Dymphna’s Book Club is heating right up as we reach the end of June with some of the most hotly anticipated titles this summer. Dymphna has been out and about in the The Book Centre, Waterford hand-picking the best of the best of the newest releases.
Lisa Jewell – It Could Have Been Her
Lisa Jewell once again proves why she dominates psychological suspense. It Could Have Been Her begins with an ordinary premise that slowly unravels into something far darker, blending family secrets, obsession, and the unsettling idea that chance encounters can alter lives forever. Jane Trevally is a compelling lead. She is twice-divorced, curious, and still haunted by a traumatic past involving a Hampstead house she cannot forget.
When a lost terrier named Hugo draws her back, she is joined by her loyal stepson Dexter Lombardi as she begins to unpick what really happened all those years ago. A mysterious woman glimpsed in a window and the unsettling Black family deepen the unease. What stands out is Jane herself: intelligent, vulnerable, and utterly human. A gripping domestic thriller with real emotional weight. This is a fine tome of a book and engrossing enough to be enjoyed on the beach or in the garden this summer. Perfect for fans of Liz Nugent and Andrea Mara.
Colin Morgan – The Ballad of Ronan McCoy
The Ballad of Ronan McCoy is a lyrical, atmospheric novel about identity, memory, and belonging. Ronan McCoy feels like a man shaped by both place and absence, as Colin Morgan explores the pull of home and the weight of inherited history. The storytelling has a musical, almost mythic quality, with prose that invites you to slow down and linger. Ronan’s relationships and regrets unfold gradually, giving the novel a quiet emotional power rather than dramatic shock. What stays with you is its sense of emotional honesty. It explores how memory distorts, heals, and haunts. It is patient, reflective fiction, and all the more rewarding for it. A thoughtful read for anyone who enjoys literary novels rooted in landscape and feeling.
This is a stunning book, insightful, introspective and cloaked in the beauty of humanity. It comes with a warning in our view, and that is, this will cause a flurry of tears. It is heartbreaking, devastating, and you will never look at the world in quite the same way, but it is such a beautiful exploration of friendship, love, and grief, and how we move forwards.
Séamas O’Reilly – Prestige Drama
Séamas O’Reilly’s Prestige Drama begins with the disappearance of a Hollywood actor filming a TV drama about the Troubles in Derry, but quickly becomes something richer: a portrait of a city shaped, and often distorted, by its own representation. Through a chorus of voices including scriptwriters, locals, and historians, O’Reilly explores how stories about place become clichés when repeated through outside eyes. Dympna, one of the standout characters, captures this tension perfectly as she navigates Hollywood’s arrival while carrying her own private history of the conflict. The novel is sharp, funny, and deeply aware of how trauma is packaged for entertainment. It skewers stereotypes while remaining affectionate toward its characters, offering a layered, humane view of Derry that resists easy definition.
Patricia Cornwell – True Crime
True Crime traces Patricia Cornwell’s journey from a troubled childhood in North Carolina to becoming a global crime-writing phenomenon. The early sections follow young Patsy Daniels, growing up amid parental instability, mental illness, and a fractured sense of safety, with her mother’s breakdown and her father’s abandonment shaping much of her formative experience.
These memories feed directly into Cornwell’s later creation of Dr Kay Scarpetta, the forensic pathologist who defined her career. The book then shifts into her adult life: literary success, public scrutiny, addiction struggles, and controversial investigations into real-world crimes. It is intimate, sometimes harrowing, and unflinchingly personal. Cornwell presents herself as both witness and subject, blurring the line between memoir and true crime narrative in a way that is compelling, if occasionally unsettling.
Abigail Balfe – This Is NOT the Diary of Izzy Dobson
Told through illustrated diary entries, This Is NOT the Diary of Izzy Dobson follows 12-year-old Izzy, a neurodivergent girl trying to make sense of school, friendship, and family life. Izzy is honest to the point of bluntness, often misunderstood, and navigating a world that doesn’t always make room for how she experiences it. Her voice is warm, funny, and direct, with simple pleasures, like mashed potato and mango chutney, offering comfort amid confusion.
The book blends text and cartoon-style illustrations to reflect her perspective, including her struggles with idioms, emotions, and social cues. At home, challenges continue, including a family member living with dementia. What makes this book stand out is its empathy. It gently invites readers into Izzy’s world rather than explaining it from the outside. A thoughtful, accessible read for younger audiences. What we particularly loved about this book is how beautifully suited it is to young people
Thank you to everyone who joined us for another wonderful month of reading.
All titles as part of Dymphna’s Book Club are available from The Book Centre, Waterford. Tell them we sent you!
