If you’re planning to take it easy over the long weekend, here are some great book suggestions for you
It Should Have Been You – Andrea Mara
“Out in shops next Tuesday is Irish author Andrea Mara’s latest twisty thriller: It Should Have Been You. The concept surrounds the unintended consequences of a simple mistake in a small-knit community – a woman accidentally sends a gossipy text about her neighbour into the entire neighbourhood WhatsApp group (*shudders in suburban horror*). What follows is a nightmarish situation; first she receives death threats, then, a woman who shares the same address as her in a different part of the town is found murdered. Did the killer get the wrong house? And what now!? This is the kind of page turner you’ll stay up late to read just one.more.page – it’s a fast paced, sharply written look at the domino effects of a seemingly careless error, and how quickly lives can spiral out of control. Also, don’t miss my chat with Andrea in the May|June edition of Irish Country Magazine, about how she rewrote her own story by taking a chance on a writing career in her 40s after being made redundant from her work in financial services. Her novel All Her Fault is currently being adapted for a major TV show, starring Succession’s Sarah Snook – you love to see it.” – Niamh, Deputy Editor
City Girls Forever – Patricia Scanlon
“City Girl was one of the first ‘grown up’ books I ever swiped from my mother’s collection as a tween. Undoubtedly too young to be reading it, I inhaled the captivating story of the glamorous lives of Maggie, Devlin and Caroline and quickly followed it up with the rest of the trilogy – City Woman and City Lives – when they were published in the years that followed. Patricia Scanlon is one of my all-time favourite authors so when I heard that she hadn’t fully closed the book (as it were) on her most popular trio of characters, I was thrilled! Reading City Girls Forever is like getting a warm hug from an old friend you haven’t seen in years and talking for hours over a pot of tea and a packet of biscuits, picking up exactly where you left off. It’s relatable, funny, wise, sad, dark, modern, heart-warming…and did I mention, relatable? I loved it.” – Claire, Digital Journalist
Butter – Asako Yuzuki
“I recently read Butter by Japanese writer Asako Yuzuki. This is actually her first novel published in English and is inspired by the real case of a convicted con woman and serial killer—the “Konkatsu Killer”. Journalist Rika is seeking to crack the case of killer Manako Kajii who was previously a gourmet chef and is said to have murdered lonely business men by luring them in with her delicious cooking and then poisoning them. The descriptions of food in this book are so vivid and full of passion it really awakens the senses. Also the little nuggets of Japanese life and culture are fascinating. It is quite a quirky read but the writing draws you in so much that it makes you just want to know more and more about this story.” – Megan, Journalist
The Amendments – Niamh Mulvey
“The Amendments is quite an extraordinary book. Published in 2024, it’s described as ‘the novel of a nation over four decades, a queer love story, and an intricate family drama that will break your heart’ and I have to say, that’s a pretty apt description. It centres around Nell and her partner Adrienne who are about to have a baby. For Adrienne, that is a time of hope and optimism but for Nell, it’s something else entirely due to the traumatic experience she had fifteen years previously. It’s about childhood, first love, fitting in, societal expectations, Ireland over the last four decades, the Catholic church, family, friendship relationships, pain…
One of the things I loved about the book was that it made you care so much about all the characters you met along the way – even if they only made a brief appearance. Niamh Mulvey is an extraordinary writer and given that this is her debut novel, it’s fair to say that we have a lot more to look forward to from this talented author in the future.” – Claire, Digital Journalist
If you’d like a few more recommendations, take a look at these other brilliant recent and soon-to-be-released books:
Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell
The Boy From the Sea by Garret Carr
Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell
The Wardrobe Department by Elaine Garvey
Great Big Beauty Life by Emily Henry
Ghost Wedding by David Park (8 May)
Let Me Go Mad In My Own Way by Elaine Feeney (29 May)
