We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.
Courtesy of Penguin
1
Waist Deep, Linea Maja Ernst (out now) 
Five university friends (and their partners) reconnect in a cabin in the woods for a seductive, sexy week. A thoughtful and funny debut from a Danish journalist. We are excited to see what’s next.
2
Next to Heaven, James Frey (out now)
Did you like The White Lotus? Cannot get enough of Netflix’s pale eat-the-rich imitations? Then get a load of reliably provocative James Frey’s thriller about the world of the Connecticut elite: a tale of murder, sex, and betrayal (in short, all the good stuff). Destined to be found at the side of lux pools this summer.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
3
Open, Heaven, Seán Hewitt (out now)
A tale of first love, and the insecurities and anxieties that are attached to that experience, from the author of All Down Darkness Wide (a memoir that is also very worth checking out).
4
Sunstruck, William Rayfet Hunter (out now)
Another glimpse into the privileged elite, but this time they’re English: Hunter explores heartbreak and corruption in this story about an outsider’s summer with an aristo family. Easy, moreish, Saltburny.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
5
Parallel Lines, Edward St Aubyn (out now)
The Patrick Melrose author has assembled a typically unhappy group of people, including the unstable and abandoned Sebastian, in this witty (and very welcome) outing.
6
The Emperor of Gladness, Ocean Vuong (out now)
The celebrated author and poet returns with a new novel, about a college drop-out in small-town America, which has an unusual, compelling narrative style. Surely the most contemplative book you would read on the beach this summer. You can read our interview with Vuong here.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
7
Fitzcarraldo Editions Perfection, Vincenzo Latronico (out now)
Latronico’s perceptive – and often, very close – tale of two Berlin-based millennials is this year’s sleeper hit. And it is not hard to see why: the book taps into very modern anxieties and frustrations, while retaining a sense of humour.
8
Strangeland: How Britain Stopped Making Sense
Holidays can be clarifying experiences: how much do you like your job? Should you rock a shell necklace? Why not take some time out to find out what, exactly, is going on with Britain courtesy of Jon Sopel’s lucid account of a changed nation.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
9
Hunchback, Saou Ichikawa (out now)
Japanese literature in translation has been booming lately: Butter, those books about cats and cafés. The latest intriguing, unsettling title is Hunchback, which tells the story of a woman in a care home who has a much more scandalous second life on the Internet.
10
Poor Ghost!, Gabriel Flynn (out now)
This is the story of Luca who, fresh from flunking out of his PhD, is employed by Andy to write his life story. A moving meditation on inheritance and home, and the difficulties that come along with both of those things.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
11
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers, Caroline Fraser (out now)
Get your true crime fix while you tan. Caroline Fraser’s investigation into serials killers in the Pacific Northwest is a fascinating exploration of some very famous murderers and the environmental destruction that shaped them.
12
The Closet, Teo van den Broeke (out 17 July)
Esquire UK editor-in-chief Teo van den Broeke tells the story of his life through some eclectic wardrobe staples – from a blue princess dress to a pair of Gucci loafers – in this moving memoir about self-acceptance. What do clothes tell us about who we are? And the person we want to be?
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
13
Men in Love, Irvine Welsh (out 24 July)
The Trainspotting gang return for an adventure in the late Eighties. But have they grown up? (And do we really want them to?)
14
Pan, Michael Clune (out 24 July) 
Nicholas, a troubled 15-year-old (though, aren’t they all?), forgets how to breathe: could it be a psychiatric problem? Or maybe, the Greek god Pan is stuck inside him. A delightfully odd coming-of-age story.
Watch Next
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below