Category: Squadpod Recommends

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Featured Books Squadpod Recommends

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan

Published October 23rd, 2023 by HQ
Romance Novel, Contemporary Romance, Domestic Fiction, Festive Fiction, Christmas Story

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Could this Christmas be the start of a whole new chapter?

A long-lasting friendship

Every year, Erica, Claudia, and Anna reunite for their book club holiday. They’re bonded by years of friendship and a deep love of books, but there is still so much they keep from each other…

A perfect Christmas escape

At the cosy Maple Sugar Inn, Hattie specialises in making her guests’ dreams come true, but this Christmas all she wants is to survive the festive season. Between running the inn and being a single mother, Hattie is close to breaking point.

The start of a brand-new story…?

Over the course of an eventful week, Hattie sees that the friends are each carrying around unspoken truths, but nothing prepares her for how deeply her story will become entwined in theirs. Will this Christmas be the end of the book club’s story or the start of a whole new chapter?

BUY HERE

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MY REVIEW:

Every year, best friends Erica, Anna and Claudia reunite for their book club holiday. This year they are getting together near Christmas, and Erica has chosen the cosy Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont for their getaway. The Inn is run by Hattie, a widowed single mother who specialises in making her guests’ dreams come true. But between motherhood and running the inn, there is little time to do anything than simply try to survive the festive season. The friends arrive at the Inn, and over the course of the next week secrets are revealed and all of their stories will become entwined in unexpected ways…

I love a cosy Christmas story, so when the SquadPod voted for The Christmas Book Club as our December Book Club pick I was thrilled. I’ve heard so many good things about Sarah Morgan’s books and have many of them on my TBR, so this was the ideal excuse to finally read one of them. And now I’m wondering why I waited so long. A delightful and uplifting story of love, friendship, family, grief and the changes that life throws our way, The Christmas Book Club is festive perfection. Sarah Morgan knows how to keep her readers turning the pages, delivering a story that is funny and entertaining but also has moving and emotional stories woven into every facet. 

One of the highlights of this book for me were the compelling characters and the depictions of family, love and friendship between them. I especially loved Hattie, the Inn’s proprietor, and her young daughter Delphi, but each of the characters had me enthralled and I was rooting for each of them. The will they/won’t they romance between Hattie and Noah was also gripping and I was cheering them on throughout. 

So if you’re looking for a warming festive story to read whilst snuggled under a blanket with a hot chocolate this year, this is the book for you.

Rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Sarah Morgan is a USA Today and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of romance and women’s fiction. She has sold over 25 million copies of her books and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe.

Sarah lives near London, England and when she isn’t writing or reading, she likes to spend time outdoors hiking or riding her mountain bike.

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

*This post contains affiliate links

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025 Squadpod Squadpod Featured Books Squadpod Recommends

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOK: The Cure by Eve Smith

Published April 10th, 2025 by Orenda Books
Speculative Thriller, Medical Thriller, Dystopian Fiction

Today I’m finally sharing my review for this magnificent but terrifying thriller. Thank you Orenda Books for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

The discovery of an injection that wards off ageing is hijacked by ruthless men who hunger for immortality, with catastrophic consequences. Two women race against time to stop them, before it’s too late … a chilling, prescient, high-stakes speculative thriller by the bestselling author of One.
 
‘Another triumph of speculative fiction by Eve Smith … a brilliant concept, skilfully executed and disturbingly believable’ Guy Morpuss
 
‘Had me hooked from the opening chapter, right through to the brilliantly shocking ending … We should all be reading Eve’s cautionary tales’ Philippa East
 
‘Eve Smith has done it again! Thrilling, provocative and downright scary, The Cure is a powerfully clever novel, and Smith an author at the top of her game’ Russ Thomas

‘With compulsive plotting, crackling dialogue and a third-act twist that took my breath away, it cements Smith’s position as the queen of the speculative crime thriller’ David Goodman
 
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Living forever can be lethal…
 
Ruth is a law-abiding elder, working out her national service, but she has secrets.
 
Her tireless research into the disease that killed her young daughter had an unexpected outcome: the discovery of a vaccine against old age. Just one jab a year reverses your biological clock, guaranteeing a long, healthy life.
 
But Ruth’s cure was hijacked by her colleague, Erik Grundleger, who hungers for immortality, and the SuperJuve – a premium upgrade – was created, driving human lifespan to a new high. The wealthy elite who take it are dubbed Supers, and the population begins to skyrocket.
 
Then, a perilous side-effect of the SuperJuve emerges, with catastrophic consequences, and as the planet is threatened, the population rebels, and laws are passed to restore order: life ends at 120. Supers are tracked down by Omnicide investigators like Mara, and executed…
 
Mara has her own reasons for hunting Supers, and she forms an unlikely alliance with Ruth to find Grundleger.
 
But Grundleger has been working on something even more radical and is one step ahead, with a deadly surprise in store for them both…

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MY REVIEW:

Imagine a world where we all live a long, healthy life free from the complications of ageing. No more dementia, heart diseases, chronic pain or other ageing related conditions. Just a long life in our prime. It sounds like paradise. But would it be?

An incredible discovery means that people now live to 120 thanks to an annual anti-ageing injection. In this dystopian future, 115-year-old Ruth is an elder quietly working her mandatory national service and anticipating her transition day. But behind the unassuming facade are dark secrets she has hidden for decades. Years ago while she was trying to find a cure for the devastating illness that killed her young daughter, Ruth made a discovery that changed the world and led to the creation of ReJuve, the annual anti-ageing injection now widely used. But Ruth’s research was hijacked by her partner Erik Grundleger, a ruthless man on a quest for immortality who used it to create SuperJuve, a once in a lifetime injection for the wealthy elite, nicknamed Supers, who want to live forever. But that injection was outlawed when it was discovered that it led to psychosis. 

Mara is an investigator with Omnicide, a team who track down Supers and try to contain the catastrophic consequences of the side-effects. Known as The Blade, Mara has her own reasons for hunting Supers. And when an arrest leads to discovery that Grundleger, who has long been believed dead, may be alive, Mara forms an unlikely alliance with Ruth that leads the pair on a dangerous race against the clock to try and track down the man who started it all. 

Eve Smith has done it again. It’s been two weeks since I finished this book and I’m still reeling. Outstanding, original, though-provoking and terrifying, The Cure, is a riveting thriller that also serves as a cautionary tale, showing how in the wrong hands, something wonderful can be turned into a nightmare. I’ve been a huge fan of Eve’s books ever since her fantastic debut and this is her best yet. Masterfully written, meticulously researched, fast-paced, and full of surprising twists, Eve spins a chillingly believable tale that wrenched me out of my own reality and into the one she created. She also makes you think, forcing me to ponder important questions that I’d never considered before as she examines the problems of an ageing population, dwindling resources, the dilemma of lifespan versus healthspan, social healthcare and privilege. 

The two women at the centre of this story are fascinating characters and I loved reading them. They are very different but also quite similar, both of them being fierce and strong in their own way. Moving between narrators and timelines, we see their heart-rending backstories unfold and I was inspired by the way they have taken their pain and turned it into what motivates them in their chosen field.  I enjoyed watching them learn to work together and get to know each other and would love to see them reprise their investigative duo in another book. And we can’t talk about the characters without talking about the villain, Erik Grundleger. Brilliantly written, this odious and reprehensible man made my skin crawl and made me angry every time he was on the page.

Addictive, clever, suspenseful and unsettling, Eve had me hooked from start to finish with this magnificent thriller. It’s one not to be missed and I can’t wait for whatever she writes next.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eve Smith writes speculative thrillers, mainly about the things that scare her. She attributes her love of all things dark and dystopian to a childhood watching Tales of the Unexpected and Edgar Allen Poe double bills.

Longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize and described by Waterstones as ‘an exciting new voice in crime fiction’, Eve’s debut novel, The Waiting Rooms, set in the aftermath of an antibiotic resistance crisis, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award and was selected as a Book of the Month by Eric Brown in the Guardian, who compared her writing to Michael Crichton’s. It was followed by Off-Target, about a world where genetic engineering of children is routine, which was a Book of the Month in The Times. Her last thriller, One, set in a UK where a one-child policy is enforced, was a New Scientist pick and was longlisted for the British Science Fiction Association’s Best Novel Award.

Eve’s previous job at an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025 Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Featured Books Squadpod Recommends

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: This Is Not A Game by Kelly Mullen

Published April 10th, 2025 by Century
Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Crime Ficiton, Humorous Fiction

Welcome to my review for this compelling cosy crime debut. Thank you to Century for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Prepare to be hooked by this deliciously smart locked-room mystery featuring an irresistible grandmother and granddaughter sleuthing duo.

‘Miss Marple meets Only Murders in the Building. Entertaining from start to finish‘ Jennie Godfrey

‘Agatha Christie brought bang up to date‘ Clare Mackintosh

‘Wickedly sharp‘ Lucy Clarke

‘So gripping and atmospheric, I barely made it out alive‘ Steve Jones

‘Slick and witty‘ Daily Mail
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Two unlikely detectives. A killer cocktail of suspects.

A Gibson martini garnished with three silverskin onions is 77-year-old Mimi’s favourite cocktail. It is best served with a crossword puzzle, not as an apéritif at Jane Ireland’s extravagant auction party.

But given Mimi has been blackmailed into attending Jane’s event, at a grand old mansion on Mackinac Island (Michigan’s answer to The Hamptons), there are worse drinks she could spend an evening sinking.

Thankfully for her, she’s roped her granddaughter, Addie – who is escaping the heartache caused by her manipulative ex-fiancé – into accompanying her. While Addie spots celebrities and socialites in the manor’s labyrinth of dark rooms and Mimi wonders how to confess the real reason for her presence at the soiree, a scream pierces the air.

Jane is dead.

And when a second body turns up, Mimi and Addie soon become the unlikeliest of sleuths in a race to narrow down the suspects.

In a house that contains as many secrets as the people within it, it’s going to take more than a Gibson to survive the night…

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MY REVIEW:

Witty, whip-smart, glamorous and claustrophobic, This Is Not A Game is a dazzling locked-room whodunit. The story is set in a luxury mansion on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, where 77-year-old Mim has been blackmailed into attending a charity auction. She has taken her granddaughter Addie – who is trying to escape her own heartache – along for moral support. But everyone gets more than they bargained for when the host, Jane, is murdered. And Mim is the prime suspect. Then, as another person turns up dead, the mansion’s drawbridge door is stuck raised, and a storm prevents help from reaching them, Mim and Addie decide to try and find the killer. But as they search the house’s labyrinthine halls, all they seem to find is secrets. Can they unravel the clues and find the killer and clear Mim’s name?

This was a treat from beginning to end. Skillfully written, cunningly crafted, and steeped in the trademark twists and turns we expect from the genre, Kelly Mullen has created a sensational debut that feels both nostalgic and totally modern. Atmospheric and wonderfully descriptive, the story came alive around me and I felt totally immersed in its pages. It feels ideal for the big screen and that finale was one that Ms. Christie herself would have been proud of. 

In protagonists Mim and Addie, Mullen introduces us to a brilliant new crime-fighting duo that I absolutely adored. Mim is a sassy and sarcastic septuagenarian who loves a Gibson martini and crossword puzzle, while Addie is a feisty and savvy game creator who draws on her game plotting know-how to help her solve the murders. The background characters are the perfect mix of likeable and loathsome, helping to create a number of plausible suspects. As in any good locked-room mystery, the house is like a character in its own right, and this one is an eerie, claustrophobic and oppressive place with a maze of rooms. 

Suspenseful, slick, classy and funny, this compelling cosy crime is not to be missed. I’m hoping that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of these delightful amateur sleuths as I need more from this entertaining duo. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kelly Mullen has worked as a producer in Hollywood and as a marketing executive in New York and London. During the pandemic she took online writing courses through Curtis Brown Creative and The Novelry, which reignited her childhood passion for writing. Her debut novel, This Is Not A Game, publishes in April 2025.

As an executive producer, her credits include Academy Award-nominated Trumbo starring Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren, and AppleTV+’s Dads produced with Ron Howard. Her creative work for brands has won over 50 awards, including Cannes Lions and Clios.

Born and raised in Iowa, Kelly is now a dual citizen of the UK and US. She lives in London with her husband and their rescue cats.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx

Categories
Book Features Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Featured Books Squadpod Recommends Year In Review

SquadPod 2024 Favourites

It’s become a tradition to share a post featuring the SquadPod’s favourite books of the year and find out what our favourite reads are collectively. In 2024 we’ve been fortunate to read some amazing books both individually and as a team, so I’ve loved looking at these lists.

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok and BlueSky

Read to the end to find out our book of the year…

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Emma at Emma’s Biblio Treasures
  • Frank and Red – Matt Coyne
  • The List of Suspicious Things – Jennie Godfrey
  • The Silence in Between – Josie Ferguson
  • The Betrayal of Thomas True – A. J. West
  • The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah
  • One of the Good Guys – Araminta Hall
  • Clytemnestra – Costanza Casati
  • The Women – Kristin Hannah
  • Small Hours – Bobby Palmer
  • Prima Facie – Suzie Miller
  • The Household – Stacey Halls
  • The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers – Samuel Burr
  • The Theatre of Glass and Shadow – Anne Corlett
  • The Maiden – Kate Foster
  • Spoilt Creatures – Amy Twigg
  • Redemption – Jack Jordan
  • The House of Fever – Polly Crosby
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea – TJ Klune
  • The Examiner – Janice Hallett
  • Circus of Mirrors – Julie Owen Moylan
  • The Burial Plot – Elizabeth Macneal
  • The Book of Witching – C. J. Cooke
  • The Unfinished Business of Eadie Browne – Freya North
  • Black Woods, Blue Sky -Eowyn Ivey
  • The Marriage Portrait – Maggie O’Farrell

Book of the Year: Frank and Red – Matt Coyne

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Sue at Brown Flopsy’s Book Burrow
  • All I Want For Christmas – Karen Swan
  • Because She Looked Away – Alison Bruce
  • Circus of Mirrors – Julie Owen Moylan
  • Dark as Night – Lilja Sigurdardottir
  • First Lie Wins – Ashley Elston
  • Frank and Red – Matt Coyne
  • Geneva – Richard Armitage
  • How To Solve Murders Like a Lady – Hannah Dolby
  • In Bloom – Eva Verde
  • In the Blink of an Eye – Jo Callaghan
  • Leaving – Roxana Robinson
  • Living is a Problem – Doug Johnstone
  • Love Game – Emma Rae
  • Nightbloom – Peace Adzo Medie
  • Nothing Without Me – Helen Monks Takhar
  • Original Sins – Erin Young
  • Palisade – Lou Gilmond
  • Prima Facie – Suzie Miller
  • Second Chances at the Board Game Cafe – Jennifer Page
  • The Bedlam Cleaver – Robert J. Lloyd
  • The Betrayal of Thomas True – A. J. West
  • The Comeback – Ella Berman
  • The Enigma Girl – Henry Porter
  • The Final Act of Juliette Whilouby – Ellery Lloyd
  • The Last Summer – Karen Swan
  • The Maiden – Kate Foster
  • The Unfinished Business of Eadie Browne – Freya North
  • The Wreckage of Us – Dan Malakin
  • Theatre of Glass and Shadows – Anne Corlett
  • Victim – Jorn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger

Book of the Year: Frank and Red – Matt Coyne

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Vik at Vik’s Book Haven
  • Frank and Red – Matt Coyne
  • Clickbait – LC North
  • MILF – Paloma Faith
  • Breaking the Dark – Lisa Jewell
  • Mercy Chair – M. W. Craven
  • Death Watcher – Chris Carter
  • The Ice Retreat – Ruth Kelly
  • Don’t You Want Me Baby – Rachel Dove
  • After the Storm – G. D. Wright
  • The Clique – Rhiannon Barnsley
  • The Guests – Nikki Smith
  • My Daughter’s Revenge – Natali Simmonds
  • Date With Destiny – Lucy Vine
  • Someone in the Attic – Andrea Mara
  • A Good Place to Hide a Body – Laura Marshall
  • Message Deleted – K. L. Slater
  • The Night She Dies – Sarah Clarke
  • The Intruders – Louise Jensen
  • Darling Girls – Sally Hepworth
  • The Trade Off – Sandie Jones
  • The Familly Manda – Sue Heller
  • What Stays Unsaid – Sophie Flynn
  • How To Kill A Guy in Ten Ways – Eve Kellerman
  • Lights Out – Louise Swanson
  • The Phantom Child – A. J. Willis

Books of the Year: Frank and Red – Matt Coyne & Clickbait – L. C. North

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Jen at Travels Along My Bookshelf
  • The List Of Suspicious Things – Jennie Godfrey
  • The Glassmaker – Tracy Chevalier
  • Circus Of Mirrors – Julie Owen Moylan
  • In All Weathers – Matt Gaw
  • A Silent Tsunami – Anthea Rowan
  • Clear – Carys Davies
  • The Unfinished Business Of Eadie Browne – Freya North
  • Frank and Red – Matt Coyne
  • The Final Act Of Juliet Willoughby – Ellery Lloyd
  • The Betrayal Of Thomas True – AJ West
  • The Trouble With Mrs Montgomery Hurst – Katie Lumsden
  • Miss Austen Investigates – Jessica Bull
  • A Lively Midwinter Murder – Katy Watson
  • Someone At A Distance – Dorothy Whipple
  • Five Little Pigs – Agatha Christie
  • Diary Of A Provincial Lady – EM Delafield
  • Jane and Prudence – Barbara Pym
  • Mistletoe Magic In The Highlands – Bella Osborne
  • Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel
  • The Kings Mother – Annie Garthwaite

Book of the Year: The List of Suspicious Things – Jennie Godfrey

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Kate at Rutherford Reads
  • The Search Party – Hannah Richell
  • Knock Knock – Michelle Tehan
  • Ice Town – Will Dean
  • Leaving – Roxana Robinson
  • Home Again For Christmas – Emily Stone
  • The Guests – Nikki Smith
  • The Negotiator – Brooke Robinson
  • A Good Place to Hide a Body – Laura Marshall
  • Talking at Night – Claire Daverley
  • Frank and Red – Matt Coyne
  • The Summer Party – Kate Gray
  • The Wrong Hands – Mark Billingham
  • The Chamber – Will Dean
  • The Comeback – Ella Berman
  • Darling Girls – Sally Hepworth
  • Seven Days – Robert Rutherford
  • Five Bad Deeds – Caz Frear
  • Finding Sophie – Imran Mahmood
  • The School Run – Ali Lowe
  • In the Blink of an Eye – Jo Callaghan
  • The Memory of Us – Dani Atkins
  • The Christmas Appeal – Janice Hallett
  • The Perfect Guests – Ruth Irons
  • Redemption – Jack Jordan

Book of the Year: Frank and Red – Matt Coyne

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Elizabeth at Lib C Reads
  • Frank & Red – Matt Coyne
  • The List of Suspicious Things – Jennie Godfrey
  • All The Colours of the Dark – Chris Whitaker
  • Leaving – Roxana Robinson
  • The Silence In Between – Josie Ferguson
  • The Wedding People – Alison Espach
  • The Glassmaker – Tracy Chevalier
  • Circus of Mirrors – Julie Owen Moylan
  • The Unfinished Business of Eadie Browne – Freya North
  • This Motherless Land – Nikki May
  • The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby – Ellery Lloyd
  • True Love – Paddy Crewe
  • The Women – Kristin Hannah
  • Talking at Night – Claire Daverley
  • How to Age Disgracefully – Claire Pooley
  • Sandwich – Catherine Newman
  • Leave No Trace – Jo Callaghan
  • The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers – Samuel Burr
  • Prima Facie – Suzie Miller
  • The God of the Woods – Liz Moore
  • First Lie Wins – Ashley Elston
  • You Are Here – David Nicholls
  • Adelaide – Genevieve Wheeler
  • The Spy Coast – Tess Gerritsen

Book of the Year: Frank and Red – Matt Coyne

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Hayley at Lotus Readers
  • The Divorce – Moa Herngren
  • The Instrumentalist – Harriet Constable 
  • The Midnight Hour – Eve Chase 
  • One of the Good Guys – Araminta Hall 
  • The Women – Kristin Hannah
  • Profile K – Helen Fields 
  • Toxic – Helga Flatland 
  • The Silence In Between – Josie Ferguson
  • The Circus of Mirrors – Julie Owen Moylan 
  • This Motherless Land – Nikki May 
  • Living Is A Problem – Doug Johnstone 
  • The Black Loch – Peter May
  • Ice Town – Will Dean
  • The Trouble With Mrs Montgomery Hurst – Kate Lumsden
  • Dark As Night – Lilja Sigurdottir 
  • The Glassmaker – Tracey Chevalier 
  • By Any Other Name – Jodi Picoult 
  • Night Watching – Tracy Sierra
  • The Salt Flats – Rachel Atalla
  • Home Truths – Charity Norman

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Ellie at Elspells
  • The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley 
  • In Memoriam by Alice Winn
  • The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Micheal
  • Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen
  • Ghost Mountain by Ronan Hession
  • Birding by Rose Ruane
  • The Moon Represents My Heart by Pim Wangtechawat
  • The Last Princess by Ellen Alpsten 
  • Nesting by Roisin O’ Donnell
  • Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey 
  • May All Your Skies Be Blue by Fíona Scarlett 
  • Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

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Karen at Book Blogging Bureau
  • The List of Suspicious Things – Jennie Godfrey 
  • Prima Facie – Suzie Miller 
  • The Midnight Feast -Lucy Foley 
  • Frank and Red – Matt Coyne 
  • The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers – Samuel Burr 
  • A Lesson in Cruelty – Harriet Tyce 
  • The Curse of Penryn Hall – Jess Armstrong
  • The Knowing -Emma Hinds 
  • The Guests -Agnes Ravatn 
  • The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year –   Ally Carter 

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Becca at Becca Kate Blogs
  • Murder on Lake Garda – Tom Hindle
  • The Mystery Guest – Nita Prose
  • Everyone Who Can Forgive Me is Dead – Jenny Hollander 
  • The Story Collector – Iris Costello
  • The Last Party – Clare Mackintosh
  • Funny Story – Emily Henry
  • The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers – Samuel Burr
  • Redemption – Jack Jordan
  • The Midnight Feast – Lucy Foley
  • For Such a Time as This – Shani Akilah
  • Probably Nothing – Lauren Bravo
  • One of the Good Guys – Araminta Hall
  • Circus of Mirrors – Julie Owen Moylan
  • Here One Moment – Liane Moriarty

Book of the Year: Funny Story – Emily Henry

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Ceri at Ceri’s Lil’ Blog
  • Love Betty – Laura Kemp
  • The Lamplighters – Emma Stonex
  • Ten Years – Pernille Hughes
  • Contacts – Mark Watson
  • Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens
  • The Mystery Guest – Nita Prose
  • The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams 
  • The Love Hypothesis Ali Hazelwood
  • The Phone Box at the Edge of the World – Laura Imai Messina
  • A Train to Moscow – Elena Gorokhova
  • Yours Truly – Abby Jiminez
  • The Honeymoon – Kate Gray
  • The Party Season – S J I Holliday
  • The Hiding Place – Simon Lelic
  • Home Stretch – Graham Norton 
  • The Housewarming – S E Lynes 
  • Her Lonely Bones – Wendy Dranfield
  • Don’t You Want Me Baby? -Rachel Dove
  • The Sentence – Christina Dalcher
  • A Recipe for Christmas – Jo Thomas

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Zoe at Crazed Redhead Blog
  • Cover the Bones by Chris Hammer
  • Miss Austen Investigates – Jessica Bull
  • Here in the Dark –  Alexis Solokis 
  • Helle & Death – Oskar Jensen
  • The Pumpkin Spice Cafe – Laurie Gilmore
  • The Fury – Alex Michaelides
  • The Knowing – Emma Hinds
  • The Poisons We Drink – Bethany Baptiste
  • Days at the Morisaki Bookshop – Satoshi Yagisawa
  • Marigold Mind Laudnry – Jungeun Yun
  • None of This Is True – Lisa Jewell
  • Bright Young Women – Jessica Knoll
  • Critical Incidents – Luci Whitehouse
  • ASAP – Axie Oh
  • Every Smile You Fake – Dorothy Koomson
  • The Summer of Broken Rules – K. L. Walther
  • Beating Heart – Laura Pavlov
  • Things We Never Got Over – Lucy Score
  • Night Road – Kristin Hannah
  • Funny Feelings – Tarah DeWitt
  • The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore – Laruie Gilmore
  • The Christmas Tree Farm – Laurie Gilmore
  • Silent Evidence – Clea Koff
  • So Let Them Burn –  Kamilah Cole

Book of the Year: Marigold Mind Laudnry – Jungeun Yun

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So what were our favourites?

In alphabetical order, our top five books this year were:

  • Circus of Mirrors by Julie Owen Moylan
  • Frank and Red by Matt Coyne
  • The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr
  • The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
  • The Unfinished Business of Eadie Browne by Freya North

And our overall favourite was…

Frank and Red! Which was our Feburary Book Club pick.

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles. And thank you for all your support in 2024 xxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Recommends

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: The Drownings by Hazel Barkworth

Published August 1st, 2024 by Headline
Gothic Fiction, Fairy Tale, Dark Academia, Horror Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story

Welcome to my review for this intoxicating novel which was our SquadPod Book Club book this month. Thank you to Headline for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘Breathtaking… dark academia at its most compelling’ ERIN KELLY
‘An extraordinary story of female power, rage and oppression’ KATIE BISHOP
‘Barkworth is excruciatingly good’ OBSERVER

These waters became wild centuries before this university was dreamed of. Leysham has always been a dangerous place for women . . .

Serena arrives on campus reeling from the injury that destroyed her champion swimming career. She is lost until she meets Jane, an enigmatic tutor obsessed with the historic witch trials that took place in Leysham’s freezing waters.

When several young women are assaulted, the university’s shadowy legacy becomes inescapable. Those in power turn a blind eye, but Jane urges Serena and her friends to rise up. As their anger builds into an inferno of female rage, Serena takes matters into her own hands.

Leysham has reawakened something within her, a dark, impossible power. In the waters, she can see what must be done – and the sacrifice it will demand.

From the author of Heatstroke, an intoxicatingly atmospheric new novel about competition, obsession and influence – for readers of The Things We Do to Our Friends, Weyward and Promising Young Woman.

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MY REVIEW:

“What is a witch but a woman with power?”

Leysham University is a place with a dark history. A river flows alongside the campus where witch trials were once held, and last year students died after falling into the river on their way home from a night out. Serena Roberts is in her first year at the university and struggling to adjust, not only to life on campus, but to life without competitive swimming after an injury forced her to retire. Then one night she saves another student from drowning with the help of Jane, an enigmatic history professor who is obsessed with the historic witch trials, and everything changes. When Serena and her friends discover the college’s history of covering up assaults against female students, Jane encourages them to rise up against the university. Sparking a series of events that quickly gets out of control…

Fierce, powerful and enraging, The Drownings is an intoxicating story of female rage, obsession, rivalry, jealousy and influence. It also explores identity and desire, taking her characters on journeys of self-discovery and exploring the many different facets of desire in our lives. Hazel Barkworth’s writing is darkly atmospheric and discerning, drawing you into the murky world of Leysham. This is a story with many layers that are all intricately interwoven. I loved the eerie opening pages which made me think this was going to be a very gothic book, but while it still had a darkness, this is a thriller rather than gothic fiction. Barkworth blends modern themes such as social media and the Me Too movement with history. It feels timely and relatable while also showing us how little has really changed as women are still subjected to the same treatment but with a different name and means of punishment. Where women were once called witches and dunked, they are now trolled on social media and their truths hushed up to protect the men who harm them.  Barkworth also explores themes of identity and desire; and the toxicity of jealousy, comparison, and how harshly we talk to ourselves, taking us along for the ride with her characters on their journey of self discovery. 

The book is filled with an assorted cast of richly drawn and compelling characters. The protagonist, Serena, is a great character and I really felt for her. With her injury she hasn’t just lost swimming, she’s lost her whole identity and is forced to find herself again. Being away at university only compounds her confusion and loneliness, and I just wanted to reach out and hug her. Serena’s cousin, Zara, is another character we get to know well. Zara is a familiar character: living a carefully curated online life that hides her real insecurities. The rivalry between Serena and Zara is an important facet of both character’s lives as it has shaped how they’ve seen themselves from a young age. And the change in their dynamic now that Zara is a successful influencer while her star no longer shines bright, is particularly hard for Serena to deal with. Jane is also a very interesting character and her fixation on the witch trials is contagious, making it easy to understand how the students got pulled into everything. I enjoyed the activism storyline that is introduced by Zara but then merges with Jane’s cause to create something bigger and more out of control than any of them expected. Their anger, resolve and terror leaped from the pages and made me feel like I was right there with them. 

An absorbing and immersive piece of dark academia, this is one I highly recommend. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hazel grew up in Stirlingshire and North Yorkshire before studying English at Oxford. She then moved to London where she spent her days working as a cultural consultant, and her nights dancing in glam rock clubs. Hazel is a graduate of both the Oxford University MSt in Creative Writing and the Curtis Brown Creative Novel-Writing course. Her debut novel Heatstroke was published by Headline in 2020. She now lives in York with her partner.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024 Squadpod Squadpod Featured Books Squadpod Recommends

SQUADPOD BLOG BLAST: Under Her Roof by A. A. Chaudhuri

Published June 13th, 2024 by Hera
Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Suspense

Happy Publication Day to A. A. Chaudhuri and welcome to my stop on the SquadPod Collective Book Blast for Under Her Roof. Thank you to Hera for my proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘Intense, intricate and packed with intrigue…a thrilling and addictive read.’ B.A. Paris

It seems too good to be true…

When struggling writer Sebastian finds a room to let in a palatial Hampstead residence he cannot believe his luck. The rent is ridiculously cheap and he immediately feels a connection with his beautiful widowed landlady, Adriana.

It is.

Things take a dark turn when he finds out what happened to the last lodger. Could this be why the house is a fortress of security, and why Adriana seems so fragile? Adriana doesn’t want to talk about the death and sadness that seem to follow her wherever she goes and Sebastian has secrets of his own.

Now someone is watching their every move and there is nowhere to hide.

This house of light becomes a dark nightmare as the threat ramps up – what does the watcher want? And how far will they go to get it?

A gripping, twisty thriller perfect for fans of B.A. Paris, Shari Lapena and Lucy Foley. If you were hooked by Netflix series You or The Watcher then you will love this.

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MY REVIEW:

When struggling writer, Seb, finds a cheap room for rent in a luxurious Hampstead house he worries it is too good to be true. His misgivings aren’t eased by the house’s fortress-like security or the dark circumstances of her last lodger’s tragic ending, but when he meets the mysterious widowed landlady, Adriana, he is put at ease and struck by an instant connection with her. But, what neither of them know is that there is someone watching their every move. What does this watcher want? And do the dark secrets they are both hiding have anything to do with it? 

Intense, cryptic and suspenseful, Under Her Roof is another jaw-dropping thriller from A. A. Chaudhuri. Sizzling with dark secrets, suspicion and intrigue, I couldn’t put this down and devoured the book quickly. Chaudhuri is a must-read author for me and she gets better with every book. Expertly written and cleverly plotted, this was impossible to predict. My mind raced with theories and suspicions, but I couldn’t see how the many different threads of the story would connect until Chaudhuri skillfully intertwined them, delivering shocking twists that changed everything I thought I knew. Looking back, I can see the breadcrumbs she’d subtly sprinkled throughout the story, but I couldn’t see the full picture until she revealed it. Brava, Ms. Chaudhuri.

The story is told by multiple narrators in multiple timelines and all of the characters are richly drawn, complex and fractured. Adriana and Seb are two of the narrators and while both of them are likeable, we have no idea if they are reliable as they admit they are hiding dark secrets they are terrified of being revealed. No one in this story is completely innocent and an air of suspicion surrounds all of them and the tension radiates from the pages, keeping you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The story’s other narrators’ identities are a mystery that isn’t revealed until the dramatic finale. One of these is the ‘villain’ of the story. The mysterious person watching Adriana and Seb under the cover of looking out for her. This is a dark, sinister and dangerous character who will go to any lengths to ‘help’ Adriana and while there were a number of suspects I had in mind, my mind was blown when their true identity was revealed. 

Dark, devious, twisty and unpredictable, Under Her Roof is a high-octane psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page. Once again Ms. Chaudhuri has shown why she is one of the best thriller writers you will read. Highly recommended. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET 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 will be released in audiobook on 1st February 2024.

Her fourth psychological thriller – UNDER HER ROOF – will be released on 13th June 2024.

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.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

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

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024 Squadpod Squadpod Recommends Squadpod Reviews Uncategorised

SQUADPOD REVIEWS: Small Hours by Bobby Palmer

Published March 14th, 2024 by Headline
Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction

Today I’m sharing my review for the mesmerising Small Hours, which is one of this month’s SquadPod Featured Books. Thank you to Headline for sending me a proof in exchange for an honest review.

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SYNOPSIS:

‘Powerful’ JOANNA GLEN
‘Beautiful’ KATE SAWYER
‘A triumph’ JENNIE GODFREY

The eagerly awaited new novel from Bobby Palmer, author of the critically acclaimed debut Isaac and the Egg.

If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking through the trees into the garden, here’s what you’d see:

A father and son, a fox standing between them.

Jack, home for the first time in years, still determined to be the opposite of his father.

Gerry, who would rather talk to animals than the angry man back under his roof.

Everything that follows is because of the fox, and because Jack’s mother is missing. It spans generations of big dreams and lost time, unexpected connections and things falling apart, great wide worlds and the moments that define us.

If you met them in the small hours, you’d begin to piece together their story.

‘A magical, comforting read that touches on father-son relationships, male mental health and the healing power of nature’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

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MY REVIEW:

“Things aren’t set in stone. The smallest creatures undergo the greatest transformations. We are all of us, always, in flux.”

He’s done it again! Just like Bobby Palmer’s extraordinary debut, Isaac and the Egg, Small Hours is a literary masterpiece.  Mesmerising and poignant, this book was like a balm for the soul that wrapped me up in a warm hug as I read. Told in lyrical, melodic prose, I was transfixed and lost myself in its pages. I never wanted it to end but also didn’t want to put it down. 

Small Hours is a story about a father, a son, and a fox. A story about family, estrangement, loss, grief, mental health, disillusionment, and new beginnings. Through Jack and Gerry’s strained relationship Palmer explores the father/son relationship from both sides. These characters are like chalk and cheese, and while I loved reading them both, I will admit that it was Gerry I had the softest spot for. Gerry is struggling with a memory problem that is never identified, but seemed to me to be like dementia and it was heartbreaking to read as he tried to grasp at disappearing memories or wandered through the world with no idea where he was or what was going on. Palmer’s research is clear in Gerry’s behaviours and thoughts. 

“Did other people find it easy? To ask things, to say things out loud? To grab the stalks of the thoughts in your head and to pull up their roots, to bring them out of the soil and into her sunlight?” 

Seamlessly blending literary fiction with fantasy, Palmer has taken the world we know and sprinkled in a little magic in order to help us understand ourselves and those around us a little better. It is so well done that I never once questioned that there was a talking fox or that the story was set in reality. I loved how Jack found a friend and confidant in the fox, and reading their scenes were some of my favourite parts of the story. Palmer’s decision to write the inner monologues of the humans and the fox in disjointed, poetic verses that mirror the way our own thoughts take shape was a stroke of genius. It added to the feeling of authenticity and made me feel like I was really getting a glimpse into their thoughts.

Soulful, uplifting, moving, and original, Small Hours is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read and it will stay with me long after turning the final page. This is one of those books that you have to experience for yourself and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

BOBBY PALMER is an author and journalist whose writing has appeared in GQ, Esquire, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan and more. He is co-host of the literary podcast BOOK CHAT with Pandora Sykes.

His debut novel, ISAAC AND THE EGG, was an instant Saturday Times bestseller, selling 50,000 copies in its first year of publication. A Prima and Woman & Home ‘Best Book of 2022’, the novel appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book, featured as Guardian ‘Audiobook of the Week’, and was chosen by Dawn O’Porter as part of her ‘Dawn Loves’ book club with WHSmith.

Bobby’s second novel, SMALL HOURS, will publish in March 2024.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

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

********

Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

Categories
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.

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Recommends Squadpod Reviews Support Debuts

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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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Book Features Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023 Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Recommends Squadpod Reviews

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
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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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BUY THE BOOK:

Watertones* | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

*These links are affiliate links