Eight page-turning novels by female authors to read this summer

Nothing completes a summer afternoon quite like getting lost in a brilliant book. Whether you’re looking for an unforgettable romance or a psychological thriller packed with secrets, this season’s new releases offer plenty of reasons to clear your schedule. From highly anticipated sequels to page-turning mysteries, here are eight female-authored fiction reads worth adding to your summer reading list.

Big Little Truths by Lianne Moriarty

More than a decade after Big Little Lies became a worldwide phenomenon, Liane Moriarty returns to Pirriwee with a much-anticipated sequel, due for release later this summer. Celeste, Jane and Madeline are now navigating life with hormonal teenagers, complicated marriages and secrets from the past. When the school principal receives a freshly severed finger, another unsettling mystery begins to unfold. Warm, witty and deliciously dark, Big Little Truths promises all the sharp observations, complicated friendships and unexpected twists that made the original so compelling.

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune

Carley Fortune delivers another transporting romance with this friends-to-lovers story set against the wild beauty of Tofino. Frankie and George have been inseparable since childhood, despite years of disagreements and unresolved feelings. When Frankie is abandoned by her fiancé the morning after her wedding should have taken place, George suggests they embark on her honeymoon together. Their week in paradise offers one final opportunity to repair their friendship – but long-buried secrets and undeniable chemistry threaten to change their relationship forever. Atmospheric, romantic and full of yearning, this is escapist summer reading at its best.

Such a Nice Girl by Andrea Mara 

A glamorous wedding takes a sinister turn in Andrea Mara’s latest psychological thriller. The morning after the celebrations, lifelong friends Siobhan and Grace discover that their 24-year-old daughters are missing from their shared room, leaving behind a smashed lamp, an abandoned phone and blood on the carpet. As the investigation begins, it becomes clear that the young women were not nearly as close as their mothers believed. With one daughter potentially dead and the other suspected of murder, the families’ secrets begin to unravel. Fast-paced, cleverly plotted and packed with twists, Such a Nice Girl will keep you guessing until the very end.

People in Love by Claire Daverley

Following the success of Talking at Night, Claire Daverley returns with a tender and emotionally complex story about love, timing and the lives we might have lived. After ten happy years together, Nora accepts a surprise proposal from her partner, Robin. But their engagement celebrations are disrupted by the return of Bren, the childhood best friend she once seemed destined to love. As old feelings resurface, Nora finds herself torn between the life she has carefully built and the possibility she left behind. Beautifully observed and brimming with heartache, this is a thoughtful exploration of the choices that shape our relationships.

Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena

In her tenth thriller, Shari Lapena puts a wickedly entertaining spin on the traditional whodunnit by revealing the killers from the outset. Jill and Ted adore their enviable lifestyle, but when a disastrous investment threatens everything they have built, the couple settle on an unthinkable solution: murdering a wealthy relative and claiming the inheritance. Their plan appears straightforward, provided they can trust one another and avoid any unexpected complications. Filled with morally questionable characters and mounting tension, this playful thriller will have you wondering whether the couple can really get away with murder.

The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh

Twelve years ago, Carrie married Johan on a sun-drenched beach in Thailand, only for him to be violently abducted four hours later and never seen again. When she unexpectedly discovers he is alive, living another life and seemingly never tried to find her, Carrie is forced to confront the past she thought she had left behind. Blending the emotional intensity of a love story with the suspense of a thriller, this is an absorbing and unpredictable read.

The Wives of Murder Club by Emma White

Four true-crime obsessives travel to remote Snakebite Island for a weekend of rosé, friendship and discussions about notorious killers. But their getaway becomes the subject of its own murder mystery when one of the women is found dead on the shore. Unable to contact the police without exposing the group’s carefully guarded secrets, the remaining friends attempt to stage a convincing disappearance. However, real murder proves far harder to control than the crimes they analyse in their book club. Full of toxic friendships, betrayals and suspicious behaviour, this addictive thriller makes a suitably dark beach read.

Never to be Found by Jo Spain

Jo Spain presents an intriguing and highly original premise inspired by the Japanese phenomenon of Johatsu – people who voluntarily disappear from their lives. The novel’s protagonist helps people in England escape abusive relationships, overwhelming debt and circumstances they can no longer endure by providing new identities and discreet escape plans. She believes she is offering vulnerable people a second chance until she discovers that one of her clients was not fleeing danger, but the consequences of committing murder. Now she must find the man she helped disappear before he strikes again. Tense, propulsive and filled with clever twists, this gripping thriller is difficult to put down.

Alexandra Davis