If you're jetting off to Italy, Spain, or even down to West Cork then this is the one book you need to pack in your suitcase.

When it comes to holiday reads we all need something gripping but entertaining, which is why Reality Check by Vicki Notaro is the ultimate summer read.

I was lucky enough to read the novel earlier this year and the story has stuck with me ever since.

Reality Check is both witty and charming, but moving and eye-opening too. It perfectly captures what life can be like for women in their late thirties, a demographic often dismissed in Irish fiction.

Notaro has featured important topics in the story like choosing not to have children, the end of long-term relationships, and family illness, but they're perfectly balanced with wit, charm, and a sprinkling of La La Land.

This story is pure escapism but remains relatable despite the fact that none of us are wealthy reality stars.

Check out the full synopsis below and thank me later when you're glued to this book from page one.

Reality Check is the book of the summer

'Portia Daniels' life is sorted. She has a perfect man (Jason, a hot TV producer from Ireland), a perfect apartment (in lower Manhattan), a perfect job (writing for TV). Best of all for her, unlike the rest of her family, she lives in perfect obscurity.

'On the other hand, it's all drama with her mother, Dessie, Kerry-born queen bee of hit reality show, Ladies of Los Angeles, and sisters, Vinnie, a supermodel-turned-Insta-guru and Ariel, a Tik-Tok teen sensation.

'When Jason drops a bombshell that leaves her life in tatters, Portia flees to be with her family. Her timing could not be worse though as scandal engulfs Vinnie's empire and Ariel bratty behaviour gets out of hand. As for Dessie, she is clearly hiding something. It seems like the glamour and gossip on which Dessie built her empire might just be its downfall.

'But maybe Portia has been fooling herself about living a 'real' life? She might be about to get as big a wake-up call as her mother and sisters.'

Reality Check by Vicki Notaro is available in all bookshops now.

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