Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Arrow, £8.99)

Given the soaring popularity of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, it would be easy to forget that this isn't another self-published phenomenon, but rather a novel which dates back to 1991. I was late to the Outlander party and only started reading the books earlier this year as research for an interview with the actor Sam Heughan, who plays charismatic Highlander Jamie Fraser in the US television adaptation. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement.

If Fifty Shades of Grey is a cheap and nasty supermarket ready-meal, then Outlander is akin to filling your belly with delicious, hearty fare. One of the biggest appeals is the strong female lead in Claire Randall, a former Second World War nurse who travels through time. Claire is on a second honeymoon to Scotland with her husband Frank in 1945 when she is transported back to 1743 courtesy of a mysterious set of standing stones. It is here, on the cusp of the Jacobite rising, that she meets Jamie and a powerful story of star-crossed lovers unfolds.

The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £12.99)

I've long had a thing for parallel universes, the idea that alternative lives - or indeed several versions of one life - could be playing out all at once brings an odd sense of comfort. Laura Barnett's debut novel, The Versions of Us, has been described as One Day meets Sliding Doors (that's the David Nicholls book and 1998 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow). Those who have read Kate Atkinson's sublime offering Life After Life may also see echoes. While such comparisons are perhaps inevitable, that is to do a disservice to the standalone brilliance of The Versions of Us, which chronicles a love story that hits a fork in the road and jettisons off in three starkly different directions.

In version one, Eva and Jim meet and fall in love; in version two they have a fleeting encounter and Eva marries another man; and in version three it all goes terribly wrong. The three strands are then plaited: intertwined yet remaining intrinsically distinct and separate entities.

The Versions of Us is more than simply a story of romance and tantalising what ifs, providing a frank dissection of human foibles and the often complex mechanics of our relationships.

I Take You by Eliza Kennedy (Jonathan Cape, £12.99)

Lily Wilder is getting married. There is only one hitch with getting hitched: she is utterly incapable of staying faithful to one man. The book is barely a handful of pages old and Lily has already cheated on her adorable future husband Will. Twice. On her hen night.

Wilder by name, arguably even wilder (as in completely untameable) by nature, there is something curiously refreshing about an anti-heroine who refuses to buy into the social construct of fidelity. Like most women of her generation, Lily has grown up hearing Disney's saccharine and hackneyed fable that "someday my prince will come". It's not that she doesn't believe in love, but simply has a voracious appetite. Why stop at one chocolate when you can eat the whole box? Ditto a smorgasbord of men.

It's a clever premise but there are moments where it feels as if Charlie Sheen has Quantum Leaped into the body of a Harvard-educated lawyer. The early pace is a tad meandering, but stick with it for the delicious twist in the tale. If you ever wondered what Bridget Jones or Carrie Bradshaw would be like if they had been born as millennials, this isn't too wide of the mark.

Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell (Little, Brown, £14.99)

Speaking of Carrie Bradshaw, Candace Bushnell is back. Ever since Sex and the City I've had a love-hate relationship with Bushnell (adored Trading Up, was lukewarm about Four Blondes, would not save Lipstick Jungle or One Fifth Avenue from a burning library if they were the last books on earth).

Killing Monica? It's rather good. In fact, it's one of those novels you promise you will read for half-an-hour, only to realise when you look up again that several hours have passed, it's getting dark outside and that pile of laundry won't wash itself.

Main protagonist Pandy "PJ" Wallis is a bestselling author of a series of books about a single girl in New York - Monica - which are made into blockbuster movies starring SondraBeth Schnauzer in the title role. While the soaring popularity of the films sees SondraBeth become a household name with millions in the bank, Pandy - who feels she is the real Monica - is left feeling sidelined and bitterly jealous.

If you think that sounds uncannily familiar you're not the only one. Bushnell has been forced to deny that the novel is based on her own life and relationship with not only her most famous character but the actress, Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie Bradshaw in the hit television show. Life imitating art? Razor-sharp satire? Thinly veiled barbs? Either way it's an enjoyable frolic through pop culture, celebrity lifestyle and the fashionable haunts of the rich and famous. A pacy read packed with juicy scandal and lashings of wry humour.

Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling by William Fotheringham (Yellow Jersey Press, £16.99)

It is 30 years since a French rider last won the Tour de France: that man was Bernard Hinault in 1985. One of the greatest cyclists to have ever thrown a leg over a saddle, Hinault is a five-time winner of the Tour. He broke the mould in more ways than one.

Hinault earned his nickname "the Badger" among cycling's pro peloton for his tenacious fighting style when cornered. He became as well known for his leftfield exploits as for his formidable racing prowess. During the 1984 Paris-Nice race, Hinault famously began dishing out punches to a group of striking dockyard workers who were blocking the route (having first ridden full pelt into them like a bowling ball aimed towards skittles).

His final Tour victory in 1985 marked a watershed moment in the sport: the French nation that had dominated the event in its first eight decades found they could no longer win the race they invented. If you loved William Fotheringham's biographies on cycling legends Eddy Merckx, Tom Simpson and Fausto Coppi, this is another stellar read to add to that collection.

The Show by Tilly Bagshawe (HarperCollins, £7.99)

Tilly Bagshawe is the equivalent of Jilly Cooper 2.0, her novels a heady world of posh country living, tight jodhpurs and racy, steamy romps.

The Show marks the second book in her Swell Valley series - following The Inheritance published last year - revolving around the life in the idyllic village of Fittlescombe where screenwriter Laura Baxter lives with her hunky farmer husband Gabe. With finances tight on Wraggsbottom Farm, Laura devises a shrewd money-making plan: she will offer up her life as fodder for a new reality television show. On paper it seems a genius idea - think Made in Chelsea does the South Downs - but not everyone is convinced. Fittlescombe's hapless new vicar Bill Clempson is quick to show his distaste, leading a protest which divides the village and sees a furious feud break out. Laura and Gabe, meanwhile, find themselves torn between new-found fame and yearning for the simpler - and poorer - life they had before. Whip smart, brilliantly funny and with a colourful cast, The Show is a beach bag must.

Girl at War by Sara Novic (Little, Brown, £14.99)

When former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was found dead in his cell in a detention centre at The Hague in 2006 before his trial for war crimes could play out, Sara Novic was left with unresolved feelings of anger. She has channelled these into a searing debut novel, one whose content lingers with you long after you have closed the pages. Girl at War centres on Ana Juric, a 10-year-old tomboy growing up in the Croatian capital Zagreb in 1991. What began as a carefree summer starts to fray at the edges as tensions run high and the wail of air raid sirens shatter the status quo. Refugees begin to flood the city, bringing with them unsettling rumours of people mysteriously disappearing or being forced to march from their homes at gunpoint. Former friends find themselves on opposing sides of the battle lines. You will be hooked from the opening line: "The war in Zagreb began over a packet of cigarettes."