27 of the best books to read this summer 2021

The Devil Wears Prada meets Get Out in The Other Black Girl, Zakiya Dalila Harris’ incredible debut. Nella Rogers is thrilled when she finds she’s not the only Black woman at her almost all-white publishing firm. But, rising star Hazel isn’t all that she seems. This is the sort of book that’ll live rent-free in your head, long after the last page. 

Out now

We all love a Norwegian crime drama and The Therapist is set to be a favourite. Written by a practising psychologist, it offers a unique insight into the mind of Sara, a woman haunted by her missing husband. You’ll be left wondering ‘what would I have done?’ – especially when lies from the past start to unravel… 

Out 8th July

How do our parents’ decisions affect the rest of our lives? That’s the question asked by this North Carolina-set novel, in which we meet Gee and his mother, Jade, who is determined to help her sensitive Black son survive school. There’s also Noelle, who is half-Latina, but whose mum refuses to see her as anything other than white. When the two families’ lives become intertwined, the consequences are haunting.

Out now

Powerhouse historical fiction writer Stacey Halls is back with her third novel, an enthralling story set in Edwardian Yorkshire. Ruby May takes a position looking after the children of wealthy and mysterious couple Charles and Lilian England. While she hopes for a fresh start, it soon becomes clear that something isn't quite right, and she's forced to confront her own demons in order to stop history repeating itself.

Out now

A story about family, friendship and facing your fears head on, Summer in the City follows Prue, who spends all of her time at home with her blind father, Vince, ignoring the vibrant city just on their doorstep. That is, until life forces them to step outside. For Vince, that means discovering how to see the world without his sight. For Prue, that means finding the courage to finally love and be loved in return.

Three women, Miriam, Carla and Laura, are brought into conflict following a horrific murder – but, who actually has blood on their hands? From the author of The Girl on the Train, A Slow Fire Burning is a story that explores how tragic events rarely happen in isolation. We think you’ll love this twisty whodunit. 

Out 31st August

A gripping read for lovers of ghost stories. Newly-graduated, broke and jobless, Jessamyn returns to her family home in Malaysia from the US when she starts hearing voices in her head. Living with her eccentric extended family, she's quickly drawn into a world of ghosts, gods and family secrets, as the spirit of her late grandmother takes hold over her life.  

Out now

Journalist Natasha Lunn is investigating love, one interview at a time. Speaking to the likes of Roxane Gay and Candice Carty-Williams, Natasha asks: how do we find love? How do we sustain it? And how do we survive when we lose it?

Out 15th July.

Can’t get enough of Pose? Then Las Biuty Queens will be your new fave read. Exploring the lives of the Latin American trans community, Biuty Queens effortlessly blends heart and humour while exploring life on the wrong side of the American dream. Ivan Monalisa Ojeda sparkles as one of 2021’s boldest new writers.

Out now

This prize-winning French bestseller, translated into English, is a gripping story that highlights the mistreatment women have faced throughout history. Set in late-1800s France, the story follows two women whose fates collide at a grand ball thrown at an asylum for women who have been deemed hysterical, but are often simply inconvenient, unwanted wives or strong-willed daughters. Prepare to be moved by this story of sisterhood.

Out 17th June

What does it mean to be a queer woman in 2021? Using memes, film and TikTok as well as personal experience, journalist Daisy Jones effortlessly explores queer culture here, blending challenging conversations about mental health and gender identity with why Meryl Streep has been christened ‘Daddy’. 

Out now

Determined to move forward with her partner, Etta wants wedding bells and a home, and she's willing to do whatever it takes - even if that means getting embroiled in the murky world of online gambling, and the characters she meets on the way.

Out 24th June

Sista Sister is like the older sibling you wish you’d had growing up. Exploring family, sex, money and Blackness, Brathwaite deftly navigates even the trickiest of topics in this compilation of essays, holding a lens to joy, heartbreak, and what it really means to be a young woman. 

Out 8th July

For fans of dystopian stories (think Margaret Atwood and Naomi Alderman) this one's a must-read, set in an alternative 1950s Nazi-ruled Britain where women are placed in castes and history is being rewritten. When insurgency outbreaks, Rose - who belongs to an elite caste - is tasked with infiltrating Widowland, where women over 50 have been banished, to find the cause of the rebellion.

Out now

Writer Martha Friel is on the edge of 40 – friendless, practically jobless and very often sad. But after being forced back to her dysfunctional childhood home, she has a chance to start over and rewrite her own life in this razor-sharp exploration of mental health and identity. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this is best enjoyed over a large glass of rosé on a sunny afternoon. 

Out now

This collection of stories amplifies the voices of women from across the African continent and its global diaspora, recalling the journeys they've travelled to own their sexualities. From finding queer community in Egypt to understanding the intersectionality of religion and pleasure in Cameroon, the narratives in the pages are illuminating and inspirational. 

Out 22nd July

No one ever teaches us how to grieve. That’s the core message that soars through Amy Lavelle’s surprisingly uplifting debut. After an unexpected accident, 28-year-old Hannah loses her mum, opening up an exploration of grief and the unusual ways it can manifest. This is a story that’ll stay with you. 

Out 5th August

After trying for a baby with increasing desperation as her thirties sail by, Jane attempts to start again, moving back home with her parents after leaving her career and cheating fiancé behind in London. With a flimsy job, unlikely friends and a growing list of worries, she attempts to conquer her demons to move forward with her life on her own.

Out 22nd July

It's 1944 and, in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa, two strangers meet and share an extraordinary evening together. Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier and one-time globe-maker, Evelyn Skinner is an art historian and possible spy. A beautiful story spanning decades, we recommend tissues – and plenty of them. 

Out now

Libby Page, author of The Lido, has done it again with one of 2021’s most joyful reads. Lorna and her daughter Ella are returning to the Isle of Kip, the remote Scottish island where Lorna grew up. But their arrival will irrevocably change life for Alice, and as the two women are drawn together, they must both face their past. 

Out 24th June