Is there a greater feeling on this earth than lying near-horizontal in the sun – ideally on a beach, but a pool will suffice – with a brand new summer read and maybe, like, a very cold cocktail or orange juice? It’s the sort of thing that brings to mind the old TikTok adage: Almost forgot that this was the whole point. If business bigwigs learned how to replicate and bottle that exact feeling, they could make a killing.
But what of the actual books themselves? It sucks when you take a summer read on holiday and dive in only to discover that it’s boring or a slog or just not what you envisioned (don’t judge a… etc, etc). Which is why you really ought to do adequate research beforehand. Luckily, we’ve only gone and done it for you. Here are the best summer reads of 2025, from Linea Maja Ernst’s millennial classic-in-the-making Waist Deep to John Patrick McHugh’s hotly-tipped Fun and Games.
Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst
Seven friends from university, one cabin in the forest and a whole load of tension – mostly the sexual kind, although not always. Linea Maja Ernst’s sun-soaked debut Waist Deep was an instant bestseller upon its release in Denmark and has since been translated into 10 languages. It’s easy to see why – this is the sort of book you’ll devour in three sittings (which is what I did). If you’ve ever stared down the barrel of “real adulthood”, unsure of what it’s “supposed” to look like, then you’ll relate to this one. It’s super horny, too, which is always good.
Penguin
Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst
Fun and Games by John Patrick McHugh
I love books set in the Noughties because there are so few of them, so I was easily sold on McHugh’s Fun and Games, which is set in 2009, before I’d even opened it. As for the plot, it follows 17-year-old John Masterson over one summer on the west of Ireland before his exam results come through. He’s working mind-numbing shifts at a hotel, getting action where he can and trying to keep his head down after his mum’s nude sext to another man was leaked to the whole island. It’s brilliantly written; as evocative as it is funny. Think: the male version of Sally Rooney.
Fun and Games by John Patrick McHugh
Hail Mary by Funmi Fetto
In this era of TikTok brain rot and constant notifications, it can be hard to get through a book – which is why it’s always fun and stimulating to read a book told from multiple perspectives. Enter: Hail Mary, the richly-written debut short story collection from British Vogue’s very own style editor Funmi Fetto, which follows the lives of nine Nigerian women as they navigate race, class and life’s various ups and downs, from London to Lagos.
Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth
10/10 book name and 10/10 book cover, both of which should be enough to make you to pick this one up. But if not: Slags is about two 40-something sisters who embark on a road trip through the Scottish highlands in the hopes of rediscovering themselves and each other. Funny, frank and at times heartfelt, Slags is a mixture of Fleabag and Bad Sisters (without the murdery bits) in book form. Those with sisters will like this one especially, I think.
Gunk by Saba Sams
The word “gunk” is bold, cheeky and visceral, much like this debut novel from 28-year-old Saba Sams. While her short story collection Send Nudes was focused on coming-of-age experiences, Gunk is all about motherhood – unsurprising, considering the novel and Saba’s own son arrived just eight weeks apart. Set in Brighton, which is where Saba grew up, the book follows Jules, her ex-husband Leon and 19-year-old Nim, the latter of whom starts working at the sticky-floored student nightclub, Gunk, that the former two own. A very modern novel by a very exciting debut novelist.
We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza’s Youth by Ahmed Alnaouq and Pam Bailey
If you want to read something meaningful and impactful this summer, make it We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza’s Youth, from Ahmed Alnaoug and Pam Bailey, two journalists who’ve spent the past 10 years collating stories from the young people of Gaza who were born under occupation. Is it an easy read? No. Is it a vital one? Absolutely. Especially during a time in which we’re seeing horrifying scenes in Gaza on the news so often, without hearing from Palestinian people themselves. Oh, and tell all your friends.
We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza’s Youth by Ahmed Alnaouq and Pam Bailey
Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter
Obviously this is a good summer read – it’s called Sunstruck! Seriously, though, this one’s exactly the sort of book you’ll want to bring to the beach. Imagine Saltburn if the main protagonist was a mixed-race queer musician from Manchester who gets invited by his mega posh mate Lily to come stay at her parents’ chateau in France. Sticky and pacy with an undercurrent of unease, you won’t want to put it down. And, though fictional, Hunter draws from real life. “I grew up in a mixed-race family in a very white part of Cheshire,” he told Dazed, “and so a lot of my life was spent observing and interacting with people who weren’t really like me.”
Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter
Girl On Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert
While I’m more of a fiction girl myself, I know a lot of people who prefer a book rooted in real life. Which brings me neatly to Girl On Girl, a very well-researched yet totally compelling non-fiction release from Pulitzer Prize finalist Sophie Gilbert. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how any of us emerged from the Noughties – and the misogyny that ran through Y2K pop culture – with our minds in tact, then this one’s for you. Diving into everything from paparazzi upskirt photos to the treatment of Britney Spears, this one’s a must-read for anyone fascinated by that point in history, and how it shaped where we’re at today.
Girl On Girl by Sophie Gilbert
Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan
Disappoint Me might have been released back in January, but if you’ve not read it yet then I think it still counts as a “summer read”. It’s one of my favourites on the list. Set mostly in London and told from the dual perspectives of 30-year-old Max, a trans woman, and her boyfriend Vincent, the second novel from Nicola Dinan (who also wrote Bellies) is smart, funny and razor-sharp throughout. Mostly I was taken by how realistic it is, managing to gather all manner of contradictory, complicated feelings into a miasma of effortless prose. I hated having to finish this one.
Penguin
Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan
Paradise Logic by Sophie Kemp
We love a weird as hell book, and this one definitely fits within that remit. Paradise Logic – an experimental (read: unhinged) novel from Sophie Kemp – is set in late 2010s Brooklyn and follows Reality Kahn, a 23-year-old waterslide commercial actor and zine-maker who decides that, actually, maybe she could get a boyfriend? Maybe she could be “the greatest girlfriend of all time”? “It’s hard to find a partner anywhere, right?” Kempt told Vogue earlier this year. “I mean, I have a partner right now, and I live in New York, so it is possible, but the odds definitely feel stacked against you.”
Paradise Logic by Sophie Kemp