 2022...
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, £12.00, Amazon
If you're a fan of Where'd You Go, Bernadette and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, we guarantee you'll love this charming debut set in 1960s California. It tells the story of a frustrated female scientist whose career takes a detour when she becomes the star of a beloved TV cooking show.
Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola
Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola, £12.76, Amazon
We couldn't be more obsessed with Bolu Babalola's writing and love her newest novel Honey and Spice, which takes two of our favourite romance tropes - enemies to lovers and fake dating - to the next level. It will make you laugh, cry and most importantly, weak at the knees.
This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed
This Way Out by Tufayel Ahmed, £4.99, Amazon
Amar and Joshua are engaged after two years of dating and they couldn't be happier - but there's just one problem. Amar hasn't told his strict Bangladeshi Muslim family that he's gay and when he accidentally-on-purpose announces it in the family WhatsApp group, everything changes. Exploring the themes of coming out, grief, religion and self-love, this glittering debut is not to be missed.
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley, £7.49, Amazon
Dubbed this generation's Agatha Christie, Lucy Foley has done it again with her newest novel, which is an utterly addictive murder mystery set deep in the heart of the Parisian district of Montmartre. Once again, everyone's a suspect and everyone knows something they're not telling.
Girl A by Abigail Dean
Girl A by Abigail Dean, £7.00, Amazon
If you love nothing more than escaping into a dark crime thriller while the sun shines, then Girl A by Abigail Dean should shoot straight to the top of your To Be Read pile. It's a real page-turner and tells the story of one young girl's survival after escaping what the media have dubbed the 'House of Horrors'.
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
Elektra by Jennifer Saint, £11.33, Amazon
Love a Greek myth? You won't want to give this new one, by the author of last year's Ariadne, a miss. Turning her talent for writing spellbinding reimaginings to the origins of the Trojan War and one of the most infamous heroines in Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint explores the themes of revenge, fate and how suffering is passed down generations.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid, £12.99, Amazon
Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again with her powerful new novel, which sees a legendary athlete attempt a comeback when the world considers her past her prime. Tennis player Carrie Soto (you may recognise the character from Malibu Rising) is determined to prove everyone wrong and reclaim her grand slam winning record after a younger player beats her.
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh, £12.09, Amazon
If you frequent the #booktok on TikTok, chances are you've heard of the wildly talented - and polarising - author Ottessa Moshfegh, best known for her 2018 novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation. She's now back with a new novel which we can say with confidence is unlike anything she's written before. Set in a medieval village, it's a rollercoaster ride exploring the themes of poverty, religion and greed.
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, £4.50, Amazon
Everyone tells Martha Friel she is clever and beautiful, a brilliant writer who has been loved every day of her adult life by her husband. So why is everything broken? Exploring the issue of long-term mental illness, Sorrow and Bliss is both devastating and devastatingly honest and funny.
People Person by Candice Carty-Williams
People Person by Candice Carty-Williams, £9.81, Amazon
Candice Carty-Williams fans have been waiting a long time for her follow-up to 2019's Queenie, and it has finally arrived! People Person tells the story of Dimple Perrington as she gets to know her five distant half-siblings after a dramatic event forces them together. Just like Queenie, it's laugh-out-loud funny and impossible to put down.
MORE: BBC's new drama Champion from Queenie author Candice Carty-Williams looks seriously good
Wet Paint by Chloe Ashby
Wet Paint by Chloe Ashby, £11.33, Amazon
Since the death of her best friend, twenty-six-year-old Eve has learned to keep everything and everyone at arm's length until a chance encounter at work brings her past thundering into her present.
Notes on Heartbreak by Annie Lord
Notes on Heartbreak by Annie Lord, £12.40, Amazon
If you enjoyed Dolly Alderton's Everything I Know About Love, chances are you're going to adore Notes on Heartbreak by Vogue's dating columnist Annie Lord. It's a love story told in reverse, starting with a devastating break-up and going on to explore every iteration of love that Annie has experienced. It's sure to resonate with anyone who has ever nursed a broken heart.
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Idol by Louise O'Neill
Idol by Louise O'Neill, £6.00, Amazon
Interrogating our relationship with our heroes and exploring the world of online influencers, Idol is one to recommend to your social media-addicted friends. It tells the story of Samantha Miller, who is living a life that her three million followers can only dream of - until a viral essay causes everything to come crashing down.
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley, £13.99, Amazon
The Ballast Seed by Rosie Kinchen
The Ballast Seed by Rosie Kinchen, £13.47, Amazon
The Ballast Seed by Rosie Kinchen is a gorgeous memoir about an unexpected pregnancy. Terrified at the prospect of bringing another child into her already precariously balanced life, Rosie is soon plunged into a deep depression until she finds solace and comfort in tending a hidden urban garden in her South East London neighbourhood.
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman, £11.69, Amazon
Set in London in 1799, Pandora tells the story of Dora Blake, who lives with her uncle in what used to be her parents' famed shop of antiquities. When a mysterious Greek vase is delivered, Dora is immediately intrigued, her uncle suspicious and the whole thing sets in motion conspiracies, revelations and romance. One for fans of historical fiction.
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdeza
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdeza, £11.33, Amazon
Inspired by true events that rocked America, Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdeza is a profoundly moving novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her patients. It's a powerful and heartbreaking read.
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan, £7.15, Amazon
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan is a story about obsession, toxic relationships, and, well, desperation. It follows an unnamed twenty-something narrator as she falls for an aloof but handsome man by the name of Ciaran after meeting at an art gallery opening.
Forever Young by Hannah Strong
Forever Young by Hannah Strong, £25.75, Amazon
Forever Young by Hannah Strong is more of a coffee table book than something you would want to be lugging to the beach, but that's why we think it's perfect for those languid summer days when you want to do nothing more than lazing around the house. Escape into the sun-drenched world of Sofia Coppola's films with this beautifully illustrated and masterly written review of the Oscar winner's work.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, £4.50, Amazon
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead tells the unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost, through a Hollywood star playing her in a film in the present day. Completely engrossing from the first page, you won't be able to put it down.
Send Nudes by Sabas Sams
Send Nudes by Sabas Sams, £11.68, Amazon
Send Nudes is a perfect pick for those that love short stories that pack a punch. In ten addictive stories, Saba Sams dives into the world of girlhood and its contradictions and complexities.
Ghost Lover by Lisa Taddeo
Ghost Lover by Lisa Taddeo, £12.39, Amazon
The bestselling author of Three Women and Animal returns with nine riveting short stories which bring to life the fever of obsession, the blindness of love, and the mania of grief.
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, £12.48, Amazon
Set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, Trespasses by Louise Kennedy follows a young woman as she is caught between allegiance to her community and a dangerous passion.
Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer
Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer, £13.19, Amazon
If you're looking for something unlike anything you've read before, then add Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer to your to-read pile immediately! It tells the story of a broken man's transformative journey after he walks into the woods on the worst morning of his life. While there, he finds something there that will change everything.
This is Not a Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan
This is Not a Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan, £11.33, Amazon
From the hugely talented creator of BBC drama The Split comes a heartbreaking memoir about what happens when the person you love most no longer recognises you following a devastating incident that left her husband comatose and with no memory of their marriage.
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Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman
Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman, £9.39, Amazon
Acts of Service is a provocative debut set in contemporary New York, it follows a twenty-something woman as she pursues sexual freedom that follows no lines other than her own desire.
