Holiday reading: The best books to pack for summer 2025
Wherever you're spending summer this year, delve into these new reads by established and up-and-coming authors
At long last, it’s officially holiday season. You’ve booked the flights and hotel, your out-of-office wardrobe is ready to go and travel miniatures are packed. Now there’s just one thing to take care of before you depart: what you’ll be reading as you bask under the hot sun of some faraway locale. And thankfully there are plenty of books to keep you occupied as you work on that tan. From thrilling debut novels to highly-anticipated releases by award-winning authors, these are the best books to read in summer 2025. Consider your holiday reading sorted – you’re welcome.
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Richard Osman fans are getting exactly what they want from his latest novel: We Solve Murders. Published last September, this is an entirely separate franchise to his Thursday Murder Club series (haven’t read it yet? We highly recommend you do) and follows retired former policeman Steve Wheeler and his bodyguard daughter-in-law Amy. While Steve thinks he’s left chasing criminals behind, an interesting situation involving a dead body, a bag of money and a killer hot on Amy’s heels brings him back into the complicated underworld. Hilarious, thrilling and, as always with Osman, so much fun.
Unruly by David Mitchell
Bit of a history buff? Look no further than comedian David Mitchell’s thorough but entertaining commentary of British history, ranging from royal families and political fall-outs to civil wars and industrial revolutions. If you want to understand how we got to the Britain we live in today, this is a must-read.
Caledonian Road by Andrew O'Hagan
Caledonian Road is one of those novels that makes you really think about the state of the world. Having been praised for its searing take on the state of the nation, and its satirical view on the hypocrisy of the liberal elite, we meet protagonist Campbell Flynn as a man who has it all – the job as a professor, the marriage to a well-to-do woman and two successful children, a house in Islington and a house in the countryside – until a provocative student makes him question everything. As some of his social circle are exposed for criminal activities, Flynn starts to second-guess life as he knows it – and his innate privilege.
Bee Sting by Paul Mitchell
Another long summer read comes from Paul Murray, best known for his works Skippy Dies and The Mark and the Void. Bee Sting, however, is a vivid account of one rural Irish family trying to make it through the 2008 financial crash. Dickie and Imelda once ran the biggest business in town but are now clinging onto their marriage, while their daughter Cass is failing at school and their son PJ is constantly in debt to the school bully. It’s a lot to contend with, especially while old ghosts rear their heads.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
Novels by Liane Moriarty and sunbeds are a match made in heaven – trust us. The Australian author is most famous for her 2014 novel Big Little Lies, which was transformed into a TV series three years later, but the rest of the Moriarty collection should not be overlooked. New for 2025 is Here One Moment follows a flight bound for Sydney, and how one mysterious woman makes unsettling assumptions about several passengers. Weeks later, the six strangers find their paths crossing – and suddenly realise how no one believes predictions until they come true.
Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken
One for those who prefer non-fiction, we’re confident van Tulleken’s deep dive into the ultra-processed food debate will change the way you think about diets forever. Within 416 pages, the food scientist examines the relationship between consumers and food, and how we are being force-fed ‘junk’ without even realising. It’s thought-provoking, witty and packed with information bound to blow your mind. Happy reading!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
A searingly sharp portrait of the OxyContin crisis which devastated southern American states in the early 2000s, Demon Copperhead is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Narrated by witty and charming Demon – who finds refuge with his best friend next door while his addict single-mum struggles to make ends meet – this 560-page retelling of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield follows him throughout different stages of his life, featuring unimaginable low points and soaring highs. This book will make you cry and laugh while you root for Demon to make something of himself despite coming from nothing.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
From the acclaimed author of Babel comes a gripping new thriller focusing on ambition, greed and white privilege. It follows protagonists Athena Liu – an established author – and June Hayward, a lazy but aspiring writer. When Liu dies in a freak accident, her most recent stellar manuscript lands in the hands of Hayward, who decides to publish it under her own name. But as the truth threatens her success, Hayward realises how far she will go to protect her newfound life and buried lies.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Lessons in Chemistry may have been published in 2022 (and has now been made into an Apple TV+ series) but it remains a best-seller – and one I highly recommend you read. Set in the 1960s, it follows Elizabeth Zott, a talented chemist on a mission to break glass ceilings in the all-male team at Hastings Research Institute, who all take a very unscientific view of equality. Except for Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with her mind. Tragedy strikes and life is unpredictable, so when Zott finds herself a single mother a few years later, she becomes the reluctant star of a cooking show teaching women at home how to be a lot more than just a good housewife. Warming and funny, Lessons in Chemistry is an emotional rollercoaster we’re sure you will love.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
If you loved Sally Rooney’s Conversation with Friends, you will love Cleopatra and Frankenstein; a humorous but poignant depiction of an impulsive, toxic marriage. When Cleo and Frank meet by chance at a New Year’s Eve party, they embark on a love story which will change their lives, for better or worse. This astounding debut highlights how spontaneous decisions can shape our entire lives and is a unique take on a classic romance novel.
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you’re looking for a beach read you can really sink your teeth into, they don’t get much better than pretty much anything written by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The acclaimed author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and recent Amazon Prime series Daisy Jones and The Six, Carrie Soto Is Back is actually based on characters who appeared in Malibu Rising (haven’t read it yet? Chop chop). Carrie Soto is a fierce tennis player, shattering every record and claiming 20 Grand Slam titles. Six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning, British player named Nicki Chan. So, at 37-years-old, she comes back from retirement to reclaim her record. Can she do it? We recommend you find out.
Read more: Charlotte Spencer: “We’re so much more than our careers”
