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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Book Boyfriend by Lucy Vine

Published June 19th, 2025 by Simon & Schuster UK
Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for one of my favourite books this year. This was a bibliophile’s dream and joy from start to finish. Thank you to SJV and Team Books and the City for the invitation to take part and for my proof copy of the book.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘Book Boyfriend is Lucy Vine at the absolute top of her game’ MIKE GAYLE

‘A proper love letter to love stories and the people who read them’ DAISY BUCHANAN 

‘From belly laughs to heartfelt emotion, this book is absolute peak romcom’ LINDSEY KELK

Jemma has lived a thousand lives through books. The only life she isn’t living is her own.
That is, until the day she finds a note from a stranger in her favourite library book. When she replies, the pair begin a longhand conversation about their love of novels that sees Jemma finally coming out of her shell. Is she ready to fall in love for the first time – with someone she’s never met?
 
Clara has always run away from her problems, but this might finally be one she can’t escape.
Everyone wants to know what happened to Clara in America – but Clara isn’t talking. Instead she’s focusing all her energy obsessing over a hot new actor, starring in the TV adaptation of her twin Jemma’s favourite book. Soon, Clara is reading every interview, trawling his social media, and following him to showbiz parties in the hopes he’ll notice she’s The One.
 
As the sisters fall hard for two men they’ve never met, it’s time to ask the question: Can either relationship survive the real world?

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MY REVIEW:

A romcom about a book nerd who has a meet-cute through anonymous letters inside a library book? Could there be a more perfect book for a bibliophile to read? I don’t think so, and I didn’t hesitate to sign up to be part of this blog tour.

Funny, delightful and uplifting, reading this was like a warm hug. A love letter to books, Lucy Vine’s love of literature is evident on every page and made me feel so seen as a bibliophile. Exquisitely written and cleverly plotted, I was in love from the first page and immediately knew that this would be a book I devoured. And I was right, reading it in practically one sitting and staying up until the early hours to finish it as I HAD to know if Jemma got her happy-ever-after with her mystery man.

The story is narrated by Jemma and Clara, twin sisters who couldn’t be more different. Jemma is a book lover who prefers to fade into the background and is happiest at home re-reading her favourite book. Meanwhile, Clara is outgoing, the life of the party who is happiest when all eyes are on her. The sisters have long had a strained relationship and it is strained even further when Clara announces she’s moving back to the UK from the States, as with nowhere else to go she moves into Jemma’s houseshare and the sisters have to adjust to living together again.

At the centre of this book is another book, Too Good to Be True, Jemma’s favourite book which is like a character in its own right. Jemma loves the book so much that she owns multiple copies that are only to admire on her shelves, and she takes a copy out from the library to regularly re-read. It’s obvious from the start how important this story is to Jemma, and you can feel how much she cherishes it and the joy it brings her. A few months ago, Jemma discovered a note inside the book from the only other person who takes out the book and they have been exchanging anonymous notes ever since, sharing their love of books. Talk about the perfect meet-cute for a book lover! But when Jemma learns that not only has the book been adapted, but its title has been changed, she is horrified. She can’t watch, especially as the lead actor is nothing like she imagined. Clara disagrees and not only loves the show – declaring that TV is better than books! – and developing an unhealthy crush on the actor; declaring he’s the one for her and tracking him down to engineer him falling in love with her.

There’s a cast of compelling background characters that I loved reading, especially Harry and Salma, Jemma’s housemates. And Milo was the perfect leading man, even if Jemma disagreed. He was fun to read and I loved the very different reactions Jemma and Clara had to him and his celebrity status. Then there’s the mystery narrator, a brilliant character who opens each of the book’s three parts. He talks directly to the reader which pulled me in and immediately made me feel part of the story.

But who was Jemma’s ‘book boyfriend’? There’s a number of potential candidates and Vine does a great job of keeping the reader guessing about his identity. I’ll admit, I did guess who he was early on, but I was also never completely sure of my suspicions thanks to the twists and red herrings. I loved the bumpy ride she took me on to finally get the answer and how even when his identity was revealed the wait wasn’t over, Vine keeping me on the edge of my seat as I waited to see if he and Jemma would actually get together. My poor heart!

An absolute joy from start to finish, this is a must-read for all book lovers.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lucy is the best-selling author of novels, Hot Mess, What Fresh Hell, Are We Nearly There Yet?, Bad Choices, Seven Exes, and Date With Destiny. Book seven is called BOOK BOYFRIEND and is out 19 June 2025. Lucy’s currently working on book eight, out summer ‘26.

Her books have been bought in 17 territories – including the US, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Serbia, Japan, the Netherlands, Czech, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Finland, Slovakia and Sweden. Hot Mess was optioned for a TV series in America, while Hot Mess and Are We Nearly There Yet? have both been longlisted for the very brilliant Comedy Women In Print book award.

In a previous life, Lucy was a journalist, working for magazines and newspapers including GRAZIA, Stylist, heat, Fabulous, New, Now, marie claire, Glamour, COSMOPOLITAN, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun and The Mirror.

Lucy is also an events host (available for hire!), and previously ran a regular event and podcast series with Waterstones, called the Hot Mess Clubhouse, featuring conversations with funny women.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOK: Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor

Published June 5th 2025 by Pan Macmillan
Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Lesbian Literature

Welcome to my review for this surprising thriller. Thank you to Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘This is a double cross thriller, a cat and mouse chase, and a delectable story of when someone becomes obsessed’ – 5* Reader Review

‘This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t put it down’ – 5* Reader Review

Why would my best friend want to destroy my life? Girl Falling is an atmospheric, psychological mystery from the award-winning author of Dirt Town.

Finn and her closest friend Daphne grew up in the imposing shadow of Australia’s Blue Mountains. Their uneasy bond forged from both losing their sisters at a young age. Now in their twenties, Daphne is at university, while Finn remained in the mountains, falling in love with newcomer Magdu. A young woman with troubles of her own.

After tensions arise during Magdu and Daphne’s first meeting, Finn is looking forward to a day of rock climbing and bonding for the three women on the cliffs near their town. But nothing goes as planned, and in a horrific accident, Magdu falls to her death.

In the aftermath, the friends become the focus of a police investigation. Was it really an accident? Or did something far more sinister play out that day?

Bold, dramatic and utterly compelling, Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor forces us to confront the stories we tell ourselves about the people we love.

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MY REVIEW:

Finn and her best friend Daphne forged a bond over their shared tragedies. Now in their twenties, Daphne is away at university, while Finn has remained in their hometown and has fallen in love with newcomer, Magdu. Finn is excited for her best friend and girlfriend to meet, but there is tension from their first meeting. So when Daphne suggests they all go climbing as a way to bond, Finn is excited. But things take a tragic turn when Magdu falls to her death. As the police investigate, they begin to question whether Magdu’s death was really an ,or something much more sinister…

Suspenseful, moving, compelling and surprising, Girl Falling is an unpredictable thriller that kept me on my toes. Skillfully written, intricately interwoven and cleverly plotted, this was my first time reading a book by Hayley Scrivenor, but it won’t be my last. Scrivener knows how to keep her readers on their toes, convincing you that you’ve got it all sussed only to pull the rug from under you. And that ending! Never in a million years would I have predicted what happened! It made me want to re-read the whole thing again just to see what clues I’d missed along the way. 

The story is told by Finn, with flashbacks that reveal the history of her friendship with Daphne, allowing the reader to slowly understand the dynamics of their relationship and why Finn feels in Daphne’s debt. And as the book starts with Finn asking why her best friend would want to destroy her life, it feels like I spent the story looking for clues of Daphne’s duplicity and their toxic friendship. And, I admit, that Daphne seemed more and more unhinged as the story went on. But, in the present, the police investigation gives us a reason to distrust both girls. I love an unreliable narrator so I loved that there were potentially two of them in this book. Is Finn telling the truth? Or Daphne? I was never quite sure and loved the extra tension it brought to the story never knowing who to trust. 

A shocking and surprising thriller with an ending you won’t forget, add this to your TBR now. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hayley Scrivenor is the author of DIRT TOWN, which published internationally in 2022 (published as DIRT CREEK in the U.S., where it was a USA TODAY bestseller) and quickly became a #1 Australian bestseller. The novel has been shortlisted for multiple national and international awards. In 2023, it won a Lambda Literary Award and General Fiction Book of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards. DIRT TOWN has been translated into several languages. GIRL FALLING, described as “a remarkable exercise in complex storytelling written in Scrivenor’s idiosyncratic, metaphorically vivid prose”, is her second novel.

Hayley has a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Wollongong and lives on Dharawal country, on the east coast of Australia.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Secrets of the Bees by Jane Johnson

Published June 5th, 2025 by Head of Zeus
Literary Ficiton, Contemporary Fiction

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this delightful and compassionate story. Thank you to Head of Zeus for the invitation to take part in the blog tour and for senidng me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Time has forgotten this remote corner of West Cornwall, and left its many secrets undisturbed. Until now…

Ezra Curnow has lived in the little cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life. He was born there, as was his
father, and his grandfather before that. It is his own little Cornish paradise.

Then the mistress of the estate, Eliza, dies without leaving a will, putting the cottage’s ownership into question. London financier Toby and his wife Minty are soon enticed by Trengrose’s charm and, worse still, see a lucrative rental opportunity in Ezra’s cottage.

But Ezra is prepared to battle to save his beloved home, and has a number of secret weapons in his armoury. What Ezra doesn’t know is that Eliza also took some secrets to her grave – and she doesn’t intend to rest quietly until they come to light…

A sumptuous Cornish tale packed with heart, relationships and mysteries from the past, from the bestselling author of The Sea Gate.

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MY REVIEW:

Ezra Curnow has lived in the little cottage on the Trengrose estate all his life. Like his father and his grandfather before him, he was born there, has worked the land, and plans to die there. When Eliza, mistress of the estate, dies without a will, the ownership of his slice of Cornish paradise is in question. Her estate is sold to Toby and Minty Hardman, a wealthy London couple looking for a fresh start and an escape from the city.  To them, Trengrose is a lucrative rental opportunity that includes the cottage, which they believe is theirs. The battle lines are drawn in a fight where both sides will do whatever it takes to win. 

Compassionate, immersive, transportive and witty, I adored this book. With her skilful storytelling, layered choreography and richly drawn characters, Jane Johnson pulled me into the pages, and I lost myself within this story of family, secrets, mystery and Cornish folklore. 

At the heart of this story is Ezra, a gruff, curmudgeonly recluse who may appear spiky on the outside, but has a heart as sweet as the honey from his beloved bees. I loved him immediately, not followed by his hardened facade, but charmed by his love of Cornwall, nature and the home he’s always known. In flashbacks we learn more of Ezra’s story, slowly understanding why he prefers isolation. These sections were moving and mysterious, sometimes offering us more questions than answers. One of the things I enjoyed most about Ezra is how he may come off as a doddering old man, but underneath he is wily, and as he fights to keep his home he proves himself a more formidable opponent than the Hardman’s anticipated, particularly Toby who believed Ezra would be easy to intimidate. I took an instant dislike to Toby, who was pompous, rude and vindictive. The rest of the Hardman family were likeable, and I particularly loved the multi-generational friendship between Dom, the Hardman’s son, and Ezra. And I can’t talk about the characters without mentioning Bucca, Ezra’s grumpy and malevolent cat who cracked me up with his cunning antics. I could have happily read a book with him as the main character and couldn’t get enough every time he was on the page. 

A delightful story full of surprising twists, this is another must-read from Ms. Johnson. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jane Johnson is from Cornwall and has worked in the book industry for 30 years as a bookseller, publisher and writer.

For many years she was responsible for publishing the works of JRR Tolkien, and later worked on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, spending many months in New Zealand with cast and crew (she wrote the official visual companions to the films). The authors she publishes include George RR Martin (creator of A Game of Thrones), Dean Koontz, Robin Hobb, Stuart MacBride, Mark Lawrence, Raymond E Feist and SK Tremayne.

While she was in Morocco in 2005 to research The Tenth Gift she met her soon-to-be husband Abdellatif, a Berber tribesman from a village in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. Returning home, she gave up her office job in London, sold her flat and shipped the contents to Morocco and they were married later that year. They now split their time between Cornwall and Morocco, and Jane still works remotely as a Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Double Room by Anne Senes

Published June 19th, 2025 by Orenda Books
Crime Fiction, Psychological Ficiton, Literary Fiction, Translated Fiction

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this beautiful fever-dream of a novel. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Orenda for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

London, late 1990s. Stan, a young and promising French composer, is invited to arrange the music for a theatrical adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The play will never be staged, but Stan meets Liv, the love of his life, and their harmonious duo soon becomes a trio with the birth of their beloved daughter, Lisa. Stan’s world is filled with vibrant colour and melodic music, and under his wife and daughter’s gaze, his piano comes to life.
 
Paris, today. After Liv’s fatal accident, Stan returns to France surrounded by darkness, no longer able to compose, and living in the Rabbit Hole, a home left to him by an aunt. He shares his life with Babette, a lifeguard and mother of a boy of Lisa’s age, and Laïvely, an AI machine of his own invention endowed with Liv’s voice, that he spent entire nights building after her death.
 
But Stan remains haunted by his past. As the silence gradually gives way to noises, whistles and sighs – sometimes even bursts of laughter – and Laïvely seems to take on a life of its own, memories and reality fade and blur…
And Stan’s new family implodes…
 
For readers who love Laura Kasischke, David Nicholls and Kazuo Ishiguro

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MY REVIEW:

Melodic, haunting, achingly beautiful, sensual and heart-wrenching, Double Room is like nothing I’ve ever read before. Anne Senes has a style that is all her own; a lyrical and moving prose that was enthralling and I savoured every sumptuous word. I was lost in these pages, completely enveloped by this strange and hypnotic tale. A fever-dream of love, loss and grief.  

The story follows Stan, a composer who returns to his native France to try and put his life back together after the tragic and sudden death of his wife, Liv. Unable to deal with his grief, he spends his nights creating an AI machine endowed with Liv’s voice. In time he moves on, creating a blended family with Babette. But the machine – Laively – seems to take on a life of its own and Stan’s life begins to spiral out of control, threatening the new life and family he’s created. 

Told in dual timelines, the flashbacks begin twenty years ago on the day Stan and Liv first met. She was the love of his life and they enjoyed a fairytale romance. Meanwhile, in the present he’s still trying to move on from Liv’s death and navigate the minefield that is blending a family. He’s not over Liv and it’s affecting his new family. Also, his reliance on the AI machine is unhealthy and unnerving, and Babette understandably isn’t happy about it. Strange things start happening and Stan loses himself in his dreams or locks himself away in his studio rather than dealing with his problems. He struggles to differentiate between reality, fantasy and memory and I was concerned he was descending deeper and deeper into madness and what effect it would have on his already troubled family. I had so many questions: were the strange occurrences real? How could a machine be acting of its own accord? What was real and what was imagined?

Stan starts as a romantic character in his flashbacks with Liv and I enjoyed reading their love story. There is an overwhelming sense of grief that runs through the present narrative, and Stan is a withdrawn and sorrowful character. It was impossible not to feel heartbroken for him and his daughter, but as the story went on he got more unlikeable. I also began to wonder if everything was what it seemed, and felt like there might be something more going on under the surface of this story. Slowly and expertly, Senes revealed the truth and it was apparent that nothing was as it had first appeared to be. 

Original, delicate, passionate and beguiling, this is an unforgettable debut. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anne Senes is a writer, translator and former journalist. She was born in Paris and studied at the Sorbonne, where she obtained a PhD in English studies. Her passion for Anglo-Saxon literature and culture has taken her all over the world, from London to Miami, via the south of France. She is currently based on the French Mediterranean coast. Chambre Double (Double Room) is her first literary novel.

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ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:

Alice Banks was born in Shropshire and completed her MA in Literary Translation at the University of East Anglia. She now lives in Madrid where she works as a translator from French and Spanish into English. Her first translation, Deranged As I Am, by Comoros writer, Ali Zamir, was published in 2022 and was followed by Madrid Will Be Their Tomb, by Spanish political spokesperson and author, Elizabeth Duval, published in 2023. Alice collaborates with Hablemos, escritoras to translate their podcasts and content into English, and also with The European Literaturen Network, where she worked as Assistant Editor on their Spanish edition of The Riveter magazine.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Orenda Books | Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These links are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

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Audio Books book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BOOK REVIEW: The Sunshine Man by Emma Stonex

Published May 1st, 2025 by Picador
Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story

Welcome to my review for this magnificent thriller. Thank you to Bookbreak and Picador for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other . . .’

From Emma Stonex, the bestselling author of The Lamplighters, comes The Sunshine Man, a gripping revenge thriller that will leave you breathless.

‘A compelling tight thriller with heart’ *****
‘Hits you right between the eyes’ *****
‘Brilliantly written with twists and turns’ *****

In January 1989, Birdie wakes to the news she’s been waiting eighteen years to hear. Jimmy Maguire, the man who killed her sister, has been freed from jail. Birdie sends her kids to school and then leaves for London with a gun and a plan: to find Jimmy and make him pay.

But there’s another side to the story, and Birdie is about to enter a world of family lies, worn-out loyalties and long-buried betrayals . . .

A heart-stopping novel of shared pasts and a fury-fuelled present, The Sunshine Man is an addictive page-turner set against the sweeping hills of rural Devon, from bestselling author Emma Stonex.

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MY REVIEW:

“The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other…”

I don’t think it’s possible to read such a haunting opening line and not feel desperate to devour the rest of the book. I know I was powerless to resist, staying up until the wee hours in an anguished need to know the conclusion. Dark, unsettling, heart-stopping and thought-provoking, Emma Stonex had me in her thrall from the first page of this magnificent cat-and-mouse revenge thriller. 

The story opens with Bridget describing her ordinary morning with her family before she sets out to kill James Maguire, the man convicted of murdering her sister, Providence, eighteen years earlier. The juxtaposition between her mundane actions and her murderous plan is striking, creating an overwhelming sense of dread that increases with every step she takes. The story then moves between timelines and narrators, following James as he adjusts to life outside prison, and Bridget as she travels towards him…

Exquisitely written and expertly choreographed, Stonex shows no signs of the dreaded ‘sophomore syndrome’ with this superb story. An unforgettable tale of murder, vengeance, love, family and redemption, this isn’t for the faint heart.  Despite its sunny title, there are heavy topics on these pages, and while Stonex doesn’t shy away from their brutal truths, she also writes with compassion and sensitivity. It is powerful but also delicate, finding its strength in its layered gossamer threads. Stonex skillfully teases her reader by choosing not to reveal the full picture, exploring themes of memory, asking how much we can trust our recollections, and what we choose to forget; the truth lying in that space between what we know and what we think we do. 

It’s easy to root for Bridget. To feel her anger and understand her need for revenge, even if it isn’t something we would do ourselves. It is harder to root for James, and it is in him that Stonex forces us to confront the humanity and shades of grey that exist even in those we want to villainise. It would be easy if it was black and white, if he was evil and Bridget was good. But by hearing his story he becomes human, we gain compassion and it is hard to blindly hate him. Providence is brought to life in the flashbacks, making her feel as vivid and three-dimensional, allowing the reader to connect with her. It gives us an emotional response to her death, a desire to know the truth and a wish to see justice served. And as we finally approach the night of her murder, Stonex moves between flashbacks and current events, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I awaited the big reveal and Bridget’s moment of vengeance. There’s a rising sense of dread that gets under your skin and makes your heart race. I couldn’t have stopped reading at this point even if my house had been on fire. 

The Sunshine Man is a masterpiece. A moving, nerve-shredding and addictive thriller that is impossible to forget. Read it now!

Rating: ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

*I listened to this on Bookbeat. Click here to get 60 days of listening free with my affiliate link*

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Emma Stonex was born in 1983 and grew up in Northamptonshire. After working in publishing for several years, she quit to pursue her dream of writing fiction. The Lamplighters was a Sunday Times bestseller and has been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She lives in the Southwest with her family.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOK: The School Gates by A. A. Chaudhuri

Publised June 5th, 2025 by Hera Books
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Ficiton, Noir Fiction, Urban Fiction, Domestic Fiction

Welcome to my review for this heart-stopping thriller. Thank you to Alex and Hera Books for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

First comes gossip … then comes revenge

When single mum Lola Martinez’s son, Luca, starts school, she feels that she’ll never fit in with the yummy mummies in the playground. Confident, married to wealthy men, with ample free time, they are everything she isn’t.

However, Lola is invited into the inner circle, surrounded by seemingly friendly people, even if Lola’s silence about her child’s father puzzles them. Despite herself, Lola quickly becomes involved in playground politics, making as many enemies as friends.

But then Lola is brutally murdered, her death rocking the close-knit community. As the police investigate the case, they discover that Lola was hiding many secrets – as are the mums in her new social circle. But who had the most reason to kill her? And who else might unwittingly hold the answers to what happened that night?

An addictive psychological thriller with an end twist that will make you gasp, for fans of Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan and Frieda McFadden. If you loved Big Little Lies, you’ll adore this.

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MY REVIEW:

When her son, Luca, starts school, single mum, Lola, feels like she will never fit in with the other mums at the school gates. She’s nothing like these confident ‘yummy mummies’ with their perfect husbands, big houses and ample free time. Somehow, she’s invited into their inner circle, and at first they appear friendly.  But soon Lola finds herself embroiled in playground politics and her new friends become enemies. Then one night, on her way home from the annual parents Christmas party, Lola is brutally murdered and the police discover that Lola and her friends have been keeping secrets. Are these secrets the key to unmasking who killed Lola and why?

Anyone with kids knows the minefield that is the school gates, playground politics and mum friends. In her latest superb thriller, A. A. Chaudhuri takes that familiar everyday situation and turns it into a nightmare. Perfectly capturing the tricky dynamics of the playground and that group who rule the school, these women are instantly recognisable. And if you thought you disliked them before Lola died, that was nothing compared to how despicable and unlikeable they became after her death. I was raging at their attitudes and felt sure that at least one of them knew the truth about her murder. 

Masterfully written, psychologically rich and unbearably tense, this is a heart-stopping thriller. Alex just gets better with each book! I was in the palm of her hand as she spun the threads of this disturbing story to suspenseful perfection, cleverly concealing the truth in plain sight. The air was thick with secrets and a cloud of suspicion hung over everyone as the police tried to get to the truth about Lola’s murder. I held on for dear life, on the edge of my sea and turning the pages ferociously. And every time I thought I knew the full story…BAM! Another twist pulled the rug from under me and changed everything. And what twists they were! I don’t think I’ve ever felt so devastated and emotionally wrecked by a reveal as I did with this book. Alex, how could you do that to me?!

The story is told by two narrators in dual timelines. First we have Lola who narrates in the present on the night of her murder and then switches to telling  her story through flashbacks. A complicated character, Lola is a devoted single mum, has a lot of strength but she’s also a complete wreck. There’s a constant malevolent presence from the traumatic event in her past that’s left her living in fear and with a sense of isolation, even when she’s surrounded by people. She’s forced to keep what happened a secret in order to protect those she loves but is always looking over her shoulder. Her anxiety is palpable and the flashbacks are a ticking timebomb of sheer dread as they count down to her murder. Our other narrator, Detective Inspector John Banner, is a relatable and likeable character. You can feel the emotional toll the case is taking on him and his chapters are full of tension as he determinedly tries to solve the crime. 

Deliciously dark, jaw-droppingly tense and unputdownable, this is a must-read for any thriller fan.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A.A. Chaudhuri is a former City lawyer turned thriller writer, born and raised in Portsmouth, but who now lives in Surrey with her family. Once a highly ranked British junior tennis player, competing in the national championships and a member of the national squad, she went on to tour the women’s professional satellite circuit as a teenager and achieved a world ranking of 650.

THE SCRIBE and THE ABDUCTION, published by LUME BOOKS in July and December 2019, are her first crime book series, plunging readers into London’s glamorous legal world and featuring series’ heroine, Maddy Kramer, fiction’s first female City lawyer amateur sleuth, who teams up with charismatic DCI Jake Carver to solve a gruesome series of murders and a puzzling abduction. THE SCRIBE and THE ABDUCTION were published as audio books by Isis Audio on 1st January and 1st March 2021, both read by David Thorpe.

She has also contributed an original short story THE ENCOUNTER to crime anthology GIVEN IN EVIDENCE published by LUME BOOKS in May 2020, has written many articles and short stories for The Crime Writers’ Association.

Her first psychological thriller with HERA BOOKS, SHE’S MINE, was published in e-book, paperback and audio in August 2021, the second, THE LOYAL FRIEND, was published in all three formats in June 2022 and published in the USA by Canelo US on 20th June 2023. Her third, THE FINAL PARTY, was published on May 25th 2023. It was released in audiobook on 1st February 2024.

Her fourth psychological thriller – UNDER HER ROOF – was released in e-book, paperback and audio on 13th June 2024.

The Scribe, was re-published as THE LAWYER by Joffe Books on 7th October 2024 in e-book and paperback. The Abduction was re-published as THE PARTNER by Joffe Books on 24th February 2025 in e-book and paperback.

Alex’s fifth psychological thriller with Hera Books – THE SCHOOL GATES – will be released on 5th June 2025 in ebook and paperback.

Besides being an avid reader, she enjoys fitness, films, anything Italian and a good margarita!

All of Alex’s books have achieved bestseller status on Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Australia and Amazon Canada.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Featured Books

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOK: Mrs Spy by M. J. Robotham

Published May 15th, 2025 by Aria
Mystery, Historical Fiction, Humorous Fiction

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘Dark, twisty, and thoroughly entertaining, Mrs Spy is a Thursday Murder Club for spies. You won’t be able to put it down’ – Ava Glass

Get ready for a pulse-pounding, laugh-out-loud ride through 1960s London as Maggie Flynn, unexpected MI5 operative and single mum, unravels the intelligence agency’s most treacherous secrets.

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Maggie Flynn isn’t your typical 1960s mum.

She’s a spy, an unsuspecting operative for MI5, stalking London’s streets in myriad disguises.

Widowed and balancing her clandestine career with raising a Beatles-mad teenage daughter, Maggie finds comfort and purpose in her profession – providing a connection to her late husband, whose own covert past only surfaced after his death.

But Maggie’s world spins out of control when a chance encounter with a mysterious Russian agent triggers a chilling revelation: he knew her husband. And what’s worse, the agent suspects someone on home soil betrayed him.

As Maggie searches for answers, she’ll question everyone – and everything – she thought she could trust. In the murky and perilous world of espionage, can she outsmart those determined to keep her silenced?

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MY REVIEW:

London, 1965. Maggie Flynn is anything but the typical 1960s mum. Because Maggie is a spy working for MI5 who stalks the streets of London in her many disguises and struggling to balance her clandestine career with single motherhood now she is widowed. But when Maggie makes a surprising discovery about her late husband, things get even more out of control as she is drawn deeper into the dangerous and murky side of espionage.

Intelligent, suspenseful, witty, intriguing and thrilling, this was such a treat! A nostalgic trip to the 60s that is rich in historic detail, M. J. Robotham has created a story that is evocatively told, cleverly plotted, intricately interwoven and twisty, pulling you into the story and holding you captive until the very last page. One of my favourite parts of the writing was the gorgeous imagery and metaphors that Robotham used, bringing the story to life around me. A story filled with treachery, secrets, subterfuge, lies and grief, chapter by chapter the plot unfolds, themes of family, loss and grief are delicately woven into the narrative, allowing the reader to empathise with the characters and the situations they find themselves in. I loved the lighthearted and upbeat vibe the story had and often found myself laughing out loud. Robotham expertly merged this with the stories darker and more suspenseful moments, keeping the lighthearted vibe whilst also keeping me on tenterhooks and making my heart race.

I loved Maggie. She has an unusual job but she’s relatable and easy to root for, mixing the ordinary and extraordinary of her life as a spy and role as a mother. I loved how fierce, upbeat and light-hearted she was, her narration was so entertaining and funny, keeping me totally immersed in the story and Maggie’s world. Maggie’s mum, Gilda, was a fantastic and ebullient character, and I loved Maggie’s banter with fellow spy Frank. The background characters were also richly drawn and there was an abundance of unsavory and unlikeable characters that I loved to hate.

A dark yet delightful historical mystery, Mrs Spy is perfect for fans of Dear Mrs Bird and Lessons in Chemistry.

Rating: 🔍🔍🔍🔍

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

M J Robotham saw herself as an aspiring author from childhood, but was waylaid by journalism, birth, children and life. After twenty years as a midwife and a Creative Writing MA, she is a full-time author, writing historical fiction as Mandy Robotham. She lives in Gloucestershire with her partner.

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: The Mistake by M. J. Arlidge and Lisa Hall

Published May 29th, 2025 by Orion
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Hardboiled

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this gripping thriller. Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours for the invitation to take part and to Orion for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

In this family, everyone is telling lies.

Pete never wanted another child. Before baby Erin was born, they were happy. If Natalie hadn’t got pregnant, he would never have done what he did.

Natalie knows things have been difficult since the surprise arrival of Erin. Life with Pete and their two other children – Emily and Zadie – has been balancing on a knife-edge.

Now their home is full of guests at a party Natalie didn’t want to throw – and she’s about to reach breaking point.

But so is her family.

Because everyone has a secret that they’ve been hiding and when Erin suddenly disappears everyone becomes a suspect.

Surely no one here would want to harm their baby? But after the events of the party there are plenty of people who would want to hurt Natalie.

Including her husband…

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MY REVIEW:

When Natalie unexpectedly becomes pregnant at almost forty, it isn’t exactly welcome news. Her eldest daughter, Emily, is about to leave for university, while her youngest, Zadie, is now eight. Life is comfortable and she and her husband Pete are full of dreams for their future when the nest is empty. Another child now would disrupt all their lives. Ultimately, Natalie decides to go ahead with the pregnancy. Erin arrives after a traumatic birth and is a difficult baby who screams incessantly and doesn’t sleep. Natalie is in a downward spiral and her days are spent trying to survive. Pete is never home and the older children are also struggling. This is a family at breaking point. It all comes to a head the night of Emily’s 18th birthday party, when all the secrets, lies and resentments finally boil over and little Erin disappears. But which of their closest family and friends took their daughter? And why?

M. J. Arlidge has long been one of my favourite thriller authors and I’ve been loving his Crime Writers Room collaborations, so I was excited to read this collaboration with Lisa Hall. As I hoped, it was another cracking thriller that I devoured in just a few hours. Expertly written and deftly choreographed, Arlidge and Hall have crafted a thriller that keeps you guessing from the first page to the last. The heart-stopping prologue reeled me in and I remained glued to the pages as the story  switched to a slower burn as we went back to the time where Natalie first found out she was pregnant. I was on the edge of my seat as tension escalated and suspicion swirled with multiple suspects in the frame when Erin went missing. I had my theories about who it was, but that did change a few times as Arlidge and Hall skillfully kept their identity hidden and created believable red herrings. 

The story is told from Natalie and Pete’s perspective, offering us an insight into their mindset and motivations, allowing us to understand their actions. While they were relatable characters, they weren’t always likeable and I often just wanted to shake them. I did have a lot of sympathy for Natalie, who showed signs of postnatal depression, but I’d want to hug her one minute and be frustrated with her the next. I wanted to tell her to reach out for help and just talk to her husband. Meanwhile, Pete was useless both practically and emotionally, but reading his perspective made me confront the shades of grey that led to his withdrawal from his family and other bad decisions. I still wanted to yell at him to help his wife though. And at both of them for refusing to see how their other children were struggling. 

The other characters are brilliantly written but Eve, Natalie’s best friend, is most memorable. Unnerving and manipulative, she gave me the ick from the start, and I didn’t like how she behaved around Natalie’s youngest kids. It was obvious that Natalie relied on her, but this girl was toxic and I was yelling at the pages for Natalie to cut her out of her life and talk to Pete instead. 

Suspenseful, dark, emotionally and totally addictive, The Mistake is a must-read for all thriller lovers. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

M.J. Arlidge has worked in television for the last 15 years, specialising in high end drama production. Arlidge has produced a number of prime-time crime serials for ITV In the last five years, and is currently working on a major adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans for the BBC.

Lisa loves words, reading and everything there is to love about books. She has dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl – either that or a librarian – and after years of talking about it, was finally brave enough to put pen to paper (and let people actually read it). Lisa lives in a small village in Kent, surrounded by her towering TBR pile, a rather large brood of children, dogs, chickens and ponies and her long-suffering husband. She is also rather partial to eating cheese and drinking wine.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: The Quiet by Barnaby Martin

Published May 15th, 2025 by Pan Macmillan
Suspense, Science Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Cyberpunk

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this thing riveting debut. Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Bookbreak for the invitation to take part and for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

‘Riveting. Martin weaves an inspired premise into an engrossing and wholly original adventure.’ – Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One

‘An intellectually compelling, emotional and timely read. Martin has taken a motif of dystopian writing and films – a single parent and child – and has reworked it within a fresh landscape. The Quiet is a feat of writing that foregrounds the value of kindness and communication in a world bent on segregation and misinformation.’ – The Bookseller

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A mother’s love can be deafening . . .

Isaac is Hannah’s entire world. She knows that her son is gifted, and that those gifts make him vulnerable. To keep him safe, she spends every waking moment by his side. If she lets her guard down, lets him out of her sight, lets him show what he’s capable of, he will be taken from her.

When the Soundfield arrived twenty years ago, the world changed with it. Now, people are forced to live at night due to the deadly heat of the day, food and water are scarce, and everyday life is punctuated by the constant and disconcerting hum from the Field. A brilliant scientist, Hannah spent her early career working on the enigma of the Soundfield, looking for answers; now, resigned, she has focussed all her energies on keeping Isaac living, not just alive.

To do so, she will have to lie to the people she knows and hope she can trust the ones she doesn’t. Because the only thing more dangerous than her lies, is the truth of what she has done.

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MY REVIEW:

What would you do to keep your child safe? That is the question at the heart of this original debut. Isaac is Hannah’s whole world. He can’t speak but he loves music and singing; a dangerous talent in this dystopian world. If his talent is discovered then Isaac will be taken from her. And Hannah will do anything to ensure that doesn’t happen…

From its heart-stopping prologue I was hooked to the pages of this riveting debut. Thought-provoking, emotional, intelligent and terrifying, The Quiet is humanity and science blended in perfect harmony. Set in a future where a soundfield appeared 20 years earlier, exposure to the sun is life-threatening and where people live by the night and sleep during the day. An ever-threatening presence lingers over every page, making my heart race and keeping me on the edge of my seat as I read.

Hannah is a mysterious character. We only know she is Isaac’s mother, she’s fiercely protective of him and that she lives in fear of him being taken. It’s her and Isaac against a frightening and dangerous world and she lives in a constant state of anxiety, her fear radiating from the pages. Slowly, we learn she has a past she feels the need to atone for, revealing itself in flashbacks to her time at university, and we follow on her journey of reckoning self-discovery and redemption. Our other main character, Isaac, never says a word, yet his presence is strong and memorable. But, like his mother, Isaac is a mystery. We don’t know why he is unable to speak yet he can sing. He clearly has a love of music and the joy he feels when he hears it – including the hum from the soundfield – is infectious. His relationship with music is beautiful and pure, and a stark contrast to the dangerous world around him that his mother experiences. 

And we have to talk about the soundfield, which is like a character in its own right. It has an eerie, curious and ominous quality but it is also strangely beautiful and I loved listening to the sound the author imagined it creating on the audiobook. I could see why Hannah found it terrifying and why Issac was drawn to it.

Powerful, heartbreaking and immersive, don’t miss this unforgettable debut. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barnaby Martin is a multi-talented storyteller and creator. Besides his writing, he is an award-winning and self-taught composer, video essayist and teacher. His music has been performed widely in the UK and internationally by groups including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of Opera North and Westminster Cathedral Choir. His YouTube channel, Listening In, which he began in 2019 and for which he makes videos that explore the cross-section between pop culture and classical music, has garnered over 200,000 subscribers and ten million views. He studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge and now teaches in London, where he lives with his husband.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Featured Books Uncategorised

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: Cat Fight by Kit Conway

Published May 15th, 2025 by Bantam
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Welcome to my review of this riveting debut. Thank you Bantam for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

A gripping and suspenseful debut, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Jane Fallon and Tiger King!

‘Original, sharp, clever, and wonderfully observed’ Andrea Mara, bestselling author of No One Saw a Thing
‘Twisty, sharp (clawed) and deliciously unhinged‘ Catherine Ryan Howard, bestselling author of 56 Days
‘FABULOUS . . . Desperate Housewives meets Tiger King meets Motherland‘ Sarah Turner, bestselling author of Stepping Up

When the peace shatters in suburbia, the claws come out . . .

Coralie King, Emma Brooks and Twig Dorsett are friends. Sort of. They’re neighbours on an exclusive Sevenoaks estate who get along. It’s convenient.

But one May bank holiday, Coralie’s husband insists he saw a panther on the bonnet of his car. And cracks between the elite of the Briar Heart Estate begin to emerge.

As the summer wears on and there are more sightings, the big cat frenzy reaches a fever pitch. Tensions between neighbours threaten to boil over. Everyone is watching their back. But is the real predator a seventy-kilo cat with razor-sharp claws? Or is the actual danger of a much more domestic variety?

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MY REVIEW:

As soon as this stunning proof landed on my doorstep I couldn’t wait to read it. I mean, that cover just screams ‘read me’. Now, as Cat Fight is the SquadPod Book Club pick this month, it was finally time to dive in. And the claws are out in this suspenseful, twisty and humorous debut that follows the trials and tribulations of a suburban neighbourhood one summer. 

On a warm bank holiday evening, Emma, Twig, Coralie and their families are enjoying a get together in Coralie’s garden when the peace is shattered by a scream. Coralie’s husband, Adam, insists he saw a panther on the bonnet of his car. But no one else saw it. Rumours soon fly around their exclusive estate that there’s a panther stalking the neighbourhood. Further sightings are reported, turning the big cat mystery into a frenzy and tensions rise between the neighbours. But is the danger they face really coming from a big, wild cat? Or somewhere closer to home?

THIS is how you write a gripping summer read! It’s a story filled with drama, heartache, love, lust, grief, secrets, fights and (possibly) a big cat. Kit Conway’s writing and plotting is every bit as sharp as a panther’s claws, keeping me glued to the pages as I ferociously turned them. Drenched with the heat of summer and artfully foreshadowed, Conway dropped clues like breadcrumbs, keeping me guessing as I tried to predict what had really happened that crazy summer. But Conway shrewdly planted red herrings, making the book unpredictable, and almost all of my guesses were wrong. I didn’t see most of the twists coming and that jaw-dropping finale hit me like a bolt out of the blue. 

Emma, Twig and Coralie narrate the story, taking turns to share the events of that summer from their point of view. They are familiar but unlikeable and delightfully deranged characters, though my heart did go out to them at times, especially Twig. The women claim to be friends but frenemies would be more appropriate. And they were so much fun to read. The background characters were also richly drawn and I had a real soft spot for Twig’s son, Elwood.

A superb summer read that needs to be on everyone’s TBR.

Rating: 🐱🐱🐱🐱

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kit Conway lives in Kent with her husband and three sons. Prior to writing she worked as a corporate lawyer in London.
Cat Fight, her debut book club suspense novel, will be published by Transworld (UK) and Atria (US) in Summer 2025.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx