Summer Reads

I have always wanted to have a summer reads feature, Written by someone who was part of a book club, Because books are subjective, a book club member would have already discussed it with others.

As I read most of my books when I am travelling or away on holiday, I wanted someone who travelled regularly too, I am going to hand you over to our 2025 Summer reads reviewer Ilana,

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Jo x

My name’s Ilana, I’m 32, and I work as long-haul cabin crew.

I haven’t always been an avid reader that was always my mum’s role in the family. Try as she might when I was younger, I just wasn’t the child who could sit still, book or not.

It wasn’t until I was 24 and started flying that I slowly began to realise how much I enjoyed reading.

It started with easy reads on red-eye flights, just trying to stay awake. But before I knew it, I was actively on the lookout for my next book before each trip.

Now, if it’s not a book in the galley at 2am, it’s an audiobook and a coffee on the car ride home from London. Fast-forward a few years, me and two friends Jennifer Gallagher and Sophie Bennett decided to start our own book club. We had become obsessed with the Netflix series Saltburn, dissecting every theory, detail, and dark twist. Then it hit us: why not do the same, but with books? Grab a group of girls, some food and drink, and have a proper discussion. Less scrolling through our phones.

And so, @bookwormbecomesher was born.

Based in Liverpool, We’ve been going for two years now and meet once a month to talk books and everything in between. It’s one of the days I look forward to most even if the book wasn’t a favourite, I always leave feeling lighter after a good laugh and a chat with the girls.

So here it is my top picks, based on your mood or genre craving:

Best Book If You’re Into Rom-Coms:

Confessions of a Forty-Something F##k-Up by Alexandra Potter

Not your typical love story, but one that will have you laughing out loud.

It follows Nell, whose business collapses and fiancé vanishes. Her California dream ends, and she returns home to her Insta-perfect friends in London.

It’s raw, funny, and so relatable especially around the pressures women feel at different ages, and the illusion of perfect lives on social media.

It hit home for every woman in our book club, no matter her age. A warm, witty, feel-good read you’ll race through.

Best Book for a Dark Murder Mystery:

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

If you like it dark, graphic, and completely gripping this is your book.

Slaughter doesn’t hold back, and this one is as shocking as it is unputdownable. I love when a story keeps me guessing to the very end, and this one totally did.

Trigger warning: It’s graphic and not for the faint-hearted. But if you like your thrillers gritty and disturbing, this is a standout.

Best Book for a Mind-Bending Thriller:

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent:

Sally Diamond doesn’t understand what she’s done wrong. Her father told her: “When I die, put me out with the bins.”

So that’s exactly what she did.

This one’s darkly funny, clever, and completely addictive. It gets you thinking about nature vs nurture and whether we’re born who we are or made that way.

Sally is a character like no other. You never know what she’ll do next, but you’ll be rooting for her anyway.

If you love a psychological twist, this one’s for you.

Best Book for Belly Laughs:

The Tw*t Files by Dawn French

If you want to howl with laughter (actual tears-in-your-eyes level), this is the one.

I listened on Audible during my drive to work and laughed the entire way there.

Dawn French is iconic, and her storytelling is next-level. She shares every hilarious misstep from childhood to adulthood all the times she’s been an absolute tw*t with honesty and brilliant delivery.

If you loved her in The Vicar of Dibley, you’ll love this.

Best Book for a Beach Read:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Reading about Kya a girl growing up in the marshes of North Carolina while lying on a hot beach? Pure escapism.

The descriptions of the marshland, the wildlife, and Kya’s solitary life are stunning. It’s part mystery, part coming of age, and all beautifully written. I don’t know if it was the setting, the story, or the quiet power of her journey, but it’s one of my all-time favourites.

(And yes — there’s a Netflix film. But trust me, the book is better.)

 Best Book for When You Want Your Heart Ripped Out:

Probably the Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Suzy K. Quinn

This isn’t your typical love story and that’s what makes it unforgettable.

Told through alternating perspectives, it centres around Michael, a socially awkward academic, and Callum, an 11-year-old boy with a sharp mind and a bruised heart.

It’s emotional, wholesome, funny, and full of heart. It’ll have you crying, laughing, and feeling everything in between.

I don’t want to give anything away — just trust me on this one.

 Best Book for That Slow Burn You Can’t Stop Thinking About:

In Memoriam by Alice Winn

A powerful, gut-wrenching love story between two soldiers during WWI. I read this just before Remembrance Day, and it felt especially poignant.

It’s heartbreaking in so many ways love, loss, identity and it stayed with me for weeks.

More than a war story, it’s about what it means to love in a time when love wasn’t safe. One of those rare books that truly leaves a mark.

Whether you’re new to reading or just looking for something different, I hope one of these finds its way onto your shelf (or your jump seat). Happy reading, and if you want to follow along, you’ll find us over at @bookwormbecomesher