Books of the Month July 2025

Books of the Month - July

Looking for the perfect summer read? Whether you're lounging by the pool or escaping the heat indoors, our July selection offers something for every kind of book lover.

Tales of mystery, memory, resilience, and rekindled love, July’s lineup offers a mix of historical drama, emotional journeys, and chilling suspense. From Hollywood’s golden age secrets to the windswept nostalgia of island romances, from wartime London to the fiery sands of an ultramarathon in the Sahara. So whatever your reading mood - a thought-provoking escape, a gripping thriller, or heartwarming tales of second chances, there’s a book here to keep you hooked to the very last page.

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The Strange Disappearance of Kitty Fox by Lisa Hall A missing starlet. An unsolved mystery. Can Lily save Hollywood’s next big movie star? Lily Jones is thrilled to find herself in the 1950s. She misses her 21st century life but has a blossoming romance with her musician friend Louis and her dream job working on a movie set. The lead actress Kitty Fox is a rising star, yet Lily recalls that after this movie she goes missing, her disappearance an unsolved mystery that barely makes a ripple in Hollywood history. But as Lily begins to understand the brutal studio system of Hollywood in the 1950’s, with its overwhelming control, exploitation, and secrets, she wonders if there might be something sinister at play behind Kitty’s vanishing. Whatever happened to Kitty Fox? Can Lily save her and change the course of history, or is her fate already sealed by the shadows of Hollywood’s past? Published 24th July 2025 by Canelo Hera. £9.99 Paperback. Order Here

River of Stars by Georgina Moore. Jo hasn’t seen Oliver since that magical, life-changing summer when their idyllic paradise was shattered. Growing up on Walnut Tree Island, they were everything to each other, defying an old family feud that fractured their families’ decades before. If first love runs deep, Jo and Oliver’s ran like the river itself, fast and true. On Walnut Tree Island, love affairs and secrets come and go like the tides. Once the pulse of a flourishing 1960s music scene, it’s where Mary Star fell in love with a young musician about to hit the big time, only to be left with a baby and a broken heart. Mary has made the island a haven for two generations of Star women, raising her daughter and her granddaughter, surrounded by the river, supported by a bohemian, artistic community. But Oliver’s return to the island after years away opens the wounds of a love, she thought she had lost forever. Published 3rd July 2025 by HarperCollins. £16.99 Hardback. Order Here

The Girl with the Suitcase by Lesley Pearse. London, 1941. Mary’s life has always been one of hardship and routine, working tirelessly to make ends meet in a city ravaged by war. One night, during an air raid, Mary meets a glamorous and enigmatic stranger named Elizabeth. Their lives couldn’t be more different, Elizabeth is everything Mary is not, exuding confidence and privilege. As bombs fall, the two take shelter underground, sharing stories and forming a fleeting connection amidst the chaos. But as fate would have it, Mary’s world changes forever when she wakes up in a hospital after the raid. Injured but alive, Mary is mistakenly handed Elizabeth’s suitcase, containing money and tickets to Ireland. For Mary, this mix-up seems like a rare chance to escape her struggles and start anew. With Elizabeth’s identity thrust upon her, Mary must decide whether to seize this unexpected opportunity or face the consequences that may follow. Published 3rd July 2025 by Penguin Michael Joseph. £22 Hardback. Order Here

See the Stars by Eleanor Ray. When Alice Thorington collapses in the street after a particularly hellish day at work, she must finally admit to herself that her outwardly happy life – steady relationship, well-paid job, beautiful flat in the city – isn’t everything she’d hoped it would be. Burnt out by long hours and living a life that doesn’t fulfil her dreams, Alice returns home to Yorkshire. Her childhood home brings complicated family dynamics, a rediscovery of her passion for stargazing and two new friends: Berti, a boy who finds it easier to count the stars than interact with people, and Matt, her brother’s best friend and Alice’s teenage crush. With each of them facing their own struggles, can the stars that meant so much to Alice in her past help them to find their way in the present? Filled with heart and warmth, this uplifting novel reminds us that we need the darkness if we want to see the stars. Published 10th July 2025 by Hachette UK. £20. Hardback. Order Here

The Magus of Sicily by Philip Gwynne Jones. As the summer sun beats down on the ancient town of Acitrezza, a folk festival plays out in the picturesque harbour. Music and laughter fill the air, and a traditional pantomime draws a crowd. For journalist Nedda Leonardi, it’s just another day’s reporting in a calendar of unremarkable events. Until that is, the performers dive in the sparkling Ionian Sea for their finale… and emerge with a corpse. Could this be Nedda’s big break? After one trick too many, Calogero Maugeri, self-styled Magus and con artist, is a wanted man. But his attempts to clean up his act and keep a low profile are thwarted when it’s revealed he has a suspicious connection to the dead man pulled from the sea. A young reporter keen for a scoop and a reformed swindler desperate to clear his name, can this improbable pair solve the most unusual of murders? Published 3rd July 2025 by Little, Brown UK. £22 Hardback. Order Here

Annabel and Her Sisters by Catherine Alliott. Annabel is deep in sandwich generation territory. Widowed for nearly a decade and raising two spirited teenagers alone, she faces the ongoing dilemma of what’s best for her increasingly frail ageing mother. Her strong-willed sisters, Ginnie and Clarissa, have already mentally sold their mother’s London house and spent the proceeds, but Annabel isn’t sure what their mother will truly think. After a decade on her own, Annabel’s children have decided it’s time to play matchmaker and give her life a romantic reboot. Before she knows it, Annabel has two romantic prospects: the charming ex-army builder renovating her loft extension and, more unexpectedly, the kind-hearted vicar from her local church. But when long-buried family secrets surface and threaten the very fabric of Annabel’s cherished childhood, what, or who, she truly needs becomes suddenly crystal clear in the most surprising and life-changing ways. Published 17th July 2025 by Penguin. £9.99 Paperback. Order Here

Runner 13 by Amy McCullogh. It’s the ultimate test of endurance: two-hundred-and-fifty miles in the brutal, blistering heat of the Sahara Desert, with only the supplies you can carry on your back. Every step is agony, every breath a battle. Adri is ready. Returning to ultra-running in the wake of a scandal that nearly ruined her, she needs to prove to herself – and to her young son – that she’s still a fighter, still a winner. But when a fellow runner is badly injured under suspicious circumstances, Adri starts to suspect that something isn’t right. In a race this extreme, even a dead body can be explained away as part of the risk. Yet the further she runs, the clearer it becomes someone out there is hunting the competitors. And the problem with running faster than everyone else? You’re miles ahead of anyone who can save you. Published 19th June 2025 by Michael Joseph. £18.99 Hardback. Order Here

Ordinary Love by Marie Rutoski. When Emily catches sight of Gennifer Hall at a party, she is transported back to the moment they fell in love as teenagers. Their connection was electric, and they thought it was forever. Twenty years later, Gen is an Olympic runner, the career she strived for, while Emily is living a picture-perfect life: Manhattan townhouse, two young children and a wealthy husband, Jack. But Jack’s controlling behaviour is spiralling, and Emily has lost sight of who she once was. Now, despite Emily’s fracturing marriage and the pressures of Gen’s career, they are drawn back together by a magnetic attraction. After years of heartbreak, missed chances and misunderstandings, will they finally get a second chance at first love? Published by Little, Brown Bookshop. 12th June 2025. Hardback £16.99. Order Here

The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis. Many stories are told about the five Mansfield sisters. They are haughty, thinking themselves better than their neighbours in the picturesque village of Little Nettlebed. They are liars, troublemakers, untamed and dangerous. Accounts of their behaviour differ, but the villagers all agree that the girls are odd. One long summer, a heatwave descends. Bloated sea creatures wash up along the parched riverbed, animals grow frenzied, ravens gather on the roofs of those about to die. As the stifling heat grips the village, so does a strange rumour: the Mansfield sisters have been seen transforming into a pack of dogs. With the witch trials only a recent memory, hysteria sets in. Slowly but surely, the villagers become convinced that something strange is taking root in Little Nettlebed. And when a bark finally leads to a bite, the sisters will be the ones to pay for it. Published 26th June 2025 by Hutchinson Heinemann. £16.99. Hardback. Order Here

How Not to be a Political Wife by Sarah Vine. Journalist and columnist Sarah offers a witty, brutally honest glimpse into life as the ex-wife of a British politician, particularly in the cutthroat world of politics. This isn’t a polite memoir but a sharp, cathartic ride through political chaos, media scrutiny, endless campaigning, and the personal toll it takes. Sarah spills the tea on Westminster’s absurdities, awkward social events, press judgment, and the loneliness of being a “plus-one” in a power-driven world. Part confessional, part social commentary, it reveals the survival tactics for life in someone else’s shadow, especially when that shadow involves daily headlines and drama. With biting humour and emotional depth, Sarah pulls back the curtain on a world few see, and even fewer would want to live in. It’s a juicy, clever read about navigating marriage, identity, and the absurdities of public life. Published 19th June 2025 by HarperCollins. £20 Hardback. Order Here

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