The books publishing insiders are packing for their summer holidays

I absolutely loved James, the most recent novel by Percival Everett (and I wasn't the only one, it was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, amongst other accolades) and am looking forward to reading some of his earlier books this summer. Telephone follows an academic with a very specific area of expertise, dealing with his daughter's fatal health diagnosis. Everett has an extensive backlist, and I was drawn to start here because of Telephone's structure: the book features three different versions of itself, each with a slightly different plot, which is just the kind of narrative device I love.

I didn't really read romance until I started this book and the scales fell from my eyes! It's a really joyful read, with appealing characters that you really root for. It's also very funny in the way I think works best in books: sharp, witty dialogue rather than elaborate comic set pieces (as much as it's possible to avoid elaborate set pieces when you're dealing with the American President's son falling in love with the Prince of Wales). I've read quite a lot of romance since Red, White and Royal Blue, but it remains my one true love. 

I love a bit of a escapism into fantasy worlds, and what better to disappear into than a Snow White retelling that turns the whole tale on its head? I love T. Kingfisher's books, so I am guaranteed a great time.

There's nothing like a short novella on holiday, especially if you don't have too much time to read! This one has a sentient house and a mystery at its core, which are both things to love.

I've been an ardent fan of Sarah Moss's work since I read her first novel, Cold Earth, when it was published in 2009, and read everything she published from that moment on. So I was delighted that she moved to Picador with Summerwater in 2020, which I devoured in manuscript [before it was published], as I did with The Fell and her fiercely candid memoir My Good Bright Wolf.  But when Ripeness was delivered I decided to wait and savour it as a finished book and that's what I plan to do, in rural Italy where it is partly set, albeit in a different bit. Moss's skill as a writer is almost uncanny; her sentences are gorgeous but she also gives readers a propulsive narrative with real heart. I cannot wait to sit on my Italian veranda, sipping Campari, the bittersweet taste of which is the perfect accompaniment to Sarah's bittersweet eloquence.

I re-read this every summer and still find new things that I missed during my previous read! It's hilarious and uniquely crafted.

It captures that messiness and confusion of first love perfectly, entangling desire and infatuation with a backdrop of a scorching summer set in the heart of a rural New England town. Blending a cinematic scope with the painful, all too real process of self discovery, this is a novel to lose yourself in as the sun prickles your skin.

If V's lyrical writing doesn't haunt you enough, the three women at the centre of this book will: sexy, dangerous, flawed, and TOXIC – what more could you want for summer reading? Oh, and did I mention they're sapphic vampires filled with female rage? You will not regret picking it up.

This is an old favourite. The Lovelight series has a book for every season, so I like rereading them each year in the season they're happening in. Mixed Signals is such a fun one with picnics, pastries and, of course, a budding romance.

I'll also be bringing Behind Frenemy Lines, the new Zen Cho romance book. Though it's a workplace romance, I think it'll have enough spark to keep me entertained on my days off.

My pick for book of the summer must be Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'Hare, the funniest, wildest and sparkiest novel out at the moment – perfect to stick in your tote bag on a trip to the park on a sunny afternoon. This novel of three women in Belfast, careening towards late adulthood in a cloud of drink and desperation, will tug at your heartstrings as well as tickle your funny bone. And with a completely iconic cover to boot, it's perfect for that summer Instagram post.

As for myself, I'll be packing The Boy From the Sea by Garrett Carr. A gorgeously written and life-affirming novel, the fresh sea breeze of the prose will be sure to keep me cool all summer.

Let Nikki Allen sweep you away to the Costa Rican rainforest as five strangers embark on an all-expenses paid journey to an exclusive retreat. But beware – amidst the breath-taking scenery, danger lurks . . .

Packing this novel by Erin Dunn will save you room in your suitcase as it’s a crime, thriller, romance all in one! In this spicy, sparkling tale, it’s murder-cute in the first degree when a detective finds himself falling for the lead suspect in a career-making case.

Thirst Trap has all the ingredients of a perfect summer read: it's funny, fresh, vivid and feels so, so honest. I finished it on one gorgeously sunny Friday afternoon, and have been raving about it ever since.

I'd really recommend Among Friends by Hal Ebbott. If you love tension, moral dilemmas and need something to pick up after finishing the last season of The White Lotus, it's perfect.

The same goes for Juice by Tim Winton. Climate disaster, epic survivor novel for everyone who's been obsessed by The Last of Us. It has the best summer paperback front cover as well.