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Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Recommends Squadpod Reviews The Squadpod Year In Review

Squadpod’s Top Books of 2023

Happy New Year Bibliophiles! Today I’m sharing the Squadpod’s Top Books of 2023. I know it is a day late but I wasn’t organised enough to get it out before the year ended, so I’m starting the year with it instead. I want to start this by saying a huge thank you to all the amazing authors and publishers who have allowed us to read their books as a group. We’ve had so many fantastic group reads this year.

Now for the individual lists. Unless the lists are numbered, these are in no particular order but I’ve shared each person’s favourite at the end of their lists if they have one. You can find links to their social media in each post and a list of our overall group favourites at the very end of this post.

Vikkie at Little Miss Book Lover 87
  • The Ugly Truth by L. C. North
  • All Of Us Are Broken by Fiona Cummins
  • Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh
  • The New Mother by Nora Murphy
  • Only Love Can Hurt Like This by Paige Toon
  • One Moment by Becky Hunter
  • None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
  • Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds
  • The Honeymoon by Kate Gray
  • One by Eve Smith
  • Ten Dates by Rachel Dove
  • The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas
  • Loyalty by Martina Cole
  • The Confession Room by Lia Middleton
  • Upstairs at the Beresford by Will Carver
  • His Favourite Graves by Paul Cleave
  • Her by Mira V. Shah
  • You’d Look Better As A Ghost by Joanna Wallace
  • Mother’s Day by Abi Burdess
  • Dating For December by Lyndsey Gallagher
  • The Ex-Mas Holidays by Zoe Allison
  • The Man of Her Dreams by Sarra Manning
  • Over My Dead Body by Maz Evans
  • Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
  • The Burnout by Sophie Kinsella
  • Just Another Missing Person by Giillain McAllister
  • The Beach Party by Nikki Smith
  • Fearless by M. W. Craven
  • Game of Lies by Clare Macintosh

Book of the year: (Joint Favourite) The Ugly Truth by L. C. North and All Of Us Are Broken by Fiona Cummins

Sue at Brown Flopsy’s Book Burrow
  • When I First Held You by Anstey Harris
  • Dead Man’s Creek by Chris Hammer
  • The Drift by C. J. Tudor
  • The Broken Afternoon by Simon Mason
  • The Forcing by Paul Hardisty
  • A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella
  • One Moment by Becky Hunter
  • The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick
  • Vita and the Birds by Polly Crosby
  • The Moon Gate by Amanda Geard
  • The Wedding Dress Repair Shop by Trisha Ashley
  • You Can’t See Me by  Eva Borg Aegisdottir
  • One by Eve Smith
  • The Sentence by Christina Dalcher
  • Dirty Geese by Lou Gilmond
  • The Crash by Robert Preston
  • Devil’s Breath by Jill Johnson
  • The Man of Her Dreams by Sarra Manning
  • Shot With Crimson by Nicola Upson
  • Upstairs at the Berseford by Will Carver
  • His Favourite Graves by Paul Cleave
  • Joe Nurthin’s Guide To Life by Helen Fisher
  • Past Lying by Val McDermid
  • Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson
  • The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen
  • Consumed by Greg Buchanan
  • The Good Daughter by Laure van Rensburg
  • The Truth About Her by Annie Taylor
  • Thirty Days of Night by Jenny Lund Masden
  • The Ski Trip by Sarah Clarke

Book of the Year: (Multiple Favourites) The Moon Gate by Amanda Geard, The Drift by C. J. Tudor, Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life by Helen Fisher, and One Moment by Becky Hunter.

Emma at Emma’s Biblio Treasures
  • So Pretty by Ronnie Turner
  • The Drift by C. J. Tudor
  • Becoming Ted by Matt Cain
  • A Lady’s Guide To Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin
  • Beautiful Shining People by Michael Grothaus
  • The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
  • Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward
  • Atalanta by Jennifer Saint
  • Death of A Bookseller by Alice Slater
  • Vita and the Birds by Polly Crosby
  • The Fascination by Essie Fox
  • Conviction by Jack Jordan
  • One by Eve Smith
  • The Actor by Chris MacDonald
  • The Good Daughter by Laure van Rensburg
  • Over My Dead Body by Maz Evans
  • That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn
  • You’d Look Better As A Ghost by Joanna Wallace
  • The Birdcage Library by Freya Berry
  • Bone China by Laura Purcell
  • The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson
  • Fyneshade by Kate Griffin
  • Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
  • His Favourite Graves by Paul Cleave
  • The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper
  • Upstairs at the Beresford by Will Carver
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  • Anna O by Matthew Blae
  • None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
  • Yule Island by Johana Gustawwson

Book of the Year: Fyneshade by Kate Griffin

Jen at Travel’s Along My Bookshelf
  • Taking Flight by Lev Parikian  
  • Wolves of Winter by Dan Jones
  • The Hedgehog Diaries by Sarah Sands
  • Shot With Crimson by Nicola Upson
  • The Housekeepers by Alex Hay
  • Book Lovers by Emily Henry
  • Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
  • At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie
  • The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
  • Tiny Pieces of Enid by Tim Ewins
  • Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson
  • One Day in December by Josie Silver
  • So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan
  • Mudlarking by  Lara Maiklem
  • Miss Austen Investigates by Jessica Bull
  • The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper
  • The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson
  • The Little Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page
  • The Family by Kate Sawyer
  • Run To The Western Shore by Tim Pears
  • Divine Might by Natalie Haynes
  • The Weather Women by Sally Gardner
  • Fyneshade by Kate Griffin
Hayley at The Lotus Readers
  • The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
  • Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
  • River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer
  • All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
  • Beautiful Shining People by Michael Grothaus
  • The Space Between Us by Doug Johnstone
  • End of Story by Louise Swanson
  • Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
  • In A Thousand Different Ways by Ceceilia Ahern
  • The Fascination by Essie Fox
  • The Girls of Summer by Kate Bishop
  • The Moon Gate by Amanda Geard
  • Vita and the Birds by Polly Crosby
  • Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds
  • 73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan
  • The Birdcage Library by Freya Berry
  • The Good Liars by Anita Frank
  • Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
  • The Opposite of Lonely by Doug Johnstone
  • Harlem After Midnight by Louise Hare
  • The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith 
  • The Haunting in the Arctic by C. J. Cooke
  • Starling House by Alix. E. Harrow

Book of the Year: The Moon Gate by Amanda Geard

Elizabeth at Lib C Reads
  • Tom Lake by Anne Patchett
  • In The Blink Of An Eye by Jo Callaghan
  • One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall
  • The Moon Gate by Amanda Geard
  • Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield
  • The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
  • 73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan
  • One Moment by Becky Hunter
  • Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
  • Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
  • Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang
  • Go As A River by Shelley Read
  • None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
  • All Of Us Are Broken by Fiona Cummins
  • The Beach Party by Nikki Smith
  • Over My Dead Body by Maz Evans
  • The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou by Eleni Kyriacou
  • The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
  • The Only Suspect by Louise Candlish
  • The Ugly Truth by L. C. North
  • Joe Nurthin’s Guide To Life by Helen Fisher
  • In Memorium by Alice Winn
Becca at Becca Kate Blogs
  • Death Comes To Marlow by Robert Thorogood
  • Needless Alley by Natalie Marlow
  • The Things We’ve Lost by Jyoti Patel
  • What July Knew by Emily Koch
  • The Vintage Shop of Second Chances by Libby Page
  • The Husband’s Killer by Laura Marshall
  • The Murder Game by Tom Hindle
  • The House of Whispers by Anna Mazzola
  • The Happy Place by Emily Henry
  • Vita and the Birds by Polly Crosby
  • The Dive by Sara Ochs
  • 73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan
  • Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister
  • Wild Things by Laura Kay
  • A Lady’s Guide To Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin
  • The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
  • Lovestruck by Laura Jane Williams
  • The Truth About Her by Annie Taylor
  • A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
  • Preloved by Lauren Bravo
  • Good Material by Dolly Alderton
  • Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones
  • None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

Book of the Year: Happy Place by Emily Henry

Zoe at Zoe’s Book Nook
  1. Once A Monster by Robert Dinsdale
  2. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield
  3. End of Story by Louise Swanson
  4. The Drift by C. J. Tudor
  5. The True Love Experiment by Chrisitina Lauren
  6. Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree
  7.  Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia Of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
  8. The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard
  9. Masters of Death by Olivie Blake
  10. The Art of Destiny by Wesley Chu
  11. In Little Stars by Linda Green
  12. The Vintage Shop of Second Chances by Libby Page
  13. Thirty Days in Paris by Veronica Henry
  14. This Is How You Fall In Love – Anika Hussein
  15. The Agnecy For Scandal by Laura Wood
  16. The Mountain In The Sea by Ray Naylor
  17. Dead Man’s Creek by Chris Hammer
  18. Stay Buried by Kate Webb
  19. The Fires by  Sigridur Hagalin Bjornsdottir
  20. The Things That We Lost by  Jyoti Patel
  21. Red Dirt Road by S. R. White
  22. Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood
  23. In The Blink Of An Eye by Jo Callaghan

Book of the Year: Once A Monster by Robert Dinsdale

Ceri at I Heart Books 1991
  • Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh
  • The Marriage Act by John Marrs
  • She Says She’s My Daughter by Lauren North
  • The Heights by Louise Candlish
  • Dying For Christmas by Tammy Cohen
  • You by Caroline Kepnes
  • Oversharing by Jane Fallon
  • Yours Cheerfully by A. J. Pearce
  • The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
  • Should I Tell You? by Jill Mansell
  • Love and Other Forbidden Things by Lyndsey Gallagher
  • Not in a Million Years by Sophie Ranald
  • The Final Party by A. A. Chaudhuri
  • The Little Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page
  • Saturdays at Noon by Rachel Marks
  • Trust Me by T. M. Logan
  • Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe by Jo Thomas
  • After Paris by Nicole Kennedy
  • Have You Got Anthing Stronger? by Imogen Edwards
  • All You Need Is Love by Jessica Redland
  • Ten Dates by Rachel Dove
  • Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
  • Sun Damage by Sabine Durrant

Book of the Year: Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh

Clare at The Fallen Librarian Reviews
  • The Silence Project by Carole Hailey
  • The Clositers by Katy Hays
  • Weyward by Emilia Hart
  • The Fourth Wing/Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
  • The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
  • Home by Cailean Steed
  • The Good Daughter by Laure van Rensburg
  • Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
  • On The Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
  • Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs
  • The Farmer’s Wife by Helen Rebanks
  • The Housekeepers by Alex Hays
  • Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds
  • Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
  • Bellevue by Alison Booth
  • The Book of Most Precious Substance by Sara Gran
  • One Moment by Becky Hunter
  • Preloved by Lauren Bravo
  • Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
  • Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
  • Tell Me How This Ends by Jo Leevers
  • The Unforgiven Dead by Fulton Ross
  • Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
  • Life and Otter Miracles by Hazel Prior

Book of the Year: The Silence Project by Carole Hailey

Chantelle at Brewtiful Fiction
  • Still Life by Sarah Winman
  • These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
  • Another Life by Jodie Chapman
  • Now She Is Witch by Kirsty Logan
  • Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover
  • Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout
  • Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
  • How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney 
  • Where the Light Goes by Sara Barnard
  • Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
  • Children of the Sun by Beth Lewis
  • Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum
  • Threadneedle by Cari Thomas
  • Because of You by Dawn French
  • Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
  • How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie
  • One by One by Ruth Ware
  • The Stargazers by Harriet Evans
  • The Moon Gate by Amanda Geard
  • So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
  • Nothing Serious by Emma Medrano
  • Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

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After collating the results, here are the overall Squadpod favourie books of 2023:

  • 73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan (4 votes)
  • Vita and the Birds by Polly Crosby (4 votes)
  • None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (4 votes)
  • The Moon Gate by Amanda Geard (4 votes)
  • One Moment by Becky Hunter (4 votes)
  • The Good Daughter by Laure van Rensburg (3 votes)
  • Good Girls Die Last by Natalie Simmonds (3 votes)
  • The Truth About Her by Annie Taylor (3 votes)
  • The Drift by C. J. Tudor (3 votes)
  • Upstairs at the Beresford by Will Carver (3 votes)
  • One by Eve Smith (3 votes)
  • His Favourite Graves by Paul Cleave (3 votes)
  • Over My Dead Body by Maz Evans (3 votes)
  • Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent (3 votes)

And our overall Squadpod Book Club Favourite for 2023 is 73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan.

Follow the Squadpod on social media:

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

Did you read any of our favourites? Comment below to let us know.

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Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023 Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Reviews Support Debuts Year In Review

2023 Favourites and My Year In Review

2023 has been an amazing year for reading. I’ve read a total of 113 books and there were so many that stood out that it was difficult to get my list down to just thirty.

So, here’s my 30 favourite books I’ve read this year. You can find links to my reviews by clicking on the title. Read to the end to find out my overall favourite of the year.

So Pretty by Ronnie Turner

This gothic thriller was a fantastic way to start out my reading year. Teddy Colne arrives in the small town of Rye hoping to leave his past behind him but discovers the past will always catch up to you in this dark, hypnotic and unnerving debut.
Published January 19th, 2023 by Orenda Books. Buy here.

The Drift by C. J. Tudor

C. J. Tudor is back with another unmissable heart-pounding thriller. A group of students find themselves stranded in a snowstorm while a killer rages. The start of my review perfectly sums it up: “C. J. Tudor has done it again. Chilling, tense and twisty, this is one f****d-up rollercoaster ride that packs a punch from the first page.”
Published January 19th, 2023 by Michael Joseph. Buy here*

Becoming Ted by Matt Cain

Almost a year after reading, just thinking about this book makes me smile. It follows 43-year-old Ted who is happily married to his husband of twenty years, Giles. Or so he thinks until the day Giles announces he’s leaving him and shatters his whole world. Forced to reflect on not only his relationship, but his whole life, Ted decides that maybe now is the time to finally become who he was always meant to me. Joyful, heartwarming and uplifting, this fabulous story reminds us it is never too late to follow our dreams.
Published January 19th, 2023 by Headline. Buy here*

A Lady’s Guide To Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

Sassy and spirited, this feels like Jane Austen with a modern flare, following Kitty Talbot as she searches for a husband with a fortune to save her family. Perfect for fans of historical fiction and romance, this is a glorious debut.
Published May 12th, 2022 by Harper Collins UK. Buy here*

Beautiful Shining People by Michael Grothaus

Tokyo, many years in the future, and 17-year-old John, a tech prodigy, meets Neotina at a cafe late one night. The sparks are instant but both are hiding a secret that they are terrified of being discovered. Mesmerising, dreamlike and unforgettable, this is a masterpiece story for all of those who have never fit in.
Published March 16th, 2023 by Orenda Books. Buy here.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden

This atmospheric Victorian gothic mystery was our March Squadpod Book Club pick. It follows newly widowed Margaret Lennox as she takes up her new position as governess at Hartwood Hall and discovers a place filled with dark secrets. A phenomenal debut by an author to watch.
Published March 30th, 2023 by Michael Joseph. Buy here*

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

Catriona Ward did it again, scaring me silly and leaving my jaw on the floor. Best read blind, this is another original, terrifying and surprising thriller from one of the most unique voices in fiction.
Published April 20th, 2023 by Viper Books. Buy here*

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

Jennifer Saint tells the heroic story of the only female Argonaut in this lush, atmospheric and enthralling novel, telling us the famous story of Jason and the Argonauts from a new persepective. Unmissable.
Published April 13th, 2023 by Wildfire. Buy here*

Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

The Squadpod Book Club pick for April was another deliciously dark debut. Death of a Bookseller tells the story of Roach, a bookseller, loner and true crime obsessive who becomes obsessed with social butterfly Laura when she starts working at the bookshop. Quirky, sinister and addictive, this grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go until the last page. Utterly brilliant.
Published April 27th, 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton. Buy here*

Vita and the Birds by Polly Crosby

Polly Crosby shows why she’s one of my favourite authors with this mesmerising historical thriller. Vita and the Birds tells the story of two women whose lives are inextricably linked by decades-old secrets. Hauntingly atmoshpheric, luminous and unsettling, this story consumed me and was a contender for my book of the year.
Published May 25th, 2023 by HQ. Buy here*

The Fascination by Essie Fox

A deliciously dark slice of Victiorian gothic, this is a story about life’s outsiders and oddities. Filled with an eclectic cast of memorable characters, it tugged at my heart strings, made me rage and gave me hope. A gorgeous story that all historical fiction fans need to read.
Published June 22nd, 2023 by Orenda Books. Buy here.

Conviction by Jack Jordan

Jack Jordan is one of the best modern thriller writers and Conviction shows us why. Another unbearably tense and addictive thriller, it follows Barrister Neve Harper as she’s faced with an impossible choice: put an innocent man behind bars or everyone she loves will be killed. A nerve-shredding moral dilemma thriller, this is the kind of book you cancel plans to stay home reading.
Published June 22nd, 2023 by Simon & Schuster UK. Buy here*

One by Eve Smith

Set in a future where a catastophic climate emergency has left our world in chaos and the UK is now run by the Nazi-esque ONE Party. Everything is heavily monitored, there are consumption quotas in place. Kai Houghton, one of the ‘baby reapers’ in charge of enforcing the ONE Partie’s one child policy, recieves an alert that turns her world upside down and forces her to choose between her family and the policies she believes in. Thought-provoking, gripping and uncompromising, this is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year.
Published July 20th, 2023 by Orenda Books. Buy here.

The Actor by Chris MacDonald

I was lucky to be one of the first bloggers to read The Actor, a riveting thriller with a bigger Oscar night controversy than Will Smith and Chris Rock. This is going to be a huge hit when it’s released in 2024.
Published January 18th, 2024 by Michael Joseph. Pre-order here*

The Good Daughter by Laure van Rensburg

Antoher Squadpod Book Club hit, The Good Daughter is the second novel from Laure van Rensburg and there’s no sign of sophmore syndrome in sight in this sensational thriller. It’s a story of cuts, indoctrination, dark secrets and trauma that sinks its claws into you at the start and doesn’t let go until it’s jaw-dropping finale. An absolute must-read.
Published August 3rd, 2023 by Michael Joseph. Buy here*

Over My Dead Body by Maz Evans

This is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time. Sassy and unputdownable, it follows Dr. Miriam Price as she tries to solve her own murder from beyond the grave. It’s one of those books I knew I’d love from the first page and reading it was like a big warm hug. I can’t wait to read more from Maz Evans.
Published August 3rd, 2023 by Headline. Buy here*

That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn

I read this with the Historical Fiction Book Club and what a joy it was. Endurance Proudfoot is an unusual girl with an unusual dream: she wants to be a bonesetter. But that isn’t a job for girls and Durie faces an uphill struggle to prove herself in a man’s world. Thank you Frances Quinn for introducing the world to this original and wonderful heroine.
Published July 21st, 2022 by Simon & Schuster UK. Buy here*

You’d Look Better As A Ghost by Joanna Wallace

This has been a great year for darkly funny books and amazing anti-heros. You’d Look Better As A Ghost is a deliciously unhinged and hilarious thriller about a hammer-wielding murderess who was the best serial killer I’ve read since Rhiannon from the Sweetpea sereis. One of my favourite books this year.
Published September 21st, 2023 by Viper Books, Buy here*

The Birdcage Library by Freya Berry

Gorgeously gothic and eerie, this was my favourite Squadpod Book Club pick of the year. Emily Blackwood arrives at Castle Parras to begin a new comission cataloguing a collection of creatures for sale. The remote house is inhabited by a perculiar nonagerianan and haunted by the disappearance of a woman fifty years earlier. After she finds a hidden diary, Emily sets out to solve the mystery in its pages. Can she find out the truth before the darkness entraps her? A twisty puzzle that was also a contender for book of the year, this is a must for any gothic lover.
Published June 22nd, 2023 by Michael Joseph. Buy here*

Bone China by Laura Purcell

I was so mad at myself for letting this book languish on my shelves for so long. A unsettling and sinister story from the modern queen of gothic mysteries, I listened to this on audiobook and was completely enthralled as the lines between what is real, imaginary and supernatural were experly blurred. One of Ms. Purcell’s best books yet.
Published September 19th, 2019 by Raven Books. Buy here*

The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson

This was book I wish I’d read sooner. Shamefully, it was my first time reading a book by Johana Gustawsson and I am an instant fan. She lives up to her title of ‘Queen of French Noir’ with this cunningly crafted gothic thirller. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Published September 15th, 2022 by Orenda Books. Buy here.

Fyneshade by Kate Griffin

It’s been the year for gorgeous gothic fiction, and Fyneshade was the most huanting and disquieting of all. A story of betrayal, temptation and dark secrets, this is a story where the monsters not only lurk in the shadows, but inside your own mind. Marta is a wonderful protagonist who was nothing like I expected and everything I could have wanted. Filled with mystery and suspense, this is a bewitching novel you won’t want to put down.
Published May 18th, 2023 by Viper Books. Buy here*

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

A haunted house story with a dash of fantasy, Starling House was gorgeously dark sotry filled with magic, monsters and mystery. Dreamlike and bewitching, this is a book that lives up to the hype.
Published October 31st, 2023 by Tor. Buy here*

His Favourite Graves by Paul Cleave

Paul Cleave just keeps getting better. Menacing and mind-blowing, I couldn’t put this book down. I loved that Cleave never did what we expected, giving me book whiplash from the many twists and turns.A must read for any thriller-lover.
Published November 9th, 2023 by Orenda Books. Buy here.

The Temple of Fortuna by Elodie Harper

The Wolf Den Trilogy comes to a bittersweet end in one of my most anticipated books of the year. Will Amara and her friends survive the eruption of Versuvius? You’ll have to read to find out.
Published November 9th, 2023 by Head of Zeus. Buy here*

Upstairs at the Beresford by Will Carver

Will Carver delivers another original and deliciously diabolical thriller in this prequel to The Beresford. Just read it. You’ll thank me.
Published November 9th, 2023 by Orenda Books. Buy here.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte


I’m ashamed that it has taken me until I’m almost 45 to read this classic, but the advantage of that is I got to read it in a buddy read with author Polly Crosby that was so much fun. I now get the hype. If you haven’t ever read this one, I suggest giving it a try.
Published September 27th, 2018 by Chiltern Publishing. Buy here*

Anna O by Matthew Blake

Anna O hasn’t opened her eyes since the night four years ago when her two best friends were found brutally murdered and she was discovered in a deep sleep. Anna is the only suspect but ever since the debate has raged: is she innocent or guilty? Doctor Benedict Prince is the man charged with waking her so the world can finally decide. This astonishing debut is best described as Sleeping Beauty meets The Silent Patient and is going to be the thriller everyone is talking about it 2024. This is one you don’t want to miss.
Published February 1st, 2024 by Harper Collins UK. Pre-order here *

None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

This heart-pounding thriller was my favourite audiobook this year. A gripping thriller filled with delicious anticipation and sucker-punch twists, it keeps you on your toes from start to finish. Just make sure you’ve got a lot of free time when you pick this up as you’ll not want to put it down until you’re finished.
Published July 20th, 2023 by Century. Buy here*

Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson

It’s safe to say I’m a certified Johana Gustawsson fan after this year. A story of unsolved murder, dark secrets and Norse mythology, Yule Island is an addictive thriller with a jaw-dropping twist I’m still trying to recover from. A must read for fans of thrillers and gothic fiction, this was a sensational start to a new series.
Published November 23rd, 2023 by Orenda Books. Buy here.

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So, what is my favourite book of 2023? Drumroll please….

It’s Fyneshade! This was a hard decision as so many books could have taken the title.

Have you read any of these books? What was your favourite read this year?

Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*These links are affiliate links

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book reviews Squadpod Squadpod Book Club

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: On the First Day of Christmas by Faith Hogan

Published October 12th, 2023 by Aria
Festive Fiction, Romance Fiction, Holiday Fiction, Humorous Fiction

Welcome to my review for the second of the Squadpod’s two December Book Club books. Thank you to Aria for the gifted copy.

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SYNOPSIS:

This Christmas, everything will change…

When Liv Latimer says goodbye to her fellow nurses and finishes work for the holidays, she’s looking forward to a Christmas to remember with her boyfriend Eddie.

But as she leaves the hospital, tragedy strikes and Liv is faced with a choice. Will she ignore her instincts and go home as planned? Or will she stay, and potentially change the course of her life as she knows it?

Whatever choice she makes, Liv is about to discover that fate finds a way…

From the bestselling Irish author of The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club comes an emotional and uplifting festive story about love, family and how a split-second decision can change your life.

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MY REVIEW:

On the First Day of Christmas is a sliding doors style story that is told in parallel timelines that diverge at a fateful moment. Liv Latimer is excitedly thinking about her cosy family Christmas celebrations back home in Ballycove and daydreaming about the proposal she is sure her long-term boyfriend, Eddie, will finally make this year when she’s caught up in a tragic accident. Faced with a choice, will Liv ignore her gut feelings and go home to Ballycove as planned, or will she stay in Dublin and see where destiny leads her?

My heart was not ready for this book. Heartwarming, funny, and filled with festive magic, I completely lost myself in this story. This was the second of the Squadpod’s two December Book Club Books and it is safe to say I’m full of the joys of Christmas reading. Beautifully told, cleverly plotted and filled with compelling characters, it is a fascinating exploration of how the choices we make can alter our lives forever but fate will always find a way. Faith Hogan expertly crafts the story parallel timelines, allowing us to see how the decision Liv makes at that fateful moment impacts not only her Christmas, but the rest of her life.  

The protagonist, Liv, is a wonderful and authentic character who is relatable, messy, vulnerable, kind, and stronger than she knows. The book opens with the tragic death of her twin sister, Rachel, from cancer and we see that she is still trying to come to terms with her loss, which is woven into the fabric of her existence and shaped her life ever since. I loved that Rachel was so present throughout the book and remained a guiding light for Liv from the beyond. It explores loss and grief in such a beautiful way that I related to and took comfort from on a personal level.

Another topic the story explores is the fear of being alone. Liv has been with her boyfriend, Eddie, for six years and is convinced that this Christmas he will finally ask her to marry him. Much of Liv’s inner turmoil and dilemmas revolve around their relationship. She knows Eddie is no prince charming but she’s also sure that being with him is better than being alone, something I think many of us can understand. But at the same time I was willing her to stop accepting less than she deserved and finally kick the deadbeat to the curb. 

A charming, witty and moving story filled with Christmas cheer, On the First Day of Christmas was a joy to read from beginning to end. I’m so thankful to the Squadpod for introducing me to new-to-me authors like Ms. Hogan and her backlist is now on my TBR.

Rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Faith Hogan is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author of nine novels. Her books have featured as Book Club Favorites, Net Galley Hot Reads and Summer Must Reads. She writes grown up women’s fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel good and inspiring.

She gained an Honours Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree from University College, Galway.

Her latest novel is The Guest House By The Sea – set in the west of Ireland – this is a book to fall in love with.

She also writes crime fiction as Geraldine Hogan. Her Corbally series is out now.

She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She’s a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger – except of course when it is raining!

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SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: Christmas By Candleight by Karen Swann

Published October 26th, 2023 by Pan Macmillan
Festive Fiction, Romance Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance

Welcome to my review for this charming Christmassy read and the first of our two Squadpod Book Club Books. Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

‘There’s nothing quite like a Karen Swan novel to get you in the festive mood – Seasonal escapism at its best’ – Woman & Home

Snowed in for the holidays, old truths rise to the surface. Christmas by Candlelight is a cosy Christmas story from Karen Swan, bestselling author of The Stolen Hours.

It’s three days before Christmas and starting to snow when high-flier Libby and her new boyfriend reluctantly attend her university reunion.

Hosted by Archie Templeton – the heartbreaker of their group – at his grand family estate in Yorkshire, the night is a great success until they go to leave: the road is now blocked with snow.

At first, being snowed in together is fun. But as hours pass everyone grows restless.

Then the power goes out . . .

Hunkered down together by candlelight, they reminisce about old times – and tensions soon start to rise. Secrets from the past begin to unravel and Libby is confronted with a truth she has long tried to deny.

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MY REVIEW:

Three days before Christmas Libby and her new boyfriend, Max, reluctantly make their way to a reunion with Libby’s university friends. She hasn’t seen them since they left Durham University nine years ago and has made excuses for every annual reunion and meet up. She is wracked with nerves at seeing them again but reassures herself it’s only for a few hours. The snow is already falling when they arrive at the family estate of the group’s heartbreaker, Archie, just outside Thirsk in North Yorkshire. Despite her apprehension, the night is a success, but when Libby and Max go to leave they discover the snow has fallen much harder than anyone realised and they are snowed in. At first they try to make the best of things and enjoy their extended visit, but after the power goes out and they are stranded without any way of contacting help, tensions rise, old hostilities flare, and long-held secrets are slowly revealed, forcing Libby to confront things she’s been running from for almost decade. 

Christmas By Candlelight is one of the Squadpod Book Club books this month. Fun, uplifting, immersive and addictive, this is festive fiction at its finest. I started reading this in November and didn’t think I was quite ready to start my festive reading, but this was exactly what I didn’t know I needed and helped me get into the festive spirit. It warmed my heart, broke it, and then warmed it again as I lost myself in the story. The vivid descriptions of the snowy landscape and old estate adorned with decorations conjured up images of a scenic Christmas while also providing a feeling of claustrophobia that adds to the suspense and foreboding. Somehow, this was my first Karen Swan book. I’ve no idea how I’ve never read any of her books until now but this certainly won’t be my last. 

The story is narrated by Libby and told in dual timelines: the Christmas reunion in the present day and the group’s final term at Durham University in 2014. The friends are an eclectic cast of fascinating characters and there’s a feeling of nostalgia that comes from their reminiscing and the flashbacks to university. As the outlier of the group, Libby was a great choice for narrator and was likeable, flawed and relatable. It’s clear from the start that there are secrets, old conflicts, tension, and unresolved bad blood between the friends which boils over as they are forced to live in close quarters without heat or power after being stranded by the snow. Yes, there is some cheesiness and predictability to the story, including a will-they-won’t-they romance, but this is expertly merged with the more serious aspects of the story and all a part of the book’s charm. 

So if you’re looking for a charming Christmassy read that will warm you from the inside, I’d highly recommend this book.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year – one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous summer titles include The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Secret Path and for winter, Christmas at Tiffany’s, The Christmas Secret and Together by Christmas.

Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots.

Her historical series called The Wild Isle, is based upon the dramatic evacuation of the Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930.

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SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: Her by Mira V Shah

Published November 23rd, 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton
Psychological Thriller

Welcome to my review for Her, the sensational debut that is the Squadpod Book Club pick for November. Thank you to Alainna at Hodder & Stoughton for my proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

YOU WANT TO BE JUST LIKE HER. BUT DO YOU REALLY KNOW HER?


Rani has always felt like an outsider. First growing up among her white, wealthy peers. And now next to her successful, child-free friends. From the tiny rented flat she lives in with her family, she imagines being the kind of woman who owns the beautiful house across the street.

Then Natalie moves in. With her expensive clothes, adoring husband and high-powered job, she has everything Rani wants, and Rani can’t help but be drawn to her new neighbour.

But as the two women strike up a friendship and begin open up, Rani wonders – is Natalie’s perfect-seeming life too good to be true?

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MY REVIEW:

As Natalie moves into her new home on the quiet street she has no idea her neighbour is watching. Her picture-perfect life, blissful marriage and beautiful house are all Rani has ever wanted but instead she’s stuck in a tiny flat, a stale marriage and plagued by regret. But what glitters isn’t always gold and there is something dark simmering underneath the polished image Natalie and her husband portray. And Rani is determined to find out what it is…

OMG. What a book! Heartpoundingly tense, twisty and addictive, Her is a sensational debut that left me reeling. A story of dark secrets, fractured people, complex relationships, trauma, obsession and the evil that can lurk inside us, it sucked me in from the opening pages. But this was nothing like I expected in all the best ways. Skillfully written, intricately plotted and addictive, there’s an inherent darkness and danger, a feeling that something is going to happen but you don’t know what it is keeping me on the edge of my seat. There were shocking revelations and surprising twists that never felt predictable, even when I guessed them correctly.

The story is narrated by both Rani and Natalie, giving us a glimpse into the inner thoughts and fears of both women. They are both unreliable narrators with secrets and things they are hiding from their husbands. I was suspicious of Rani and her obsession with her dream house from the start while Natalie appears much more sympathetic due to the nightmares that haunt her and the mystery of what is in her past. But both women also have something that draws you to them and makes you root for them, even when they are making the wrong choices and I was here for their blossoming friendship despite the hint of foreboding that lurked alongside it.

So if you’re looking for a tantalising and twisty psychological thriller that you won’t be able to put down, then pick up this book. Mira V. Shah is an author to watch and I will be excitedly picking up whatever she writes next. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Mira V Shah is a writer, former City lawyer turned legal editor and the proud owner of three good dogs. She is the daughter of Indian African parents and lives in North London with her husband and the pack – merely a few miles from where she grew up, although she often dreams about retiring in Italy should her intermittent lottery entries prove successful.

She wrote her first ever novel in 2020 during the first UK lockdown after studying on the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course.

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SQUADPOD REVIEWS: The Birdcage Library by Freya Berry

Published June 22nd, 2023 by Headline
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

Welcome to my review for the gorgeously gothic The Birdcage Library. This was one of our summer Squadpod Book Club picks, so I’m late with this review. But this book was more than worth the wait for me. Thank you to Headline for the proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:
Dear Reader, the man I love is trying to kill me…

A mesmerising tale of buried secrets and dark obsession with shades of Daphne du Maurier, The Birdcage Library will hold you in its spell until the final page.

‘A delicious page-turning mystery within a mystery’ LIZ HYDER
‘A twisty treasure hunt of a novel… Utterly beguiling’ LIZZIE POOK
‘It glistens with a hint of the danger that lurks within‘ CHARLOTTE PHILBY
‘Dark, claustrophobic and clever storytelling’ JANE SHEMILT
_________

1932. Emily Blackwood, adventuress and plant hunter, travels north for a curious new commission. A gentleman has written to request she catalogue his vast collection of taxidermied creatures before sale.

On arrival, Emily finds a ruined castle, its owner haunted by a woman who vanished five decades before. And when she discovers the ripped pages of a diary, crammed into the walls, she realises dark secrets lie here, waiting to entrap her too…

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MY REVIEW:

“Welcome, dear reader. You have found me, and I you. The diary you hold in your hands is a treasure map. It will lead you to what you ought to seek. Like all such maps, the trail is cryptic. The reason for this is simple. The man I love is trying to kill me.”

Gorgeously gothic, dark and forbidding, The Birdcage Library is an absolute masterpiece. Set in 1930s Scotland, Botanist and Adventuress Emily Blackwood is about to begin a new commission cataloguing the collection of creatures for sale. When she arrives at Castle Parras she finds a remote and ruined place inhabited by a peculiar nonagenarian and haunted by the memory of a woman who disappeared fifty years ago. After finding the pages of an old diary hidden in the walls, Emily sets out to solve the mystery in its pages. But alongside its secrets, a darkness lurks in the crevices of this old castle. Can she discover the truth before it entraps her?

Enthralling, eerie and suspenseful, this had everything I want in a Gothic mystery. This was one of our summer Squadpod Book Club picks so I’m late reading it, but it feels perfect for this time of year. Castle Parras is a cold, uninviting place but it lures you in, tempting you to try and be the one to make it give up its secrets. There’s a hint of malevolence and a nameless dread that hovers over the pages, making tendrils of fear creep up your spine as you read. With her exquisite storytelling and evocative imagery, Freya Berry takes you on a literary treasure hunt that wrenches you out of your own world and into the one she’s created as you try to solve the decades-old mystery. I was utterly captivated, not wanting to put the book down even to sleep as I desperately needed answers. 

“The summer solstice, with its sliver of dark, seemed a strange time of year for a haunting. But perhaps it was not the creatures of night that were most terrifying – at least with those you knew that day would come. Worse, perhaps, were the monsters that rose while the sun was high.”

Emily and Hester were great protagonists. While they lived very different lives fifty years apart there were many similarities between them. Both women are strong yet vulnerable. They are plagued by inner torment, fear, and regret while also possessing a fierce resolve and determination. They are also both surrounded by mystery. For Hester, this is her disappearance, while for Emily it is her past and the secrets she’s keeping from the reader. While you are never completely sure if either woman is a reliable narrator, they are easy to like and I was cheering them on at every step. We can’t talk about the characters without mentioning Heinrich Vogel, Emily’s employer and Hester’s brother-in-law. The nonagenarian is a strange man who gets increasingly creepy as the story goes on. I didn’t trust him or his nephew, Yves, one bit, and was worried for Emily’s safety as she’s trapped in the castle with them.

“The best most of us can hope for is to find comfort in our cages.”

One of the themes running through this book is cages as Berry explores the ways in which they are a metaphor in our lives. She discusses how we can be caged by society, relationships, or even ourselves, vividly capturing how it feels to be trapped in an invisible prison, being desperate to escape but having no idea how to free yourself. She also weaves in literal cages in the form of the castle walls, birdcages and the boxes that hold the various creatures, both alive and dead, adding to the claustrophobic feeling radiating from the pages.

Darkly atmospheric, chilling and immersive, this clever and twisty puzzle gets all the stars. One of my favourite books so far this year, The Birdcage Library is a mesmerising gothic mystery that will haunt you long after reading. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Freya Berry worked as a journalist at Reuters, covering everything from corporate M&A to Brexit. After a stint in New York reporting on the 2016 US election she left to write her first novel, The Dictator’s Wife, published by Headline in 2022. She received a double starred first in English from Trinity College, Cambridge and her writing has appeared in the TLS, the Guardian, the Independent and the Mail Online among others. She also works as an investigative corporate researcher. Her time is split between London and the Welsh coast, where she spends an inadvisable amount of time in the sea.

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SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: 73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan

Published July 20th, 2023 by Michael Joseph
Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Romance Fiction

Welcome to my review of the stylish, soulful and compelling, 73 Dove Street. This was our Squadpod Book Club pick for July. Thank you to Michael Joseph for the gifted proof.

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SYNOPSIS:

The page-turning and evocative new novel set in 1950s London from the author of That Green Eyed Girl


‘An incredibly vivid rendering of post-war London and the complicated lives of three woman whose fates intersect at a boarding house . . . emotional, immersive and utterly absorbing’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘The sense of time and place is beautifully evocative. It’s about pride and shame and love and loss and ultimately hope’ LAURA SHEPHERD-ROBINSON
‘Once again, Julie Owen Moylan has created a world that feels completely real and vivid’ JODIE CHAPMAN
‘From the Rivoli Ballroom to the seedy nightlife of Soho, the characters leap off the page in this compelling mystery’ WOMAN & HOME
___________
When Edie Budd arrives at a shabby West London boarding house in October 1958, carrying nothing except a broken suitcase and an envelope full of cash, it’s clear she’s hiding a terrible secret.
And she’s not the only one; the other women of 73 Dove Street have secrets of their own . . .
Tommie, who lives on the second floor, waits on the eccentric Mrs Vee by day. After dark, she harbours an addiction to seedy Soho nightlife – and a man she can’t quit.
Phyllis, 73 Dove Street’s formidable landlady, has set fire to her husband’s belongings after discovering a heart-breaking betrayal – yet her fierce bravado hides a past she doesn’t want to talk about.
At first, the three women keep to themselves.
But as Edie’s past catches up with her, Tommie becomes caught in her web of lies – forcing her to make a decision that will change everything . . .

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MY REVIEW:

73 Dove Street is a story of secrets, lies, heartbreak, trauma, and fear told through the eyes of three women: Edie, Tommie, and Phyllis. To keep their secrets, the women keep to themselves, leaving them feeling isolated, lonely, and without anyone to turn to or confide in. But when Tommie gets tangled in Edie’s web of lies the women are forced to make decisions that will alter the course of their lives forever…

My love for Julie Owen Moyan’s writing is sealed after reading this book, which was the Squadpod Book Club pick for July (yes, I’m a bit behind). Beautifully written and compelling, she knows how to captivate her audience, drawing you into the story and the lives of her characters. She transports you to 1950s London with descriptions that are so vivid you can not only see it in front of you, but you can hear and smell it, too. A tense, claustrophobic atmosphere leapt from the pages, and there’s a quiet intensity to it that tells you something is simmering beneath the surface just waiting to boil over. I lived every moment alongside the characters as I read this heartbreaking and hopeful story. 

The characters are key to this story, giving it its beating heart. Edie, Tommie and Phyllis live in a time where women are subservient to men, often abused, and have few options for an independent life. The story seamlessly shifts between dual timelines to tell their stories, illuminating the lives of these ordinary women who were ignored by a misogynistic society. They spend their lives swimming in guilt, trauma, and fear, but it was powerful to watch as they discovered their own strength and resilience, refusing to be cowed by society and finding the courage to live life on their own terms. I loved these strong, inspirational women and was rooting for them every step of the way.

Stylish, soulful, and deeply human, 73 Dove Street is a gripping novel from a rising star in literary fiction and I can’t wait to see what this author writes next.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Julie Owen Moylan is a writer whose short stories and articles have appeared in New Welsh Review, The Independent, Sunday Express, and My Weekly.

She has also written and directed several short films as part of her MA in Film. Her graduation short film called ‘BabyCakes’ scooped Best Film awards at the Swansea Film Festival, Ffresh, and the Celtic Media Awards. She also has an MA in Creative Writing, and is an alumna of the Faber Academy’s Writing a Novel course. 

Julie has written two novels, THAT GREEN EYED GIRL ( May 2022) and 73 DOVE STREET ( July 2023 ) Both novels are published by Penguin Michael Joseph.

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SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: The Good Daughter by Laure van Rensburg

Published August 3rd, 2023 by Michael Joseph
Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Thriller

Today I’m sharing my review for this tense and mesmerising thriller, which was our Squadpod Book Club Pick for August. Thank you to Michael Joseph for the gifted copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

DISCOVER THE TRUTH ABOUT THE GOOD DAUGHTER IN THIS UNPUTDOWNABLE THRILLER . . .

‘A stark, stunning and deeply affecting thriller. The Good Daughter takes a tender, chilling look at family and fear, the illusion of safety and the power of inner-resolve. I loved it’
CHRIS WHITAKER

‘A powerful Southern Gothic thriller about the dangers of blind faith, the strength of women, and the deceptive nature of memory’ ANNA BAILEY

‘Laure Van Rensurg has established herself as a master of the literary thriller. An eerie, chilling, gorgeously written novel that is unafraid to challenge and question its subject matter’ LAURIE ELIZABETH FLYNN

Abigail is a proud member of the New America Baptist Church. Living miles away from the nearest town in South Carolina, she is safe from the depraved modern world.

She is a good daughter. A valued member of the community.

So when she is the sole survivor of a fire that burns her family’s home to the ground, it seems like a tragic accident.

Until a surprising discovery is made: before the fire, Abigail let a stranger in.

Who was the stranger? What started the fire? And was the outside world always the threat – or did danger lurk within the community’s walls?

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MY REVIEW:

The good daughter respects her father’s command.
The good daughter dresses modestly.
The good daughter must do as she’s told.
But sometimes daughters must be bad to survive. 

With a tagline like that, I had to read this book, and I was delighted when it was picked as the Squadpod Book Club book for August. We’d read Laure van Rensburg’s debut, Nobody But Us for our book club last year and I was a big fan, so I couldn’t wait to read this one. 

Newhaven, South Carolina. Home to the controversial New America Baptist Church and a refuge from the immoral modern world for its members. Abigail is proud to be one of them. The 17-year-old is committed to being a good daughter and spreading the church’s teachings to lost souls. One night a fire ravages her family home and Abigail is the sole survivor. It seems like a tragic accident, but as Abigail’s memories of that night and the weeks leading up to it fail to return, members of the congregation become increasingly suspicious. Did an outsider break in and start the fire? Or was this good daughter involved in her parent’s death?

“They all keep staring at me, waiting for me to talk, but I ain’t got no words for them. No answers to their questions. The fire’s left me with nothing but charred memories, no shapes. It burned all my feelings and left me numb with questions of my own.”

Laure van Rensburg has lived up to the hype of her debut with The Good Daughter. There’s no ‘sophomore syndrome’ in sight as she once again delivers a darkly atmospheric, suspenseful and unputdownable thriller that I quickly devoured. A story of dark secrets, fractured people, indoctrination and trauma, it captures the many shades of evil that can be hidden behind a guise of love. Well-written, shrewdly choreographed, and told with empathy and sensitivity, the intricately woven plot contains a complex maze of twists and turns that keeps you guessing. I was in van Rensburg’s thrall, on the edge of my seat as she slowly untangled the knots to reveal the shocking truth, leading to a jaw-dropping finale I’m still not over. 

Seamlessly moving between dual timelines, we follow the aftermath of the fire as Abigail desperately tries to remember what happened that night and in the weeks leading up to her parents’ death, but she is haunted by nightmares and distorted fragments of memory slowly return to her, ramping up the tension with each new revelation. Also included are audio files and other media that hint at something dark and sinister yet to come while also helping us slowly piece the story together. Van Rensburg’s evocative storytelling and richly drawn characters offer us a glimpse of life inside the cult that feels authentic. There are clear gender roles taken from their warped view of the bible and that we see in the coercive control, dominance and abusiveness of the men alongside the subjugation and compliance of the women. Abigail has been raised in this since she was a young child and sees nothing wrong with the rules she follows. She idolises her father, who, quite frankly, is an abusive asshole. I wanted to reach into the book and rescue her from the life she’s been brainwashed into accepting. But thankfully there was hope on the horizon. Summer comes into Abigail’s life when she agrees to secretly be interviewed for her podcast and the young woman becomes a catalyst for change as she opens her eyes to some of the lies she’s been told, creating an inner conflict and rage that leapt from the page. It is powerful stuff that really makes you feel for Abigail as her world is turned upside down and makes you wonder if she could have been involved in the fire after all…

“My head is full of screams, deafening echoes hitting the walls of a cave; they mingle with roars from the fire, but there’s something else underneath them, scratching to get out. 
But I can never see past that shattered mirror, the pieces only allowing me to catch a glimpse, a detail, never enough for a full picture, for anything to make much sense. 
Always a red fire. So much red. A red that burns.”

There’s a sinister cloud of mistrust that lingers over these pages, and never more so than when surrounding most of the cult’s members. Again, there is a clear divide between genders with the women seeming more mysterious and meek, while the men are controlling and violent. Abigail’s father is a real piece of work who made me so angry that I wanted to reach into the book and book and give him a taste of the abuse he dolled out. I was furious with her mother for not only standing idly by, but encouraging her daughter to accept the abuse as something she deserves. While it was obvious she had secrets that made her feel she owed him something, nothing excuses allowing your child to be abused and my heart broke for Abigail being so let down by both parents.

A first-rate thriller with Handmaid’s Tale vibes, The Good Daughter is a powerful, mesmerising and addictive read that would make a perfect series. READ IT NOW!

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Laure Van Rensburg is a French writer living in the UK and an Ink Academy alumna. Her stories have appeared in online magazines and anthologies such as Litro Magazine, Storgy Magazine, The Real Jazz Baby (2020 Best Anthology, Saboteur Awards 2020), and FIVE:2:ONE. She has also placed in competitions including 2018 & 2019 Bath Short Story Award.

Her debut novel, Nobody But Us, follows Ellie and Steven who take their first trip away together, but what starts as an idyllic weekend soon takes a darker turn, as it quickly becomes apparent that each of them harbour secrets – and that one of those secrets is deadly.

Nobody But Us (originally titled The Downfall) was shortlisted for the 2019 First Novel Prize, 2019 Novel London Competition and 2019 Flash 500 Novel Opening. It will be published by Michael Joseph in April 2022 and has sold in fourteen territories, including Germany, Italy, Norway and the United States.

Laure’s latest novel. The Good Daughter, was longlisted in 2019 Exeter Novel Prize and more recently shortlisted in the 2020 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. It publishes in August 2023.

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SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB REVIEW: This Family by Kate Sawyer

Published May 11th, 2023 by Coronet
Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Domestic Fiction

Welcome to my review of This Family, the enthralling literary masterpiece that was the Squadpod Book Club pick for May.

Thank you to Coronet for the gifted proof copy.

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SYNOPSIS:
An ambitious new novel of family life past and present from the author of the Costa Book Awards shortlisted The Stranding.

‘A smart yet tender page-turner. Kate Sawyer makes the reader feel as though they have a seat at the family table.’ ERIN KELLY

‘A tender yet vivid novel in both form and voice, its threads as bright as the tapestry of life it depicts. I lived, laughed and ached for these characters throughout. A superb accomplishment.’ WIZ WHARTON

‘Feels like the ultimate eavesdropping exercise, it’s satisfying fresh and expertly structured. The penultimate chapter will make you shriek. I loved it.’ ALEXANDRA HEMINSLEY

‘Lyrical, literary and luminous … buy it and treat yourself to writing at its finest.’ BETHANY CLIFT

‘Perfection. Funny and powerful, deeply moving, hugely atmospheric.’ LIZ HYDER

‘Every nuance of mother and daughters and sister relationships is vividly explored. Beautifully written, it expertly weaves the past with the present, building the tension, so you have to turn the pages.’ GEORGINA MOORE

‘Unfolds like a great piece of theatre… The more I read, the harder it became to put down.’ BOBBY PALMER

‘Fans of The Stranding, rest assured–This Family is every bit as good and then some. An absolute treat from start to finish.’ NATASHA CALDER

‘The vibrant, complex members of This Family are still alive and well in my imagination, weeks after I finished reading it. The rich, precise prose drew me into their world and held me there from beginning to end.’ JO BROWNING WROE
___________

It is my dearest wish, that after so long apart, I am able to bring this family together for my wedding day.

This house. This family.

Mary has raised a family in this house. Watched her children play and laugh and bicker in this house. Today she is getting married in this house, with all her family in attendance.

The wedding celebrations have brought fractured family together for the first time in years: there’s Phoebe and her husband Michael, children in tow. The young and sensitive Rosie, with her new partner. Irene, Mary’s ex-mother-in-law. Even Emma, Mary’s eldest, is back for the wedding – despite being at odds with everyone else.

Set over the course of an English summer’s day but punctuated with memories from the past forty years of love and loss, hope and joy, heartbreak and grief, this is the story of a family. Told by a chorus of characters, it is an exploration of the small moments that bring us to where we are, the changes that are brought about by time, and what, despite everything, stays the same.

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MY REVIEW:

“It is my dearest wish that after so long apart, I am able to bring this family back together for my wedding day.
I don’t think it’s my way to ask much of others, but now I am asking each of you to give me one day where you leave any animosity at the gate and try to remember that you love each other.”

Enchanting, moving and achingly real, This Family is another literary masterpiece from Kate Sawyer. This family saga is told over the course of a late summer’s day and peppered with flashbacks that illustrate their history and the animosity, discord and anger that lingers between them. Can they put their bad blood aside for this one day? Or will their deep wounds rise to the surface and bubble over in a blaze of fury and resentment? 

“It’s a new beginning. 
She should be happy.
And she is. She is.
But where there are new beginnings, there are always endings too.”

What a magnificent book! Kate Sawyere’s debut, The Stranding, was one of my favourite books of 2021 so I was highly anticipating her sophomore novel. And there is no second book syndrome in sight as Sawyer once again showcases her remarkable storytelling in this beautifully written story. A character study and exploration of life and family, Sawyer draws you into the lives of this fractured family with her eloquent and evocative writing. It is an emotional story, but not too heavy or melancholy thanks to the sprinkling of witty observations about life, parenthood and family that lighten the mood. I was lost in the pages, completely immersed in their world, and was sad to say goodbye to them when I reached the final page.

“She had been braced for a certain amount of nostalgia this weekend. It’s only to be expected that being back in your childhood home, saying farewell to all the nooks and crannies of the place where you became the person you are, is always going to invoke memories. She just hadn’t been prepared for which memories they might be, and how, remembering those memories, would feel like living it all over again.”

Told from multiple points of view, it follows four generations of one family as they come together for a wedding. This will be the first time they are all together since unknown events fractured them into pieces, but sisters Emma, Phoebe, and Rosie have agreed to put their own feelings aside for their mother Mary’s special day. But the pain runs deep between them, and they are unprepared for some of the feelings that arise when they see one another for the first time in years. This novel perfectly encapsulates the essence of family life with all of its messiness, drama, pain, and complex relationships. This is a family that is broken and we see how tensions run even higher during claustrophobic and anxiety-laden situations such as a wedding. The characters are all richly drawn, compelling, flawed and relatable. I had a particular affinity for Mary, who is a kind, selfless woman that has always given her all to her family, even raising  the child her husband had with his mistress after her death. I think a lot of this affinity stemmed from having raised children from two families in a blended household myself, as well as the fact that my children are now grown and I’ve just had my second wedding. I also really enjoyed Irene, the cantankerous mother of Mary’s ex-husband Richard and the delightful Rosie, who was the only sister talking to everyone. 

A truly decadent read that is atmospheric, stirring, insightful, nuanced and enthralling, This Family is an absolute must-read from a literary star. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

TW: Infertility and grief.

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kate was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK where she grew up in the countryside as the eldest of four siblings, after briefly living with her parents in Qatar and the Netherlands.

Kate Sawyer worked as an actor and producer before turning her hand to fiction. She has previously written for theatre and short-film. Kate’s first novel The Stranding was published by Coronet in 2021 and was listed for the Costa First Novel Award.

Having lived in South London for the best part of two decades with brief stints in the Australia and the USA she recently returned to East Anglia to have her first child as a solo mother by choice.

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Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

Published April 27th, 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton
Mystery, Thriller, Suspemse, Psychological Thriller

Welcome to my review of the deliciously dark debut, Death of a Bookseller, which was the Squadpod Book Club pick for April. Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for the gifted copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:
A BOOKSHOP. A TRUE CRIME CASE. A DEADLY FRIENDSHIP.

THE UNMISSABLE DEBUT THRILLER.

Roach – bookseller, loner and true crime obsessive – is not interested in making friends. She has all the company she needs in her serial killer books, murder podcasts and her pet snail, Bleep.

That is, until Laura joins the bookshop.

Smelling of roses, with her cute literary tote bags and beautiful poetry, she’s everyone’s new favourite bookseller. But beneath the shiny veneer, Roach senses a darkness within Laura, the same darkness Roach possesses.

As Roach’s curiosity blooms into morbid obsession, it becomes clear that she is prepared to infiltrate Laura’s life at any cost.

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MY REVIEW:

“The path to understanding the human condition was soaked in blood and guts, it was stalked by serial killers and sadists and mass shooters, and it was laced with upsetting stories of violence and death, of neglect and abuse. If we really wanted to better ourselves as a society, we had to be prepared to deal with the unsavoury parts as well as the nicey-nice parts.”

Deliciously dark, sinister, disturbing and addictive, Death of a Bookseller is one of those books that grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go. True crime, books, toxic female friendship, and obsession; this book had everything my dark heart loves and I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

I love a book with a complicated and unreliable protagonist, and this has two of them.  Roach and Laura are both unlikeable yet magnetic characters who seem to have little in common. Laura is a bubbly, outgoing, social butterfly who loves bookselling and writes found poetry to illuminate the lives of victims of violent crime, while Roach is a strange, macabre loner who is obsessed with true crime and views customers as a nuisance. Roach thinks the pair are destined to be friends, but Laura wants nothing to do with her. Determined to win Laura over, Roach foists herself upon her in a way that’s oppressive and deeply uncomfortable, her obsession becoming increasingly fanatical until it spirals out of control. But Roach’s obvious psychopathic tendencies, I couldn’t see her as the ‘bad guy’. Laura’s mean-girl antics rubbed me the wrong way and left me ultimately sympathising with Roach, even after we dig deeper and discover the fractured girl haunted by trauma that is hiding beneath Laura’s mask. Yet overall, there is no clear villain and no winner, just two very troubled young women.

“My life really started when I gave up trying to fit in, when I settled into myself, like an alligator sinking into a swamp.” 

Alice Slater is a debut author to watch. She knows how to sink her claws into her reader and not let go, making this one of those books you clear your schedule and lock out the world for. From the opening pages something sinister crackles in the air and the tension continues to build as you read, reaching a fever-pitch as we approach the finale; I can still feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins just thinking about it. Exquisitely written, astutely choreographed, and intricately crafted, Slater takes the reader to some unsettling places in her exploration of the dark underbelly of female friendship, toxic obsession, and the darkness that can lurk inside a twisted mind. She also exposes our infatuation with true crime and reminds us that these monstrous acts are not merely for our entertainment, but leave behind a ripple effect of grief, heartbreak and trauma that can last a lifetime. But don’t get it twisted, this isn’t a sombre novel, and to offset the darkness there are lots of cringey, awkward moments and ink-black humour that lightens the mood. And how can we forget Roach’s giant African land snail, Bleep, who slowly crawls along the bottom of the book’s pages in a brilliant creative detail. 

Quirky, compulsive, messy, chilling, and dark as night, Death of a Bookseller is one of those books that manages to be both relatable and off-the-wall insane. So, if like me you enjoy uncomfortable, creepy novels about dark things, then this is a book you have to read. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Alice is a writer, editor and ex-bookseller from London. She co-hosts the literary podcast What Page Are You On?, and edited Outsiders: A Short Story Anthology (3 of Cups Press). Her fiction has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and appeared in Dear Damsels, Cunning Folk, and On Anxiety (3 of Cups Press). She is working on her first novel. 

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

Signed Indie Edition – Goldsboro Books | The Feminist Bookshop

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*These purchase links are affiliate links