Female, Nude : The smouldering and propulsive new literary read for 2026

Perfect for readers of HOT MILK or THE UNWILDING, FEMALE, NUDE is the ultimate literary summer read: propulsive, thought-provoking, sexy and relatable**A STYLIST AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPING MOST ANTICIPATED READ 2026**'Sharp and incisive with a sinewy, sultry quality that makes it really moreish' Pandora Sykes'Energetic and ambitious... thoroughly enjoyable' Guardian'Full of messy characters, I was hooked... I was a whirlwind of emotions reading this *****' Reader Review'What a gorgeous, hot-blooded novel about art, the senses, and the multitudes of the female body' Charlotte Runcie'Magnetically written' Stylist'It's a book about so many things: feminism, betrayal, friendship, class, sex, lust, motherhood, and one hot Greek summer holiday with consequences *****' Reader Review'Beautifully human... Romantic and heady and violent and sexy' Kirsty Capes'Sultry and immediate' Sophie Mackintosh'Sensual and erotic... the atmosphere is electric'*****' Reader Review Sophie, a painter, is holidaying with friends in a stunning villa in Greece - her best friend Helena is shortly to be married, and this is the last time she and her friends will be together as single women. But life has treated them so differently since their university days, that Sophie is questioning everything about their friendship. Meanwhile her partner, Greg, is desperate for them to try for a baby, but she wants to devote herself to her art - and there are other, deeper forces, pulling the two of them in opposite directions. In the course of the holiday, Sophie paints a nude portrait of her friend Alessia, and becomes involved in an intense affair with Ky, who lives and works on the island. Both the painting, and the affair, will challenge everything Sophie thinks she knows, about art, about motherhood, about sex - and about how and with whom she wants to spend the rest of her life.