Books: New Novels Perfect For The Heart Of Summer

We are in the middle of summer, a perfect time to take a break, whether on vacation or just taking advantage of a perfect afternoon. In this review, we will look at four books that will be a perfect companion as you relax: Everything That Is Beautiful, by Louise Nealon; Yes, Chef, by Grace Reilly; and Single Girls, by John Searles.

Everything That Is Beautiful

By Louise Nealon

Harper; hardcover, 304 pages; $30.00; available today, Tuesday, August 4th

Louise Nealon is a writer from County Kildare, Ireland, whose debut novel, Snowflake, won Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. It was a #1 international bestseller and also was selected as the One Dublin One Book choice in 2024. Film and television rights were acquired by Element Pictures, with screenwriter Mark O'Halloran onboard to adapt it to the screen.

Everything That Is Beautiful is Nealon's second novel, and it is set in rural Ireland, and follows two intertwined families, with three women whose lives have been irrevocably altered by the actions of a man. 

Nealon's writing takes your right into the textures of Irish life, from farmhouse kitchens to hurling pitches, setting the backdrop for a deeply human story on love, betrayal, and what we take with us from the past.

To Niamh Ryan, the Foleys have always been like family, as she grew up on the farm alongside her best friend Peter and his sister Kate, and embraced by their parents, Helen and Liam, revered as a former hurling star.

One event tears this world asunder, setting off a quiet, far-reaching unraveling that continues to shape each of their lives many years later.

The Irish sport of hurling is kind of a character unto itself in this book, as well as its female version, camogie, which Nealon writes about in this letter:

Hurling is a national sport of Ireland, one of the oldest and fastest field sports in the world. It is not unusual for Irish people to show hurling videos to the uninitiated, waiting for their reaction to seeing the sport for the first time. We try to downplay our swell of pride when we see their eyes widen in disbelief, or our disappointment when their faces remain neutral, nodding politely at the magic we have laid before them. Even those of us who have barely picked up a hurley in our lives become experts. The questions come hard and fast and we try our best to translate what it happening.

The stick that the players use is called a hurl, a hurley, or a caman (pronounced com-awn), depending on what part of the country you are from. It is traditionally made using the wood of an ash tree and looks like the stout relative of a hockey stick. The sliotar (pronounced sh-lit-er), is a hard, leather ball similar to a baseball. Helmets are a relatively new addition to the sport. 

At first glance, hurling can seem like a game of hockey with no rules. The spread of hurling through mass Irish emigration in the nineteenth century is likely to have contributed to the evolution of hockey, as documented by the language used in both sports. A hockey puck is said to have come from the Irish verb puc - to strike a ball, a term that is still used today. It is common practice for hurlers to go for a 'puck around' - to hit a few sliotars with friends.

Hurling has its roots in ancient Irish mythology as a game played by warriors. The first recording of the game dates back to over 3,000 years ago. Irish children grow up learning stories about Cu Chulainn (pronounced Coo-culian), a mythological demigod who got his name through his hurling prowess. While the Republic of  Ireland was under British rule, the sport was outlawed but the game continued to be played and became an exercise in resistance and hope.

In 1884, the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded with an aim to promote and foster Irish sports and forge a sense of national identity. To this day, the GAA remains one of the most important organisations in the history of the country, with clubs in every city, town, and village. Hurling remains an amateur sport, but players selected to represent their country train to a professional level. Every year, the All-Ireland finals are held in Croke Park, a stadium filled to capacity with 82,000 fans. Generations upon generations of players become household names and are idolised by young and old alike.

The female version of hurling is 'camogie' (pronounced ca-mo-ghee) and comes from the word camog - the name for a smaller stick. In May 2025, camogie made international headlines when players were forbidden to wear shorts (instead of the required uniform of skorts) during an official game. The rule has since been changed as a result of player protests and intense media scrutiny. Both the Camogie Association and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association remain separate organisations from the GAA. Former president of Ireland, Mary McAleese, has set up a steering committee which hopes to amalgamate all sports and genders under one association and one name.

Yes, Chef

By Grace Reilly

Avon; paperback, 368 pages; $18.99

Grace Reilly is the USA Today bestselling author of swoony, spicy contemporary romances with heart, and usually a bit of sports thrown in. She is the author of First Down, Breakaway, Stealing Home, and Wicked Serve, which is a college-set sports Beyond The Play series about the Callahan siblings. Beyond The Play was originally self-published, and it is a wild success, with over 250,000 reds in KU and 70k ratings on Goodreads. She is originally from New York, but now resides in Florida, and is known for trying out a new recipe, as well as cuddling her pack of dogs.

Yes, Chef is Reilly's first book that will also be published in audio, and it a romance novel about a down-on-his luck chef and a determined social media maven who strike a reluctant deal to bring a beloved restaurant back to life.

As the title would suggest, there is some influence from the TV series The Bear, as "Yes, chef" is part of the zeitgeist, and that is mixed with It Happened One Summer. One of the biggest takeaways is another long-known phrase, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen."

Chef Jack Hartman had a very public meltdown in the dining room of one of Manhattan's elite restaurants, and he has moved back to his South Florida hometown. There, he is not only angry and grieving about what happened up north, but he is saddled with an unwanted storefront left to him by his late mentor.

Then, Poppy Winfield, the blond, bubbly, utterly infuriating daughter of his former boss, appears at his dock. Like Jack, she is seeking to escape as well, from her disapproving family, her horrible ex-boyfriend, and her reputation as someone who has never taken anything seriously. 

Poppy is out to prove herself, and she has the plan to do it. The problem is, it involves Jack, the most arrogant, prickly, intimidating man she has ever thrown a shrimp at. 

However, Poppy is aware that Jack is desperate for a comeback from his unceremonious firing, so she proposes a deal, that they work together to open a revamped version of his mentor's restaurant. 

Jack would handle the new menu, while she will use her skills as a social media influencer to sell the grand opening. He is intrigued by the idea, as it would set them both on a path back to New York if it's a success, but it would have to be on his terms.

If Poppy is set to work for him, she must learn the ropes of the entire business, including learning how to cook from him. The sparks fly both in and out of the kitchen, and tensions hit a boiling point. That leaves both of them wondering if they're a perfect pairing, or if it's just a recipe for disaster.

Single Girls

By John Searles

Mariner Books; hardcover, 384 pages; $30.00

John Searles is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of four novels, including being voted "Best of the Year" or top picks by Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, Salon, and the American Library Association. He was a top editor at Cosmpolitan for two decades, and he now contributed to the Times and The Washington Post.

Single Girls is Searles' newest novel, and this charming novel reimagines the iconic Helen Gurley Brown's early days when she was at the helm of Cosmopolitan, and the intrepid women who helped her reinvent the magazine. It also examines Brown's youth, envisioning the devastation and people that molded her into a controversial legend.

In 1965, Brown was amidst the runaway success of her book Sex and the single Girl, her revolutionary call for single women not to rush into marriage, and even more boldly, that women should enjoy their sex lives free of shame. When it was published, half the country is outraged, including her own mother, while the other half will follow her anywhere.

Brown receives thousands of letters at her doorstep from readers seeking advice, and she marches from one Manhhattan magazine conglomerate to another, looking for a perch for her unconventional wisdom. It was at her last stop that she was given her chance - three issues to turn around the flailing Cosmopolitan.

Since time was of the essense, it isn't long before Brown has assembled a team of smart and savvy "single girls" up for the challenge. They become stars, with their lives the subject of magazine cover lines, such as the Book Editor's doomed romance with a man she didn't know was married, and her plan for revenge.

There also is the Entertainment Editor's clash with Joan Crawford, and her interview with a Park Avenue call girl that leads to unexpected revelations, and the the (unofficial) Sex Editor who took a trip to soak in the world's first champagne-glass hot tub, and how it went spectacularly wrong.

Searles does an incredible job of not just the movement Brown built, but the mood that was cultivated, of ambition, reinvention, and the thrill of being young when a new world was possible for a single girl, if only she was fearless enough to reach out and take it.