If you love watching this, you'll love reading these: Gossip Girl edition

Gorgeous clothing, people and settings - Gossip Girl is a feast for the eyes. The first two seasons are virtually perfect, from the development of the characters (remember how heinous Chuck was in the first episode, and how you grew to love him?) to the beautiful cinematography - I can't think of a more visually stunning scene on television than when Chuck and Blair confront each other, wearing complementary clothing, in a garden in the Hamptons at the beginning of season two, the stunning backdrop a counterpoint to their pain.

And then there are the stories. From the ridiculous (anything involving Georgina) to the sublime (everyone meeting in the Hamptons), from love triangles (Chuck, Blair and Nate being the best) to epic fights (Blair vs Serena, Blair vs Jenny, Blair vs everyone), from stupid (but at least Serena's chasing her father brought Carter Baizen back into our lives) to lovely (all the friendships), Gossip Girl is a treasure trove of amazing stories. Some of that comes from Cecily vin Zeigesar's original books, but, and it's rare I say this, the television programme is so much better.

So if love you love Gossip Girl (and you've tried the books), here are a few novels that should remind you of the drama and fun Blair, Serena and co brought into our lives. xoxo.

Perfect summer reads 2014

Summer - the sun is shining and you're looking for something to read on the beach/on the plane/in the park/in the garden. Here are my top summer reads, some out already, and some coming out in the next couple of months. Most importantly, all are perfect for the hot weather.

1. The Storms of War by Kate Williams
Billed as Downton Abbey meets Atonement, this First World War-set novel is the sweeping first book in a series that, if justice is to be served, will go on to do big things.
Out July 2.

2. Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Rainbow Rowell's second adult novel, Landline, has a tinge of nostalgia perfect for a hazy summer day. Through its ups and downs it'll sweep you away like a warm breeze.
Out July 31.

3. The Secret Place by Tana French
Intrigue, murder, and the vagaries of teenage girls - Tana French brings those ingredients and more together in The Secret Place, the most perfect crime novel I've read for some time. 
Out on August 28.

4. Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little
If you like your news in short sharp snippets and you like you celebrity gossip with plenty of commentary, Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little is the perfect book. Its narrator is full of snark, and its premise will have you guessing to the surprising end, so get your sunglasses and paparazzi face on.
Out on August 14.

5. The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman
Forget everything you know, or don't, about boxing and delve into Anna Freeman's The Fair Fight, a swashbuckling novel about female fighters, feminism and standing up for yourself.
Out on August 28.

6. Her by Harriet Lane 
Chilling enough to help keep you cool through the hot summer months, Harriet Lane's Her is addictive and filled with tension that builds and builds to a horrifying climax.
Out now.

7. Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
Surprisingly, for a book with an 82-year-old protagonist, Emma Healey's Elizabeth is Missing will have you on the edge of your seat from the beginning.
Out now.

8. The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby
For fans of fashion, icons and history, The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby is a brilliant, easy-to-read novel about one of the most famous outfits in memory.
Out now.

Review: Dear Daughter by Elizabeth Little

The internet, social media and 24-hour news, all fascinating tools that mean we can access information pretty much instantly, and which also mean it's impossible for people to hide.

Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are just two IT girls whose nosediving careers have kept gossip magazines and Twitter occupied, and they were partly the inspiration behind Elizabeth Little's fabulous novel Dear Daughter.

Ten years ago Janie Jenkins was convicted of murdering her mother, a socialite and philanthropist. Now aged 27 and released on a technicality, a disguised Janie heads to small town America to find out the truth about what happened on the night her mother was killed.

If you crossed Gossip Girl with Gone Girl, and added a twist of the National Enquirer and Perez Hilton, the love child they'd create would be Dear Daughter. Only Dear Daughter is better. This is a sharp, witty novel that examines our obsession with celebrity in what is just a plain good story.

Janie, who goes "undercover" as Rebecca after being released from prison, narrates the whole book with a voice that is bitchy and weary and shot through with a dark humour. Little has created a compelling narrator in Janie, one you feel sorry for and are awed by at the same time. Janie is, in essence, the kind of celebrity we just can't help wanting to hear about and from, only with more depth, since we really get to know her.

Dear Daughter has plenty of secondary characters, and even a love interest (or two), but it really stands out because it's a book about women - how women see each other, female friendship, mother-daughter relationships. It's refreshing that Little decides to shove the romantic entanglements slightly onto the back burner; it keeps the book moving and interesting and means the central core of Janie trying to find out who killed her mother is never abandoned.

And then there's the mystery of what happened to Janie's mother. I have to applaud Little for the way that she kept me guessing. Not only were there various twists and turns that Janie came across that she told the reader about, I was also never 100 per cent sure of whether Janie had done it or not right until the big reveal. Little writes a modern twist on the scene where a detective gathers all the suspects into a room and tells them who dunnit, and it's marvellous.

Dear Daughter is a novel of our time, particularly with the current fascination with the trial of Oscar Pistorius, but it's also just a great read. This is an indulgent summer read that will leave you feeling you've spent your time well.

•Dear Daughter is released on August 14, 2014.

How I got this book: From the publisher, Harvill Secker. This did not affect my review.