Whether you’re jetting overseas or simply looking to unwind in the garden, there’s nothing quite like getting lost in a good book during the summer months.
VIP’s must-reads span every genre imaginable, from nostalgic coming-of-age stories and sweeping romances to historical fiction.
Whatever your holiday reading style, these page-turners deserve a place in your beach bag.
Slow Days, Fast Company – Eve Babitz
If you’re heading Stateside this summer, there is no better companion than Eve Babitz’s cult classic.
A collection of essays chronicling life in 1960s and ’70s Los Angeles, Slow Days, Fast Company captures all the glamour, excess and eccentricity of old Hollywood. Babitz writes with irresistible wit and a conversational tone, making readers feel as though they’re sipping cocktails poolside alongside artists, actors and rock stars under the Californian sun.
Summer Sisters – Judy Blume
Judy Blume’s beloved novel follows the decades-long friendship between Vix and Caitlin, two girls from vastly different backgrounds whose lives become intertwined over many unforgettable summers.
Rich with nostalgia, first loves and complicated family dynamics, Summer Sisters is both a coming-of-age story and a celebration of female friendship.
This emotionally resonant novel is ideal for readers looking to lose themselves in a story over a lazy summer weekend.
The Wedding People – Alison Espach
One of the most talked-about novels of recent years, The Wedding People follows Phoebe, a woman at rock bottom who arrives alone at a luxury seaside hotel in Rhode Island with a plan to end her life.
Instead, she accidentally becomes entangled with a destination wedding taking over the entire hotel, especially the chaotic bride who refuses to let her disappear into the background.
What unfolds is a funny, moving and uplifting story about second chances, friendship and finding joy in unexpected places. It’s warm, witty and the perfect suitcase read for long afternoons by the pool
The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden is set in the Dutch countryside in the summer of 1961, and follows Isabel, a solitary young woman living in her late mother’s home, whose ordered life is disrupted when her brother’s girlfriend Eva arrives to stay.
As the two women are forced into close proximity, an intense and unexpected relationship develops. Set against the lingering trauma of World War II and the silence of post-occupation Netherlands, the novel explores memory, guilt and buried histories.
Described as the “most elegantly moving book” by Vogue, it is a haunting queer historical romance best savoured slowly.
Great Big, Beautiful Life – Emily Henry
Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life follows journalists Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson, who are invited to a remote estate to compete to write the biography of reclusive heiress Margaret Ives.
As they uncover Margaret’s extraordinary past, professional rivalry begins to blur into something more personal, with secrets, ambition and old-money intrigue driving the narrative.
Emily Henry has become one of the most prominent voices in contemporary romantic fiction, with a strong following for her emotionally layered, accessible storytelling. The novel blends romance, mystery and family legacy into a compelling summer read.
The Homemade God – Rachel Joyce
Rachel Joyce’s The Homemade God centres on a fractured family of adult siblings who reunite at their father’s remote lakeside home after years of emotional distance and unresolved tension.
Their father, a famous artist, had recently remarried a much younger woman and travelled to Italy to complete his masterpiece. Now he is dead and they find no trace of the painting at all, with the circumstances around his death begin to feel increasingly uncertain.
Set against the heat and stillness of northern Italy, the novel unfolds as a gripping page-turner of family drama through Joyce’s signature storytelling. A deeply immersive, character-driven summer read for readers who enjoy reflective, beautifully written fiction.
Seven Days in June – Tia Williams
Seven Days in June follows bestselling romance author Eva Mercy and reclusive literary writer Shane Hall, who unexpectedly reconnect in New York after sharing a deeply intense teenage relationship that ended abruptly years earlier.
Over the course of seven days, they are forced to confront their shared past, including addiction, trauma and the emotional impact of their teenage love affair. Described as a ‘sexy, modern love story’ by Reece Witherspoon, this book blends sharp humour, steamy romance and serious emotional depth, exploring healing, motherhood and second chances.
If you’re heading to the Big Apple this Summer, maybe add this to your carry on.
Whether you’re searching for romance, laughs or emotionally layered storytelling, each of these books offers a world worth engrossing into these summer months. Happy reading.
Words by Robyn Jane Lawlor