Looking for some holiday reading? Here are 12 brilliant books to pack in your suitcase this summer

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances (Pan Macmillan)
Laura and her son Daniel have always been close, but for the past few years, he’s been away at university. When he returns home after graduating, she relishes spending time with him. In a matter of days though, Daniel meets Cherry, a bright, ambitious estate agent who has always wanted more for herself. Laura invites Cherry over for a family meal, but rather than forging a friendship, the two women get off to a less than auspicious start. Michelle Frances’ skill lies in taking a relationship familiar to many, and creating two characters who transform it into something much more malignant, keeping the reader on a knife-edge throughout. (Jade Craddock)

Best non-fiction

I Found My Tribe by Ruth Fitzmaurice (Chatto & Windus)

Ruth Fitzmaurice and her husband Simon were happily married and expecting their third child when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2008. Given only three years to live, he is still alive nearly a decade later, but can now only communicate with his eyes. Fitzmaurice struggles – with Simon’s decline and the pressure of looking after their five children. But in the midst of all this, she finds her ‘tribe’ – the Tragic Wives’ Swimming Club, a group of friends who regularly brave the Irish Sea to gain a fleeting moment of exhilaration, normality and freedom. Fitzmaurice’s book is poetic, devastating, life-affirming and funny. (Verena Vogt)

Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give by Ada Calhoun (W.W. Norton & Company)

Ada Calhoun’s new book of essays is no place for soul mates and generic declarations of togetherness. Instead, there’s resentment for missing flights, breaking bathroom taps and finding other people attractive. If this sounds cynical, it’s not meant to be; Calhoun is supportive of love and those who seek it out. Her sweetest moments are those where she zones in on the minutiae of her marriage and being a parent. Calhoun reserves her final essay for the one speech she would give newlyweds. Hopeful, sensible and grounded in reality, it serves as guidance to those in long-term relationships and those embarking on them. (Keeley Bolger)

But Seriously by John McEnroe (W&N)

If you’re missing McEnroe’s iconic voice in his Wimbledon commentaries, dip into his second autobiography. His first, 2003’s Serious, charted his childhood and early days of tennis – which progressed to seven Grand Slam singles titles, the ‘Superbrat’ reputation and a tumultuous eight-year marriage to actress Tatum O’Neal, marred by her addiction battles, his hot temper and a prolonged custody battle for their three children. Now, the follow-up deals with his struggles to reinvent himself as a father, art collector, musician and broadcaster, his relationship with second wife Patty Smyth, and his efforts to be the best father he could to his six children. (Kate Whiting)

For kids

Knighthood For Beginners by Elys Dolan (Oxford University Press)

Dave is a dragon who’s really pretty rubbish at being a dragon. Cast away from his disappointed parents, he stumbles on a book called Knighthood For Beginners and decides he’d rather be a knight. As the book instructs, he finds a trusty steed in the form of adventurous goat Albrecht, who manages to win a suit of armour to make Dave look the part. The odd-looking pair are soon imprisoned by towering Sir Gnasty, who is plotting to overthrow the King. Dolan’s comic-strip illustrations make it a fun and speedy read. It’s a story of friendship, finding your strengths and the love of books. (Kate Whiting)

What The Ladybird Heard On Holiday by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks (MacMillan Children’s Books)

Little fans of Julia Donaldson have loved finding the glittery ladybirds and joining in with the animal noises in her previous two collaborations with Lydia Monks: What The Ladybird Heard and What The Ladybird Heard Next – and this one is the perfect sharing holiday read for parents and small children. Lanky Len and Hefty Hugh are back, this time with the plan to steal a monkey from the zoo and use it to nick the Queen’s crown. But our favourite crime-fighting ladybird just happens to be on holiday in the same city… (Kate Whiting)

Kid Normal by Greg James and Chris Smith (Bloomsbury Children’s)

Murph, a boy with no powers whatsoever, moves to a new home and gets mistakenly accepted to an X-Men-style school for children with special capabilities (known as Capes). When it’s discovered that he can’t actually fly, the headteacher decides to let him stay on at the school, despite the fact all the children now call him Kid Normal. No superhero book would be complete without a dastardly villain – and in half-man, half-wasp Nektar, we have one of the best-drawn, who relies on his henchman to come up with more devious plans than just spoiling people’s picnics. Packed with very amusing asides, it’s a fun and fast-paced read. (Kate Whiting)