HOT PLOTS

WHETHER IT’S A ROMANCE, A THRILLER OR EPIC FAMILY SAGA, HANNAH STEPHENSON SUGGESTS 11 SIZZLING SUMMER READS FOR YOUR HOLIDAYS

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THE COMPOUND by Aisling Rawle, The Borough Press, £16.99 ANYONE who follows reality shows with scepticism should bag a copy of this debut from the Irish ex-bookseller, which features a literary slice of Love Island and Big Brother in its setting.

It centres on Lily, who wakes up in the compound of the title surrounded by other gorgeous girls, all waiting fora group of men to join them after traversing a desert to escape a war-torn world.

Itall seems a familiar shallow environment until the producers start asking contestants to perform sick challenges, with gruesome results.

Dark humour abounds, but the underlying message of this literary gem is more about the dangers of materialism and the lengths some people will go to cash in on fame.

DREAM COUNT by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Fourth Estate,£20 For those who might have missed this release in spring, pick up a copy of this eminent author's first novel in 12 years, centring on female experience complicated by layers of race, wealth and shame.

It focuses on four African women living either side of the Atlantic, in very different circumstances, but in some way connected.

One is a wealthy travel writer seeking love, while her best friend is a lawyer who is fervently aware of her biological clock.

There’s also a housekeeper and a high-flyer trying to work out what she wants in life.

GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Emily Henry, Viking, £20 The TikTok sensation and bestselling romantic novelist whose books have sold more than 10.5 million copies worldwide brings readers this terrific beach read about a journalist, Alice Scott, who tracks down former heiress and party girl Margaret Ives on a remote US island, keen to pen the reclusive star's memoir.

But when a rival journalist turns up, things get heated, professionally and personally.