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What begins as a disagreement between neighbours quickly spirals into something far more sinister. Those People Next Door is a thought-provoking thriller that blends social issues with courtroom drama, keeping you questioning everyone’s motives until the very end.
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*Advanced Reader Copy* Returning to The Book Club Murders felt like catching up with old friends. The familiar cast, another compelling mystery, and Maggie Allswell’s cosy writing style made this a thoroughly enjoyable read. While I found this instalment a little more predictable than the first, it was still an entertaining mystery that kept the…
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*Advanced Reader Copy* The Knife Maker of Venice is a well-researched historical fiction set in seventeenth-century Europe, following a young English boy who is captured and sold into slavery in Venice. The story begins slowly, focusing on world-building and character introduction, before building into a more fast-paced and action-driven second half. The sibling relationship between…
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Station Eleven is a haunting and reflective dystopian novel that explores life before and after a devastating pandemic. Through interconnected characters and shifting timelines, it focuses less on action and more on the emotional weight of survival, memory, and human connection. While its structure can feel disorienting at first, the story gradually weaves together into…
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*Advanced Reader Copy* I went into The Book Club Murders not quite knowing what to expect, but it quickly won me over with its humour, charm, and intriguing premise. Following a book club that suspects they have stumbled across a real-life serial killer, the story balances light-hearted moments with genuine suspense. With a cast of…
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As Felicia gains the girl’s trust, more details begin to surface, bringing the tragedy far closer to home than she ever anticipated.” This one really stuck with me. One of Our Own is emotional, engaging, and hard to put down, even if you can see where it’s going.
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Orbital by Samantha Harvey is a quiet, reflective science-fiction novel that follows a group of astronauts observing Earth from space, focusing more on their thoughts and emotions than a traditional plot. While it explores powerful themes like grief, human connection, and the fragility of our planet, I often felt a little disconnected despite some thought-provoking…
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There’s something incredibly special about Jess and Norma. It feels less like reading a book and more like sitting down with them, listening to their stories unfold in their own voices. Warm, honest, and deeply personal, this memoir captures not just their journey, but the unbreakable bond between them. It’s comforting, moving, and at times…
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In a world where colourful covers can hide complex and explicit themes, how do we know what’s truly suitable for younger readers? As “spicy” BookTok recommendations continue to blur the line between Young Adult and Adult fiction, it raises an important question: should books come with age ratings like films and games?
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There’s something incredibly special about A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. It isn’t driven by high-stakes action or constant tension, but by the quiet, meaningful connections between its characters. Each member of the Wayfarer crew feels real, flawed, and deeply human, despite coming from entirely different worlds. It’s a story that reminds you…
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Chain Gang All Stars is set in a near-future America where prisoners can earn freedom by surviving a televised death-match programme. The story follows teammates and lovers Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker as rules shift and protests rise. While the large cast and frequent perspective changes can feel confusing, the central relationship is…
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ke It Back is a gripping and thought-provoking novel that follows Zara Kaleel, a former barrister who leaves behind one of London’s brightest legal careers to work at a rape crisis centre. When she begins supporting Jodie Wolfe, a vulnerable sixteen-year-old who accuses four Muslim boys of rape, the case quickly spirals beyond the courtroom.…
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I went into The Favourites expecting a straightforward romance set on the ice — what I found instead was a dramatic, twist-filled story of ambition, obsession and destructive love. Set against the glittering but ruthless world of competitive skating, this modern reimagining of Wuthering Heights delivers betrayal, sabotage and shock after shock. Just when you…
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We’ve all been there: someone calls a book their favourite, and the room goes quiet when another reader admits they didn’t enjoy it. Suddenly, a difference in taste feels personal. In this post, I reflect on how we can share honest book opinions — in reviews and book clubs — without turning disagreement into discomfort.
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Leviathan Wakes is an expansive, cinematic science fiction novel that balances mystery, political tension, and interplanetary conflict across the solar system.
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I’m a big history fan, so I went into Eleanor expecting a history-focused book that would explore the life of a lesser-known Queen of England. Instead, the book is largely a retracing of Eleanor’s funeral procession through England, which, while interesting in places, wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
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Cultish challenges the idea that cults are only religious or inherently bad, instead presenting them as something that exists on a spectrum. By exploring sport, fandoms, and marketing alongside religion, Amanda Montell shows how language creates belonging — and how easily that sense of connection can shift from healthy to harmful.