Time to find the perfect book to read by the pool

Summer will be here before we know it, which means the battle to fit as many books as possible into our suitcases is just around the corner.

There is nothing quite like a 'nothing' holiday, and we can't wait to jet off on one this summer.

We plan on doing nothing but lounging by the pool, eating whatever we want, swimming in the sunshine, and reading as many books as humanly possible.

But where do we start? There are almost too many options out there, but we've gathered up a list of our favourite reads that you'll be glued to on your holiday.

Swept Away by Beth O'Leary

Beth O'Leary is the queen of the modern-day rom-com, so her latest novel Swept Away is the perfect option for your sun holiday.

'Lexi is looking for no-strings-attached fun with a stranger. She deserves one night for herself, doesn't she?

Zeke is looking for love. But for one night with a woman like Lexi, he'll break his rules . . .

Sparks fly at the pub, one passionate kiss leads to another and they end up stumbling home to the marina together.

The next morning, hungover and shaken by an amazing night together, Lexi is more than ready for Zeke to leave. There's just one small problem . . . the houseboat they stayed on has been swept out to sea.

As their supplies start to run dangerously low, and the waves pick up, Zeke and Lexi soon realise there's much more on the line than their new relationship.

How long can they really survive on a drifting houseboat in the North Sea? Will search and rescue find them? And who will they be if they both make it back to dry land?'

Buy here.

Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

Journalist and author Dolly Alderton is like a modern-day Nora Ephron, so you're in good hands here. Her second novel Ghosts, quickly became a bestseller, so why not bring it on your next trip?

The book will only set you back a tenner, so it's a perfect choice if you're saving money for cocktails on the beach.

'Everything gets easier in your thirties, right?

Though she has plenty to celebrate - successful career, new home, loving friends and family - for Nina Dean, her thirties have not exactly been the liberating experience she was sold. From fading friendships to exes popping the question, everyone is moving on (or worse, to the suburbs). And as her dad slowly loses his memories, her mum seems dead set on making new ones.

Then she meets Max, who tells her on date one that he's going to marry her. But what seems like an exciting new development will ensure this year is Nina's strangest yet . . .'

Buy here.

Don't Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri

Emma Dabiri is one of our favourite Irish writers and her book Don't Touch My Hair is an essential non-fiction read.

'This book is about why black hair matters and how it can be viewed as a blueprint for decolonisation. Over a series of wry, informed essays, Emma Dabiri takes us from pre-colonial Africa, through the Harlem Renaissance, Black Power and on to today's Natural Hair Movement, the Cultural Appropriation Wars and beyond.

We look everything from hair capitalists like Madam C.J. Walker in the early 1900s to the rise of Shea Moisture today, from women's solidarity and friendship to 'black people time', forgotten African scholars and the dubious provenance of Kim Kardashian's braids.'

Buy here.

My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes

The queen of Irish fiction never fails to let us down, and My Favourite Mistake is a must-read for your next holiday. Marian's words are a comfort and beautifully honest, which makes her books completely perfect.

'After 20 years, high-flying PR Anna Walsh no longer loves New York.

Returning to Ireland will be a fresh start, she tells her family.
They say: are you having a mid-life crisis?

Because back home, Anna can’t escape her past – the best friend she walked out on, the old flame she tried to put out.

Everywhere she turns, her mistakes are waiting.

But might they just save her?'

Buy here.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Emily Henry remains one of my all-time favourite authors, and her novels are made for summer.

'Daphne always loved the way Peter told their story. That is until it became the prologue to his actual love story with his childhood bestie, Petra.

Which is how Daphne ends up rooming with her total opposite and the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra's ex, Miles.

As expected, it’s not a match made in heaven – that is until one night, while tossing back tequilas, they form a plan.

And if it involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course.

Because there’s no way Daphne would start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex . . . right?'

Buy here.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

There's a reason this novel became an overnight sensation when it was released in 2024. Yellowface is one of the most incredible books we've read and there's no doubt you'll be glued to this one from the very first page.

'When failed writer June Hayward witnesses her rival Athena Liu die in a freak accident, she sees her opportunity… and takes it.

So what if it means stealing Athena’s final manuscript?

So what if it means ‘borrowing’ her identity?

And so what if the first lie is only the beginning…'

Buy here.

Breaking by Amanda Cassidy

Amanda Cassidy is one of Ireland's best crime thriller authors and this is one book you won't be able to put down.

'On a sun-hazed afternoon in the Florida Keys, a child goes missing from the beach. Dr Mirren Fitzpatrick appeals to the world to help find her eight-year-old adopted daughter. The family are on holiday from Ireland, far from home and desperate to return there as they arrived – together.

Yet the police are immediately suspicious of Mirren. She was drinking at a bar – alone – shortly before reporting that her youngest child had disappeared. As rumours abound about Mirren’s past a trial-by-media ensues, and she is turned from a figure of pity to the villain of the piece.

And then a small body is found dumped in the ocean. Is Mirren a heartbroken mother, or the architect of her daughter’s fate?'

Buy here.

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

One of the most talked-about books of the year so far has to be on your holiday reading list.

'Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew, and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?'

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