Love is in the air Books

From first loves to best friends and journeys of self-discovery, this month’s reads are about love in all its many, messy guises.

The Satsuma Complex

Bob Mortimer

Romance, humour and mystery combine to great effect in Bob Mortimer’s first novel. 30-year-old Gary lives a quiet, uneventful life. He’s open to love but hasn’t done too well with it so far. Then he heads out for a drink with his friend Brendan and meets a woman with whom he feels an instant connection. So when Brendan goes missing, Gary has more than one reason to find the mystery woman and get some answers.

A Scatter of Light

Malinda Lo

A coming-out and coming-ofage novel set in California, A Scatter of Light follows Aria as she falls in love for the first time. Aria is spending her last summer before university with her grandmother. It certainly wasn’t the holiday she’d planned, but it turns into a summer of self-discovery as Aria finds herself falling for her grandmother’s gardener, Steph. A slow-burning, bittersweet novel.

The Man I Never Met Elle Cook

When Davey misdials and ends up calling Hannah, it sets off a string of texts that has them both hoping for something more, despite the fact that they live thousands of miles apart. But when they finally arrange to meet in person, Davey doesn’t show. His reason is one that seems certain to keep them apart, but neither is ready to give up on what might be.

By Kate Duggan