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Blog Tours book reviews Squadpod

BLOG TOUR: One Enchanted Evening by Katie Fforde

Published: March 2nd, 2023
Publisher: Century
Genre: Romance Novel, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Romantic Comedy
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the utterly delightful One Enchanted Evening. Thank you to EdPR for the invitation to take part and to Century for the gifted copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

Step into the world of Katie Fforde where love, romance and the happiest of happy endings are just around the corner. The new novel by the number one bestselling author and queen of feel-good romance.
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Ever since she can remember, Meg has wanted to be a professional cook.

But it’s 1966, and in restaurant kitchens all over England it is still a man’s world.

Then she gets a call from her mother who is running a small hotel in Dorset.

There’s an important banqueting event coming up. She needs help and she needs it now!

When Meg arrives, the hotel seems stuck in the past. But she loves a challenge, and sets to work.

Then Justin, the son of the hotel owner, appears, determined to take over the running of the kitchen.

Infuriated, Meg is determined to keep cooking – and soon sparks between them begin to fly.

Will their differences be a recipe for disaster? After all, the course of true love never did run smooth…

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MY REVIEW:

It’s 1966 and professional kitchens are still a man’s world. But all Meg has ever wanted is to be a chef. So when she gets a call from her mother asking her to help with an important banquet coming up at the hotel she’s running, Meg jumps at the chance. 

Nightingale Woods Hotel is quaint and charming, but stuck firmly in the past and in need of some TLC. When Meg meets the owner’s son, Justin, it is clear that he has already consigned the hotel to the rubbish heap. Always up for a challenge, Meg sets to work updating the hotel, determined to modernise and attract new customers while proving Justin wrong. But she gets more than she bargained for when sparks begin to fly between them. Is this a recipe for disaster or has she found her happily ever after?

If you’re looking for an uplifting, feel-good read, then One Enchanted Evening is the book for you. A joy to read from start to finish, I was transported from the grey February skies of Sheffield to the summer sun of Dorset. I’m also a sucker for any book that has a good enemies-to-lovers romance, and this one certainly delivered with the bumpy road to love between Meg and Justin. 

I liked Meg immediately. She’s a protagonist and it was easy to root for both her and her crusade to save Nightingale Woods Hotel. I was totally invested in the outcome of her endeavours and it was heartbreaking to think that this charming and quirky little country haven might be sold. I was also rooting for Meg’s happy ending to include not only saving the hotel she’d grown to love, but the man she loves too. Like he did with Meg, Justin took a while to grow on me as a character. And while their love story was predictable in places, it was no less compelling, with me shouting at them to get their act together and admit they were in love already! 

This book also has a fantastic cast of background characters. I loved the sweet mother/daughter relationship between Meg and Louise and the friendship between Meg and her trio of old school friends. It was obvious that these characters have appeared in Ms. Fforde’s books before, but they soon felt like they were old friends of mine too. But my favourite character in this book was Ambrosine. Oh, I loved this sweet old lady. When her back story was finally revealed I loved her even more and would happily read an entire book about her life during the war (hint hint).

While I’d obviously heard the name Katie Fford, I must admit that this was my first time reading one of her books. Why did I wait so long? I have already bought some of her backlist books, including one of the books featuring Meg and her friends, and will be adding her future releases to my TBR. 

Captivating, heartwarming and utterly delightful, One Enchanted Evening was a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

From her Amazon author page:
I live in the beautiful Cotswold countryside with my family, and I’m a country girl at heart.

I first started writing when my mother gave me a writing kit for Christmas, and once I started I just couldn’t stop. Living Dangerously was my first novel and since then, I haven’t looked back.

Ideas for books are everywhere, and I’m constantly inspired by the people and places around me. From watching TV (yes, it is research) to overhearing conversations, I love how my writing gives me the chance to taste other people’s lives and try all the jobs I’ve never had.

Each of my books explores a different profession or background and my research has helped me bring these to life. I’ve been a porter in an auction house, tried my hand at pottery, refurbished furniture, delved behind the scenes of a dating website, and I’ve even been on a Ray Mears survival course.

I love being a writer; to me there isn’t a more satisfying and pleasing thing to do. I particularly enjoy writing love stories. I believe falling in love is the best thing in the world, and I want all my characters to experience it, and my readers to share their stories.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the tour, particularly the Squadpod Ladies who are posting today.

*Purchase links are affiliate links

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023 Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Recommends

BOOK REVIEW: I’ll Never Tell by Philippa East

Published: January 5th, 2023
Publisher: HQ
Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Ficiton, Domestic Fiction
Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook

I’ll Never Tell was the Squadpod Book Club pick for January. Tense and twisty, this one had me on the edge of my seat! Thank you to HQ for the gifted proof and Philippa East for a great month of events.

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SYNOPSIS:
Gripping new suspense from the author of Little White Lies

‘A tense, cat and mouse tale . . . a compelling read’ Catherine Cooper, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Chateau

‘Had me gripped from start to finish. So original and clever’ Lesley Kara, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Apartment Upstairs

‘Wow! What a book! I couldn’t read it fast enough. The tension and pace were absolute magic’ Lauren North, author of All the Wicked Games

Keep your family close, and your secrets closer…

To the outside world, the Goodlights are perfect.

Julia is a lawyer, Paul a stay-at-home dad who has dedicated his life to helping their daughter Chrissie achieve her dreams as a talented violinist.

But on the night of a prestigious music competition, which has the power to change everything for Chrissie and her family, Chrissie goes missing.

She puts on the performance of a lifetime, then completely disappears. Suddenly every single crack, every single secret that the family is hiding risks being exposed.

Because the Goodlights aren’t perfect. Not even close.

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MY REVIEW:

“A sense of horror begins to creep through him, a sense of reality cracking apart. It feels as though the last forty-eight hours is unravelling backwards, all the dot-to-dot connections coming apart. He thought he had this; he thought he knew what he was doing… Now everything he’s assumed has been flipped on its head.”

To everyone they know, the Goodlights seem like the perfect, happy family. Julie is a lawyer, Paul is a stay-at-home dad who is committed to helping their daughter Christie, a talented violinist, achieve her dreams. But the truth is completely different and the Goodlights are each hiding secrets that could tear them apart. And when Christie goes missing, their secrets risk being revealed. Can they find their daughter while keeping their secrets safe? Or will their perfect facade finally be exposed?

I’ll Never Tell was the January pick for the Squadpod Book Club. And what an incredible way to start our 2023 reading! Tense, twisty and unexpected, I devoured this book. I loved Philippa East’s debut, Little White Lies, but this one surpassed my already high expectations. The fast-paced plot kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish and I loved that it was so hard to predict, my mind swimming with a multitude of questions and possibilities as the story unfolded.  And that ending! It came out of the blue and left my jaw on the floor. I did not see it coming. 

It’s no secret how much I love an unreliable narrator, and this book has two of them. Paul and Julie are not only hiding secrets from the police, but each other. Secrets that threaten to tear their happy family apart if discovered. The air is thick with suspicion and suspense, the lies they are trying to keep concealed threatening to choke them. They are flawed, shady and broken, but utterly compelling to read. And while I had my misgivings about them, I was hoping to be proven wrong and rooting for them to get their daughter back safely. And though Chrissie is at the centre of the story, we only really see her through the eyes of others, which I felt was a great decision by the author as it made her character even more cryptic and elusive, adding to the veil of mystery that surrounds her. The fact that we don’t know if she has been taken or run away also adds to the mystery, all coming together to create an awful, inescapable tension. 

Atmospheric, gripping and nerve-shatteringly tense, this is a thriller you need on your TBR.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Philippa East is a fiction writer with HQ/HarperCollins and she also works as a clinical psychologist.

Philippa grew up in Scotland before moving to Oxford and then London to complete her clinical psychology training. A few years ago, she left the NHS to set up her own part-time practice and dedicate more hours to writing. The result was her debut novel LITTLE WHITE LIES, which was longlisted for The Guardian’s Not-The-Booker Prize and shortlisted for the CWA “New Blood” Award 2020.

Released in 2021, Philippa’s second book SAFE AND SOUND is another twisty and compelling tale. For a fun preview, check out the video trailer on Philippa’s Amazon Author page (best with sound on!). Philippa’s brilliant third book, I’LL NEVER TELL, will release in January 2023 and is available to pre-order via Amazon now. You can hear more about the book via Philippa’s latest two Author Update videos on this page.

Philippa now lives in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside with her spouse and cat. She loves reading (of course!) and long country walks, and she also performs in a local folk duo called The Miracle Cure. Alongside her writing, Philippa continues to work as a psychologist and therapist.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

*All purchase links are affiliate links

Categories
Squadpod Squadpod Book Club The Squadpod Year In Review

Squadpod Recommends: 22 of 22

Happy New Year’s Eve! One of my favourie parts of this community is the Squadpod, the group of wonderful bloggers I am a part of. 2022 has been a brilliant year for us and we’ve been fortunate to help promote lots of fantastic books this year including All About Evie, Nobody But Us, The Dictator’s Wife, Meredith Alone and Bad Fruit. The cake blast for All About Evie was a higlight of 2022 for me and I am delighted that I overcame my fears to take part in interviews with authors such as Freya Berry and Ellen Alpsten.

Once again we have put together our lists of favourite reads of the year. It’s an even more diverse list than last year and I loved seeing the different books we enjoyed, as well as the ones that many of us picked as a favourite. Here are our individual lists. Keep reading to the end to find out our Squadpod Book of the Year and ultimate recommendations for 2022.

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Becca at Becca Kate Blogs

  • The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
  • The Maid by Nita Prose
  • Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
  • The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola
  • A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle
  • One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
  • Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
  • Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
  • The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
  • Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
  • Welcome To Your Life by Bethany Rutter
  • That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
  • The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
  • Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander
  • Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
  • All About Evie by Matson Taylor
  • Hello, Stranger by Rachel Marks
  • The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson
  • Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
  • It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
  • Tell Me Everything by Laura Kay

Book of the year: The Maid by Nita Prose

Beth at Beth’s Booketlist

  • One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
  • One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry
  • Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
  • It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
  • The Sight of You Holly Miller
  • The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazewood
  • Me by Elton John
  • Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
  • The Stranding by Kate Sawyer
  • Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
  • Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
  • Meet Me Under the Misteltoe by Jenny Bayliss
  • The Island Home by Libby Page
  • Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton
  • The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
  • In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
  • Still Me by Jojo Moyes
  • Beach Read by Emily Henry
  • The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
  • Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the Wrold by Benjamin Alire Sanez
  • The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

Book of the year: One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

Cara at Welsh Book Lover

  • When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins
  • The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
  • Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
  • Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
  • The Maid by Nita Prose
  • The Castaway by Lucy Clarke
  • Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
  • Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
  • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
  • The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
  • The Retreat by Sarah Pearse
  • Bad Fruit by Ella King
  • November 9 by Colleen Hoover
  • The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil
  • The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
  • Beach Read by Emily Henry
  • The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
  • The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
  • The Cove by Alice Clarke-Platts
  • The Couple by Helly Acton
  • A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
  • The Glass House by Eve Chase

Book of the year: When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins

Ceri at Ceri’s Lil Blog

  • Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander
  • Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
  • The Attic Child by Lola Jaye
  • The Unravelling by Polly Crosby
  • When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins
  • Welcome To The Real World by Carole Matthews
  • The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
  • The Bay by Allie Reynolds
  • Oh I Do Like To Be by Rachel Canwell
  • The Set Up by Lizzy Dent
  • You Only Live Once by Maxine Morrey
  • The Murder List by Jackie Kabler
  • The Killer’s Family by Miranda Smith
  • A Wedding at Hedgehod Hollow by Jessica Redland
  • What Next? by Shari Low
  • Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner
  • Locked Away Life by Drew Davies
  • Psychopaths Anonymous by Will Carver
  • The Gingerbread Cafe by Anita Faulkner
  • The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
  • Wendy’s Winter Gift by Debbie Viggiano

Book of the year: Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander

Chloe from Reviews by Chloe

  • The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
  • Just Got Real by Jane Fallon
  • Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
  • The Girls Who Disappeared by Clare Douglas
  • Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
  • A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe
  • Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone
  • The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
  • The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola
  • The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes
  • The Wedding Party by Tammy Cohen
  • The Promise by Lucy Diamond
  • Sparring Partners by John Grisham
  • After the Rain by Lucy Dillon
  • A White Christmas on Winter Street by Sue Moorcroft
  • The Murder at Fleet House by Lucinda Riley
  • Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay
  • The Curfew by T.M. Logan
  • Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
  • Merrily Ever After by Cathy Bramley
  • Breathless by Amy McCulloch

Book of the year: Do No Harm by Jack Jordan

Claire at Secret World of a Book

  • The Burning Chambers and City of Tears Series by Kate Mosse
  • Elektra by Jennifer Saint
  • Off Target by Eve Smith
  • Small Angels by Lauren Owen
  • The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargreaves
  • Wisewood by Stephanie Wrobel
  • Argo by Mark Knowles
  • Arcadian Days by John Spurling
  • Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
  • The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
  • Summer Fever by Kate Riordan
  • Uraveller by Frances Hardinge
  • The Sea Women by Chloe Timms
  • Widdershins and Sunwise series by Helen Steadman
  • Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
  • Black Mamba by William Friend
  • The Ruins by Phoebe Wynne
  • The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell
  • The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke
  • The Butcher by Laura Kat Young
  • House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

Book of the year: Black Mamba by William Friend

Clare at The Fallen Librarian Reviews

  • Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
  • Little Sister by Gytha Lodge
  • Young Women by Jessica Moor
  • A Little Hope by Ethan Joella
  • The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
  • The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
  • The Library by Bella Osborne
  • Home by Penny Parks
  • Fledgeling by Hannah Bourne-Taylor
  • The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
  • Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander
  • The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs
  • Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Mosse
  • The Very Secret Societ of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
  • The Keeper of the Stories by Sally Page
  • Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
  • The Gosling Girl by Jacqueline Roy
  • The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley
  • More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Guiterrez
  • Opal Country by Chris Hammer
  • Daughter of the Moon Goddess/Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lyn Tan
  • Heart of Earth & Blood/House of Sky & Breath by Sarah J. Maas

Book of the year: Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Mosse

Ellie at Elspells

  • I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomon
  • Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
  • This One Sky Day by Leone Ross
  • Wahala by Nikki May
  • A Net For Small Fishes by Lucy Jago
  • The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins
  • The Marsh House by Zoe Somerville
  • Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
  • When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà translated by Mara Feye Lethem
  • How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang
  • That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
  • Love and Other Dramas by Ronali Collins
  • All About Evie by Matson Taylor
  • The Promise by Damon Galgut
  • The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
  • The Heart of Redness by Zakes Md
  • The Dust Never Settles by Karina Lickorish Quinn
  • 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak 
  • Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
  • Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  • Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
  • The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Book of the Year: Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

Emma at Emma’s Biblio Treasures

  • Wahala by Nikki May
  • The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs
  • Nasty Little Cuts by Tina Baker
  • Keep It In The Family by John Marrs
  • Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
  • Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  • The No-Show by Beth O’Leary
  • Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
  • Elektra by Jennifer Saint
  • Book Lovers by Emily Henry
  • Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
  • The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
  • Do No Harm by Jack Jordan
  • Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
  • Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer
  • The Last Girl To Die by Helen Fields
  • Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atikinson
  • All About Evie by Matson Taylor
  • The Pain Tourist by Paul Cleave
  • End of Story by Louise Swanson
  • Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boyland
  • The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

Book of the year: End of Story by Louise Swanson

Hayley at The Lotus Readers Blog

  • The Maid by Nita Prose
  • The Last Girl To Die by Helen Fields
  • Black Hearts by Doug Johnstone
  • Meredith Alone by Claire Alexander
  • The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone
  • The Sea Women by Chloe Timms
  • That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
  • The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
  • Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
  • The Flames by Sophie Haydock
  • Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
  • Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
  • Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
  • The Theatre of Marvells by Lianne Dillsworth
  • The Marsh House by Zoe Somerville
  • The Unravelling by Polly Crosby
  • The Dazzle of the Light by Georgina Clarke
  • The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly
  • House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
  • All About Evie by Matson Taylor
  • Demon by Matt Wesolowski
  • Caged Little Birds by Lucy Banks

Hayley at Shelf Lyfe

  • Now She Is Witch by Kirsty Logan
  • Unraveller by Frances Hardinge
  • The Witches of Vardø by Anya Bergman
  • Cunning Women by Elizabeth Lee
  • Becoming Ted by Matt Cain
  • Entangled Lifeby Merlin Sheldrake
  • The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne
  • The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
  • Sistersong by Lucy Holland
  • A Little Hope by Ethan Joella
  • The Beauty of Impossible Things by Rachel Donohue
  •  The Green Indian Problem – Jade Leaf Willetts
  • Perimenopause Power by Maisie Hill
  • Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M Danforth
  • The Dictator’s Wife by Freya Berry
  • Duma Key by Stephen King
  •  Spooky Ambiguous – featuring Penny Ayers, Michael Bartlett, Patrick Booth, Amaris Chase, Holly Anne Crawford, Ivor Daniel, Amanda Jane Davies, Daphne Denley, J. J. Drover, Harriet Hitchen, Rebecca McDowall, Jane Phillips, Angela Reddaway, Joe Robson, Margaret Royall, with illustrations by Lorna Gray
  • Salmacis by Elizabeth Train-Brown
  • Welcome to St Hell by Lewis Hancox
  • The Marsh House by Zoe Somerville
  • Women and Love by Miriam Burke
  • The Little Library Parties by Kate Young

Book of the year: Now She Is Witch by Kirsty Logan

Jackie at Jackie’s Reading Corner

Due to ill health Jackie didn’t complete a full list, but mentioned the following three books:

  • The Coffin Club by Jacqueline Sutherland
  • All About Evie by Matson Taylor
  • The Loyal Friend by A. A. Chaudhuri

Book of the year: The Coffin Club by Jacqueline Sutherland

Jen at Travels Along My Bookshelf

  • Violetta by Isabelle Allende
  • One Night on the Island by Josie Silver
  • The Flames by Sophie Haydock
  • Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  • Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
  • Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
  • The Midnight House by Amanda Gerard
  • The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley
  • The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson
  • The Bay by Allie Reynolds
  • Meredith Alone by Clare Alexander
  • On The Scent by Paola Totaro & Robert Wainwright
  • All About Evie by Matson Taylor
  • Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
  • Starling by Kristen Cram
  • Thunderstone by Nancy Campbell
  • Tess of The D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
  • The Last Girl To Die by Helen Fields
  • Essex Dogs by Dan Jones
  • The Hastening Storm by CF Barrington
  • Bourneville by Jonathan Coe
  • The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

Book of the year: Starling by Kristin Cram

Karen at Book Blogging Bureau

  • Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
  • The Retreat by Sarah Pearse
  • Caged Little Birds by Lucy Banks
  • Bad Fruit by Ella King
  • Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer
  • Reasons To Go Outside by Esme King
  • The Summer Fair by Heidi Swain
  • Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
  • The People on Platform 5 by Clare Pooley
  • A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon
  • The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
  • The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs
  • Stepping Up by Sarah Turner
  • A Murder Before Evensong by Rev Richard Coles
  • Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Taylor
  • Essex Dogs by Dan Jones
  • The Dead of Winter by Nicola Upson
  • Reputation by Sarah Vaughan
  • The House at Helgyen by Victoria Hawthorne
  • Spring Tides at The Starfish Cafe by Jessica Redland
  • The Other Guest by Helen Cooper
  • The Key in the Lock by Beth Underwood

Book of the year: The Language of Food by Annabel Abbs

Kate at Rutherford Reads

  • Good Husbands by Cate Ray
  • Hello, Stranger by Rachel Marks
  • We Are Not Like Them by Jo Piazza and Christine Pride
  • The People Before by Charlotte Northedge
  • One Last Gift by Emily Stone
  • The Blame Game by Sandie Jones
  • The Bay by Allie Reynolds
  • The Other Guest by Helen Cooper
  • Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
  • The Party House by Lin Anderson
  • The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
  • Such A Good Mother by Helen Monks Tar
  • The Reunion by Polly Phillips
  • The Girl Who Left by Jenny Blackburn
  • Sun Damage by Sabine Durant
  • The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh
  • One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke
  • Tell Me Your Lies by Kate Ruby
  • Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins
  • Remember Me by Charity Norman
  • The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
  • Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

Book of the year: Good Husbands by Cate Ray

Kirsty at Kirsty’s Book Buying Addiction

  • Seven Exes by Lucy Vine
  • Preloved by Lauren Bravo
  • My (extra) Ordinary Life by Rebecca Ryan
  • The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
  • The Imperfect Art of Caring by Jessica Ryn
  • Cornish Clouds and Silver Lining Skies by Ali McNamara 
  • The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans 
  • Healing Hearts at Bumblebee Barn by Jessica Redland 
  • Never Gonna Happen by Heidi Stephens
  • The Cornish Midwife by Jo Bartlett
  • The Summer Fair by Heidi Swain
  • Last Time We Met by Emily Houghton
  • We Just Clicked by Anna Bell
  • Talk Bookish To Me by Kate Bromely
  • The Girl on the 88 Bus by Freya Sampson
  • Peony Practice by Christie Barlow
  • The Blossom Tree of Dreams by Holly Martin 
  • Sunny Skies and Summer Kisses by Eliza J Scott
  • Just Got Real by Jane Fallon
  • Summer Kisses at Mermaid Point by Sarah Bennett 
  • The Key To My Heart by Lia Louis 
  • The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop by Cresside Mclaughlin

Book of the year: Seven Exes by Lucy Vine

Sue at Brown Flopsy’s Book Burrow

  • The Unravelling by Polly Crosby
  • Wahala by Nikki May
  • The Dictator’s Wife by Freya Berry
  • Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
  • The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen
  • A Little Hope by Ethan Joella
  • The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
  • The Birdcage by Eve Chase
  • The Midnight House by Amanda Gerard
  • The French House by Jacquie Bloese
  • All About Evie by Matson Taylor
  • Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift
  • Housebreaking by Colleen Hubbard
  • A Hundred Million Years and a Day by Jean Baptiste Andrea
  • Double or Nothing by Kim Sherwood
  • Christmas Eve at Cranberry Cross by Kate Forster
  • The Poison Machine by Robert J LLoyd
  • The Weather Woman by Sally Gardner
  • Every Shade of Happy by Phyllida Shrimpton
  • The Measure by Nikki Erlick
  • Opal Country by Chris Hammer

Book of the year: Love and Other Human Errors by Bethany Clift

Vikkie at Little Miss Book Lover

*Vikkie read over 300 books this year so has listed her 31 favourites as 22 was too small of a number after reading that many books.

  • Suicide Thursday by Will Carver
  • Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins
  • All the Wicked Games by Lauren North
  • If They Knew by Sophie Flynn
  • My Big Fat Fabulous Christmas by Lyndsey Gallagher
  • Someone Like You by Rachel Dove
  • Santa Maybe by Mary Jayne Baker
  • Love Untold by Ruth Jones
  • The Pain Tourist by Paul Cleave
  • Keep It In The Family by John Marrs
  • Running Scared by Manda Sue Heller
  • Genesis by Chris Carter
  • Just Got Real by Jane Fallon
  • The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
  • The Dictator’s Wife by Freya Berry
  • The Serial Killer’s Girl by LH Stacey
  • Your Word or Mine by Lia Middleton
  • My Husband’s Killer by Laura Marshall
  • The Botanist by M.W. Craven
  • My Other Husband by Dorothy Koomson
  • Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
  • That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
  • Nobody But Us by Laure van Rensburg
  • The Loyal Friend by A. A. Chaudhuri
  • Hello, Stranger by Rachel Marks
  • The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
  • All For You by Louise Jensen
  • Open Your Eyes by Heather Fitt

Books of the year: Suicide Thursday by Will Carver and Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins

Zoe at Zoe’s Book Nook

  • Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe
  • When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins
  • The Gosling Girl by Jacqueline Roy
  • The Love Songs of W E B Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
  • The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper
  • I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons
  • Booth by Karen J Fowler
  • The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
  • The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi 
  • The Carnival Of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge 
  • Don’t Put Yourself On Toast by Freddy Taylor
  • After Dark by Jayne Cowie
  • Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
  • That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen Moylan
  • Wahala by Nikki May
  • The Secrets of Rochester Place by Iris Costello
  • Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
  • The Sanctuary by Emma Haughton
  • The Prisoner by B. A. Paris
  • The Gifts by Liz Hayder
  • Babel by RF Kuang
  • A Magic Steeped In Poison by Judy I Lin

Books of the year: Babel by RF Kuang and The Love Songs of W E B Du Bois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers

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Squadpod Books of the Year and Recommendations

After putting together the books featured on everyone’s lists and tallying the books, we have two books of the year: All About Evie by Matson Taylor and The House with the Golden Door by Elodie Harper.

Next up is our stack of ultimate recommendations. There were so many books that got two or three votes this year so I only counted books that got four votes or more. Even so, there are so many in the stack that I couldn’t hold it this year! So, here are the 10 books that make up our Squadpod Recommendations for 2022:

I am so happy to see that half of the books in this stack are debuts and that the Squadpod promoted and championed five of the books featured.

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What were your favourite reads of 2022? Have we inspired you to pick up any of our favourites? Let me know in the comments below. And don’t forget to follow the Squadpod on our social chanels to keep up with all the exciting things we have coming in 2023:

Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

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REVIEW: All About Evie by Matson Taylor

Published: July 21st, 2022
Publisher: Scribner UK
Genre: Domestic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Literary Fiction
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook

The year is almost over so I’m finally sharing my long-overdue review for what is one of my favourite books this year. Thank you to Matson Taylor and Scribner UK for the gifted proof copy of this book, which was our Squadpod Book Club pick for July.

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SYNOPSIS:

EVIE EPWORTH IS TEN YEARS OLDER. BUT IS SHE ANY WISER?!

Ten years on from the events of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth, Evie is settled in London and working as a production assistant for the BBC. She has everything she ever dreamed of (a career, a leatherette briefcase, an Ossie Clark poncho) but, following an unfortunate incident involving a Hornsea Pottery mug and Princess Anne, she finds herself having to rethink her future. What can she do? Is she too old to do it? And will it involve cork-soled sandals? 

As if this isn’t complicated enough, her disastrous love life leaves her worrying that she may be destined for eternal spinsterdom, concerned, as she is, that ‘even Paul had married Linda by the time he was 26’. Through it all, Evie is left wondering whether a 60s miseducation really is the best preparation to glide into womanhood and face the new challenges (strikes, power cuts, Edward Heath’s teeth) thrown up by the growing pains of the 70s.

With the help of friends, both old and new, she might just find a way through her messy 20s and finally discover who exactly she is meant to be…

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MY REVIEW:

When the previous book in a series is not only one of your favourite books of that year, but of all time, there is some trepidation about reading the follow up. Would I enjoy this one as much and still love Evie with the same fierceness? The answer is yes! Once again Matson Taylor has knocked it out of the park with this hilarious, heartwarming and addictive novel that feels like a cup of Yorkshire tea and a piece of parkin on a cold day.  

This time, Taylor transports us to the Summer of 1972, 10 years after the events of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth, to reunite us with the eponymous heroine for more entertaining exploits. Evie is working for the BBC and living the life she’s always dreamed of  in London when a mishap involving Princess Anne and a Hornsea mug leads to her dismissal, and Evie is now forced to reassess her life. But what direction will she choose from the overwhelming number of possibilities open to her? And then there is her love life. At the ripe old age of 26 and a half she feels in danger of becoming over-the-hill and wonders why she hasn’t yet met Mr. Right. There is fun, laughter and lots of emotion, as Evie embarks on her greatest journey of self discovery yet.

Oh, Evie. How I love her. She truly feels like an old friend and I never get tired of reading her. She’s an iconic northern heroine who pole-vaults off the pages and straight into your heart. It is a slightly more sophisticated and wise Evie we meet in this book, yet she’s still the same feisty, funny, quirky and unforgettable Yorkshire lass we love. It has been great to watch her grow and I loved her metamorphosis from teenager to young woman in this story. And the snippets of information about her ex boyfriends were hilarious. 

Matson Taylor is a comedy genius and had me laughing out loud within the first few pages. He has a talent for writing witty, offbeat and uproarious characters and storylines that are also heartfelt. He paces the story perfectly, switching seamlessly between the serious and lighter moments to ensure things never feel too heavy. There are so many moments that were pure comedy gold and still make me laugh when they randomly pop into my head many months after reading the book. The evocative imagery and attention to detail brought 1970s London to life so vividly it felt like I’d stepped into a time machine and appeared in 1972. The book is filled with blasts from the past: Old Jamaica bars, Wimpy burgers, cheese and pineapple hedgehogs etc. I was assailed by memories and the nostalgia took over and thoroughly enjoyed the walk down memory lane.

Uplifting, witty and utterly magnificent, All About Evie is another must-read from Mr. Taylor. And that ending! I need book 3 now!

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Matson Taylor grew up in Yorkshire (the flat part not the Brontë part). He comes from farming stock and spent an idyllic childhood surrounded by horses, cows, bicycles, and cheap ice-cream. His father, a York City and Halifax Town footballer, has never forgiven him for getting on the school rugby team but not getting anywhere near the school football team.

Matson now lives in London, where he is a design historian and academic writing tutor at the V&A, Imperial College and the Royal College of Art. Previously, he talked his way into various jobs at universities and museums around the world; he has also worked on Camden Market, appeared in an Italian TV commercial and been a pronunciation coach for Catalan opera singers. He gets back to Yorkshire as much as possible, mainly to see family and friends but also to get a reasonably-priced haircut.

He has always loved telling stories and, after writing academically about beaded flapper dresses and World War 2 glow-in-the-dark fascinators, he decided to enrol on the Faber Academy ‘Writing A Novel’ course. The Miseducation of Evie Epworth is his first novel. 

Website

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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REVIEW: Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior

Publsihed: March 19th, 2020
Publisher: Bantam Press
Genre: Humorous Fiction, Domestic Fiction, New Adult Ficiton, Women’s Fiction, Pensioners on the Pages
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook

Today I’m resharing my review for this heartwarming story. I’m taking part in the Squadpod Advent Calendar Challenge this month and today’s prompt is a ‘Book with a character you’d like to meet’. I couldn’t think of anyone who I would like to meet more than the delightful Veronica McCreedy. I read this back in March 2020 and it has stayed with me ever since. It really is the perfect book to read to lift your spirits. And I dare anyone not to fall in love with Veronica.

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SYNOPSIS:

A Richard & Judy Book Club and BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick.
A truly feel-good book club read – a #1 bestseller in ebook and audio!

‘This year’s Eleanor Oliphant . . . Funny, bittersweet and wholly original.’ Daily Express

Veronica McCreedy is about to have the journey of a lifetime . . .

Veronica McCreedy lives in a mansion by the sea. She loves a nice cup of Darjeeling tea whilst watching a good wildlife documentary. And she’s never seen without her ruby-red lipstick.

Although these days Veronica is rarely seen by anyone because, at 85, her days are spent mostly at home, alone.

She can be found either collecting litter from the beach (‘people who litter the countryside should be shot’), trying to locate her glasses (‘someone must have moved them’) or shouting instructions to her assistant, Eileen (‘Eileen, door!’).

Veronica doesn’t have family or friends nearby. Not that she knows about, anyway . . . And she has no idea where she’s going to leave her considerable wealth when she dies.

But today . . . today Veronica is going to make a decision that will change all of this.

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MY REVIEW:

Oh how I loved this absolute gem of a book. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, it had me transfixed. I got lost in the pages and totally immersed in Veronica’s story. 

Veronica McCreedy is an eccentric, feisty, cantankerous, witty and unstoppable old lady. I just couldn’t help but love her and she quickly found a place in my heart. Her bad-tempered idiosyncrasies became endearing and I was sure she had a heart of gold hidden behind it all. When a locked wooden box containing her teenage diaries is found, Veronica’s poignant story is slowly unveiled and we finally learn what lies underneath those brusque layers she uses to protect herself. 

Running parallel to Veronica’s story is her daring adventure to Antarctica to see the Adélie penguins. She became obsessed with them after watching a nature programme and decided she wanted to leave her vast wealth to the research programme. But she needs to make sure they are worthy of it, so she books a trip to see the penguins for herself; refusing to heed to frantic warnings of her assistant Eileen and the trio of scientists that it is too dangerous. I adored this part of the story – the different sides we see to Veronica’s personality, her blossoming friendship with young scientist Terry, and the adorable rescued chick, Pip. I found myself in awe of Eileen’s spriteliness and determination, overcoming her age and the bracing conditions to have the adventure of a lifetime. 

But behind the cuteness of this storyline is a serious commentary on climate change and our responsibility to save the environment and a number of earth’s most beloved species that are facing extinction in the near future.  It is peppered with blog posts by Terry which are informative as well as entertaining. The author has clearly done her research and I know a lot more about climate change and penguins after reading this book. 

The story is narrated by two very distinct voices and is filled with a rich, colourful and fascinating cast of characters. The cutest of these is without a doubt little Pip, and I now blame the author for the fact I really want a pet penguin! The investment, hard work and love that the author has put into this book is evident in the exquisite writing and attention to detail. I savoured every word, devouring this book while also trying to make it last as I dreaded parting with Veronica and the penguins.

Away with the Penguins is without a doubt the most delightful, joyous and uplifting book I’ve read so far this year, if not in a long time, and I have no doubt it will have a place in my top reads of the year. A lush blend of characters and storylines that is immersive and reaches into your soul and serves as a great reminder that it is never too late to have an adventure, try new things or make changes in your life. Whatever your reading preferences, I highly recommend this book. Just make sure to have lots of tissues and be prepared to fall in love.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

From Hazel’s website:
Hazel is an enthusiastic and experienced harp-player based in Somerset and Exmoor. Her repertoire spans many styles of music and includes singing with harp accompaniment.  

Hazel is also an author. Her three bestselling novels, published by Penguin Random House, are described as ‘quirky’, ‘lyrical’ and ‘life-affirming’. AWAY WITH THE PENGUINS (USA title = HOW THE PENGUINS SAVED VERONICA) is a Richard and Judy and a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstons | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

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SQUADPOD SANTEMBER – Extract: The Disassembly of Dorren Durand by Ryan Collett

Published: May 13th, 2021
Publisher: Sandstone Press
Genre: General Fiction
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook

As part of the Squadpod’s Sandtember, I’m featuring an extract from The Disassembly of Doreen Durant on the blog today. Thank you to Sandstone for the extract and proof.

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SYNOPSIS:

From her apartment window, Doreen Durand witnesses a horrific accident.
The police want to know what she saw. Doreen doesn’t want to tell them – or anyone. But when she runs away it’s straight into the fantastic world of the wealthy and mysterious Violet Cascade. With one rogue police officer in pursuit, and life becoming more bizarre by the day, Doreen is caught up in a surreal game of cat and mouse.

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EXTRACT:

Chapter One.

The first weekend after Whitney left, a man showed up at the apartment unannounced. He knocked on the door too many times in a row, then rang the doorbell. Doreen ignored it at first – slightly scared, but also sleepily negligent – but when he drilled one more ungodly time on the doorbell, she pushed her hair around into something not haphazard, slipped on a pair of sweatpants, and answered it.
‘Whitney, right?’ said an older, grizzled man. He wore a stained t-shirt that wrapped too-tight around his globe of a gut and extended a callused hand in greeting. ‘I’m Jack.’
‘Sorry, no,’ said Doreen, not saying her name and not taking his hand. 
‘I’m here for the couch.’
‘The couch? What?’
‘You must be the roommate. Whitney gave me the address. I’m here for the couch you girls were selling.’
Doreen looked over her shoulder at the sofa in the living room, one of the few things Whitney had left. There was the sofa, a coffee table, an empty TV stand, and not much else. ‘I didn’t know she was selling it,’ Doreen said to the sofa. Jack craned his neck to try to see around her. 
‘I’m sorry, I don’t want to cause a fuss,’ he said. ‘She posted an ad for the couch the other day. I said I was interested and we made a deal over email. I already sent her a hundred bucks – pretty good deal for a couch that nice. She said this morning would be a good time to pick it up. She said you might be the only one here, but it was fine to stop by.’ 
‘Right,’ said Doreen. She picked at nothing behind her ear and squinted at the man. ‘I guess, yeah, you have to take it. Sure.’
Jack called down to a younger man who had been waiting in a pickup truck in the parking lot and the two of them came inside, thudding across the living room carpet in heavy, dusty boots, Saturday-sweaty. They lifted the long sofa, but struggled to shimmy it out the front door. The apartment was built in the seventies – Whitney said she had had to sign a waiver about lead paint or something – and its age showed whenever furniture was moved around like this. The floor creaked, the walls were too easily scuffed. The wood around the doorframe might as well have been made of fabric and seemed to stretch around the sofa squeezing through. 
‘That’s it. There we go,’ said Jack. They marched it down to the pickup and threw it in the back. After they had it secured, Jack turned and nodded a mannish goodbye up at Doreen on the balcony, who shrugged and went back inside. 
A brighter rectangle of carpet remained where the couch had been. Whitney had bought it, so she had sold it. That was it. Logic, running its course around Doreen like a river running dry. 
What else had she bought? Doreen paced around and took inventory of all the things in her life that were not her own and could also vanish without warning. It was true, she hadn’t bought any of the furniture in the apartment – Whitney had been living there for almost a year before she came along – but the sudden removal was still jarring. For a minute, it felt like her life was being uprooted without her, but that was followed quickly by the realization that these roots were never hers to begin with.
This scene repeated itself all weekend and the following weekend as well. With no warning, strangers showed up at the apartment asking for Whitney, explaining the transaction they had made and requesting entry. One after the other, the coffee table, the TV stand, the kitchen table and chairs, the decorative poufs, a mirror – all disappeared, taken away by strangers – men and women of varying ages and degrees of inclination towards small talk, like ants touring the shell of some dead animal, taking what they needed. 
After the second weekend of this, Doreen still hadn’t communicated with Whitney. An aggressive-aggressive text message would have been more than appropriate to send by now, but she didn’t. 
It wasn’t that she was actively refusing to communicate – the idea of reaching out, of snidely asking if anyone else would be coming by, just wasn’t there to be had. She sat on the carpet in the empty living room alone and did nothing while the dwelling around her disappeared. The trappings of life flew away. Sounds reverberated differently in the emptiness. She had no idea what to do with herself.
She started letting things go. Nothing extraordinary, but little things like letting the few dishes that were left pile up in the sink, leaving wrappers and pop cans on the floor, letting the long black tails of chargers for different electronics dangle out across the living room. It wasn’t depression, she thought, it was simply a letting go. A closing. She felt a valve in her mind turn off, and another turn on, leading somewhere else, with some other function entirely. There was a miraculousness to it. She felt weightless. She had read once, in some quasi-self-help, tip-ridden pop-up article, about the importance of letting go – a more dressed-up version of spring cleaning, sponsored by a cleaning company – and how it could clean the mind, reformat the authenticity of life. Doreen wasn’t sure this was what was happening to her, but whatever was happening she allowed it. 
She lost track of time. She started to forget things, like turning the lights off in the kitchen or in the living room before bed, leaving them on all night. Other times, she’d spend a whole day forgetting to turn them on, dwelling in the dark. She would run the air conditioner at arctic levels or not at all. She started sleeping at odd times throughout the day, napping all the time. She went to work, then came home and disrobed right in the living room, leaving her clothes on the floor. She dragged Whitney’s bare mattress into the living room and fashioned it into a couch, which became a multi-purpose nest as the clutter gathered, until another stranger came and took that away, so then she dragged her own mattress out and never slept in her bedroom again. 
After nearly two months of this, like an amoeba left to morph and transform (some might say break down), new household problems cropped up. That strange smell from the laundry machine – maybe it wasn’t mold, maybe there was a dead rat behind it, Doreen wondered but did nothing about it – then the rust forming in the tub. The toilet and the kitchen sink continually clogging. These combined dangerously with her new listlessness – outliers that threatened to taint the overall image of her well-being as not one of letting go and living lightly, but one of neglect and mental illness. Objectively speaking, anyone stepping foot in that apartment would see more than a few reasons for concern, but after the strangers stopped coming to take her things away, she was left alone. 
The only person who saw the inside of Doreen’s apartment now was a delivery boy named Tyler, who caught glimpses of the chaos behind her when she opened the door for her dinner. She had stopped grocery shopping entirely and had taken to ordering in expensive meals every night when she came home from work. Money was another thing she felt herself letting go and she let it fly, ordering the best meals from the best places.
‘Sorry, I know it’s probably not my place to ask, but are you OK?’ Tyler finally asked one evening. He had just dropped off a platter of sushi. 
‘What do you mean?’ said Doreen. She leaned out. Her long hair draped like a privacy curtain between him and the scene behind her. He craned his neck to see past her. He shrugged.
‘You’re ordering food every night, tipping me way too much money, and – I don’t want to be rude – but your apartment looks kind of messed up.’
‘Messed up?’ Doreen adjusted her jacket. She was still wearing her work clothes on this occasion. She looked professional, with a blue blouse with a high collar, a dark skirt, and a freshly dry-cleaned white jacket. Behind her though, was a nest of blankets, empty take-out boxes covered in crumbs, unopened mail, cords for electronics, silverware, mugs. Also, all of the lights were off and the blinds were closed. Doreen and Tyler were standing in almost total darkness. 
‘Not messed up,’ said Tyler. ‘It’s just that it doesn’t seem healthy to still have your take-out boxes from yesterday and the day before all thrown around back there. It looks like you’ve just let the trash stay there. And the lights are always off. Did they cut your power or something? Do you have any furniture?’
‘How would I have charged my phone and used it to order dinner if I didn’t have power?’ said Doreen without missing a beat. 
Tyler fumbled over himself.
‘I’m sorry, I was just saying—’ 
Doreen leaned back into the living room and turned on the light, the mess behind her lit up in all its glory, then she stepped outside and stood next to Tyler, closing the door behind her. The two of them faced each other, illuminated by the orange glow through the window. Shadows cut across Doreen’s diamond-shaped face. 
‘Is that better?’ she asked. ‘Now that you can’t see it? 
‘I just wanted to make sure everything was OK,’ said Tyler. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.’
‘No, you shouldn’t have.’ 
The next evening, when Tyler came back with a bacon cheeseburger, two orders of sweet potato fries, and a strawberry shake from a hip new gastropub, Doreen was standing outside the front door already, waiting for him. The porch light was on this time and the door was closed behind her. She accepted the food, thanked Tyler and stayed standing there until he left. He got on his motorcycle, consulted his phone for his next delivery, and drove off. Once he was out of the complex and Doreen could no longer hear his motorcycle bumbling off into the night, she finally went inside and closed the door. Nothing had appeared out of the ordinary this time except for a small pile of dead grass, dirt, and a bottle cap on the ground, and the porch light itself, which had been twisted upside down. 

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ryan Collett is a writer, knitter, and animator. He grew up in Oregon and now lives in London where he works as an editor. He also runs a popular YouTube…

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BUY THE BOOK:

Sandstone Press | Waterstones* | Amazon* | Bookshop.org*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles 😊 Emma xxx

*These links are affiliate links

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REVIEW: Bad Fruit by Ella King

Published: August 18th, 2022
Publisher: Harper Collins UK
Genre: Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook

Welcome to my review of this dark and disturbing debut. Thank you to Harper Collins UK for the gifted copy.

This was the Squadpod Book Club August pick. Tune into our Twitter account at 7.30pm on August 30th for a live chat with the author.

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SYNOPSIS:

LILY IS A GOOD DAUGHTER

Every evening she pours Mama a glass of perfectly spoilt orange juice. She arranges the teddy bears on Mama’s quilt, she puts on her matching pink clothes. Anything to help put out the fire of Mama’s rage.

MAMA IS A GOOD LIAR

But Mama is becoming unpredictable, dangerous. And as she starts to unravel, so do the memories that Lily has kept locked away for so long.
She only wanted to be good, to help piece Mama back together. But as home truths creep out of the shadows, Lily must recast everything: what if her house isn’t a home – but a prison? What if Mama isn’t a protector – but a monster . . .

Gripping and devastating, from a voice that cuts as sharp as a knife, this is an unforgettable story about a family gone bad.

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MY REVIEW:

“Her power falls over the small space. Everyone is thrown into confusion, no one knows whether to look at her or not, to stop talking or continue. They are all in her thrall.”

Eighteen-year-old Lily does everything to please her mother; she carries out her every whim, makes her spoiled juice every night and even dyes her hair and paints her face to look more like the good Chinese daughter she wants.  But it is never enough.  Mama still finds fault with what she does and leaves Lily feeling bereft.  All she wants is to feel loved.  
As long-hidden truths begin to emerge and Lily slowly unlocks the mysteries surrounding Mama, she thinks she’s finally found the way to be the perfect daughter and win Mama’s approval.  But as things become clearer, Lily wonders if Mama is not actually her protector, but a monster….

Wow! What a crazy ride!  Disturbing, dark and twisted, Bad Fruit is a hard-hitting portrayal of a dysfunctional family that also explores themes of identity and self-discovery.  Author Ella King has crafted a multi-layered story filled with richly drawn and nuanced characters that explores difficult topics and asks hard questions.  King had me hooked, but there were also times I had to put the book down and breathe before picking it up again.

At the heart of this book is the mother/daughter relationship.  King strips bare the complexities of both this relationship and toxic families with such realism that it could be hard to read..  My heart ached for Lily.  Subservient to her mother and forced to act as a go-between for her mother and her siblings, her life is pretty bleak.  She tries to escape by locking herself away in her attic bedroom or riding her bike, but she can never escape what’s inside her head.  Her pain and desperation for love and acceptance bled from every page and I wanted to reach into the book and hug her.  

Then there is Mama.  Cruel, callous, cold, scathing and vengeful, she holds her whole family hostage with her emotions.  The author captured the essence of a toxic person so vividly in her that I would shiver every time she came onto the page and felt every bit of Lily’s apprehension and fear.  

Harrowing, unflinching and deeply human, Bad Fruit is a powerful debut from an author to watch.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ella King is a British-Singaporean novelist living in Greenwich, UK. She read Philosophy and Theology at Oxford University, is a graduate of Faber Academy’s novel-writing program, and is an award-winning writer, coming 3rd in the Aurora Prize for Short Fiction 2019 and winning the Blue Pencil Pitch Prize 2019. She’s worked as a corporate lawyer in London and for anti-human trafficking and domestic violence charities. Bad Fruit is her debut novel.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles Emma xxx

*All purchase links are affiliate links

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That Green-Eyed Girl by Julie Owen-Moylan

Published: May 12th 2022
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Genre: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Romance Novel, Lesbian Literature, LGBT Literature
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook

Welcome to my review for this outstanding debut. Thank you to Jen at Michael Joseph for the gifted ARC.

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SYNOPSIS:

1955: In an apartment on the Lower East Side, school teachers Dovie and Gillian live as lodgers. Dancing behind closed curtains, mixing cocktails for two, they guard their private lives fiercely. Until someone guesses the truth . . .

1975: Twenty years later in the same apartment, Ava Winters is keeping her own secret. Her mother has become erratic, haunted by something Ava doesn’t understand – until one sweltering July morning, she disappears.

Soon after her mother’s departure, Ava receives a parcel. Addressed simply to ‘Apartment 3B’, it contains a photo of a woman with the word ‘LIAR’ scrawled across it. Ava does not know what it means or who sent it. But if she can find out then perhaps she’ll discover the answers she is seeking – and meet the woman at the heart of it all . . .

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MY REVIEW:

That Green-Eyed Girl was not only the Squadpod Book Club pick for May, but one of my most anticipated debuts of 2022.  A dual timeslip novel, it moves between 1955 and 1975 to tell  an unforgettable story that deals with difficult topics such as homophobia, racism, mental illness and neglect alongside everyday issues such as teenage crushes.  

Atmospheric, immersive and utterly compelling, I am in awe that this is a debut.  Julie Owen Moylan is a skilled storyteller whose vivid prose brings the story and characters to life, transporting me to the streets of New York so clearly it was as if I could feel the oppressive summer heat on my skin, hear the noise from the traffic and smell the smoke in the jazz bars. She moves seamlessly between timelines as she slowly converges the two storylines, beginning the connection with the mysterious package and then intricately weaving them together until the full picture emerges.

The book is filled with richly drawn, fascinating characters, including our two narrators: Dovie in 1955 and Ava in 1975.  The author creates a strong connection between them and the reader, allowing us to explore their innermost thoughts, feelings and fears.  I had a particularly strong maternal connection to Ava and longed to jump into the book and be the parent she desperately needed and wanted.  Despite their many differences, Ava and Dovie are actually very similar.  Both are imprisoned in their own ways; caught in a web of shameful secrets and lies that hold them captive and paralysed by the fear of discovery.  An oppressive and claustrophobic air of anguish, humiliation and dread permeates each page, and there is a bite of loneliness and regret that runs through the story as societal values and expectations force Dovie and Ava to live these half-lives in order to conform.  It is heartbreaking, powerful and perfectly written. 

Hauntingly beautiful, poignant and bittersweet, this book was both nothing like I expected and everything I wanted.  It is a truly astonishing debut from an author I predict big things from in the future.  This is one not to be missed. 

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, Horizon Literary Review, and The Voice of Women in Wales Anthology

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. 

Her debut novel THAT GREEN-EYED GIRL will be published by Penguin Michael Joseph on May 12th 2022.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles 😊Emma xxx

Categories
Squadpod Squadpod Recommends Year In Review

Squadpod Recommends: 21 Favourites of ’21

As many of you know, I’m part of a wonderful group of bloggers known as the Squadpod. Over the last eighteen months these women have become not only my friends but a much-needed support network and my chosen family. It started with books and became much more. This year we have expanded our group to go beyond our WhatsApp Chats and you can now follow us on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. We have started our Squadpod Book Club, organised blog tours and even cake blasts (the one for Evie Epworth was one of my favourite moments of 2021).

Last year, I shared a list of each of the Squadpod’s 20 Favourite books of 2020 so I’m doing it again. Though this year it is obviously our 21 favourite books of 2021. So, buckle up because there a quite a few of us. But please keep reading to the end so that you can find out what book the Squadpod recommends overall in 2021…

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Becca at Becca Kate Blogs

  • For When I’m Gone by Rebecca Ley
  • The Push by Ashley Audrain
  • Keeper by Jessica Moor
  • Shiver by Allie Reynolds
  • The Burning Girls by C. J. Tudor
  • The Long, Long Afternoon by Inga Vesper
  • Everything Is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray
  • The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
  • Space Hopper by Helen Fisher
  • Dog Days by Ericka Walker
  • Lost Property by Helen Paris
  • The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
  • The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
  • The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
  • The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent
  • The Island Home by Libby Page
  • Another Life by Jodie Chapman
  • The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain
  • The Pact by Sharon Bolton
  • The Ends of the Earth by Abbie Greaves
  • Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

BOOK OF THE YEAR: The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

Follow Becca on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog

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Beth at Beth’s Booketlist

  • The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley
  • Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
  • The Last Library by Freya Sampson
  • Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie
  • The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
  • Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
  • Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce
  • The Arctic Curry Club by Dani Redd
  • The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
  • Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
  • Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
  • The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
  • The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
  • Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zarfon
  • Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare
  • The Switch by Beth O’Leary
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune
  • The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
  • Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
  • Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley

Follow Beth on Instagram

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Cara at Welsh Book Lover

  • Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
  • The Christmasaurus – Tom Fletcher
  • Johnny Be Good by Paige Toon
  • The Unhooneymooners by Christina Lauren
  • The Whisper Man by Alex North
  • Chasing Daisy by Paige Toon
  • Is This It? by Hannah Tovey
  • How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie
  • If I Can’t Have You by Charlotte Levin
  • The Burning Girls by C. J. Tudor
  • Throttled by Lauren Asher
  • Girl A by Dan Scottow
  • The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
  • All My Lies by Sophie Flynn
  • People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd
  • It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
  • Once Perfect Summer by Paige Toon
  • The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell
  • Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams
  • The Minute I Saw You by Paige Toon
  • The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

BOOK OF THE YEAR: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Follow Cara on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog

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Ceri at Ceri’s Lil Blog

  • Everything is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray
  • She’s Mine by A. A. Chaudhuri
  • The Post Box at the North Pole by Jaimie Admans
  • The Art of Loving You by Amelia Henley
  • The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
  • All My Lies by Sophie Flynn
  • Shiver by Allie Reynolds
  • An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse
  • All You Need Is Love by Jessica Redland
  • Midnight Ladies Swimming Club by Faith Hogan
  • The Story of Our Secrets by Shari Low
  • The Islanders by S. V. Leonard
  • The New York Secret by Ella Carey
  • The Night We Met by Zoe Folbigg
  • The Queen’s Dressmaker by Meghan Masterson
  • Until Next Weekend by Rachel Marks
  • Freckles by Cecelia Ahern
  • Lies Like Wildfire
  • The Little Duck Pond Cafe Series by Rosie Green
  • The Blood Brothers Series by Heather Atkinson
  • Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent

BOOK OF THE YEAR: Everything Is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray

Follow Ceri on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Chloe at Reviews by Chloe

  • Hostage by Clare Mackintosh
  • The Judge’s List by John Grisham
  • The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
  • Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
  • The Chalet by Catherine Cooper
  • Mrs England by Stacey Halls
  • Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay
  • Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal
  • Exit by Belinda Bauer
  • The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
  • The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischvili, Translated by Charlotte Collins and Ruth Martin
  • Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi
  • The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley
  • The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton
  • The Heights by Louise Candlish
  • Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena
  • Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
  • That Night by Gillian McAllister
  • My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
  • Yours Cheerfully by A. J. Pearce

BOOK OF THE YEAR: Hostage by Clare Macintosh

Follow Chloe on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Claire at Secret World of a Book

  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  • Born of No Man by Franck Bouysse
  • Femilandia by Christina Dalcher
  • The Coven by Lizzie Fry
  • House of Hollow by Kristin Sotherland
  • Madame by Phoebe Wynne
  • We Go On Forever by Sarah Govett
  • Threadneedle by Cari Thomas
  • The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
  • The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
  • Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes
  • Underbelly by Anna Whitehouse
  • Circe by Madeline Miller
  • The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason
  • We Are Not Like Them by Jo Piazza and Christine Pride
  • Elektra by Jennifer Saint
  • The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
  • Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
  • The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cooke
  • Matrix by Lauren Groff

BOOK OF THE YEAR: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint.

Follow Claire on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Clare at The Fallen Librarian Reviews

  • The Push by Ashley Audrain
  • On Hampstead Heath by Marisa Cobbold
  • Trobairitz: The StoryTeller – Ceila Mickenfield
  • The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
  • Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift
  • The Lip by Charlie Carroll
  • The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
  • Madame Burova by Ruth Hogan
  • The Island Home by Libby Page
  • Yours Cheerfully by A. J. Pearce
  • The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
  • White Spines by Nicholas Royal
  • The Visitors by Caroline Scott
  • The Cove by L. J. Ross
  • A Woman Made of Snow by Elizabeth Gifford
  • Afloat by Diane Couchman
  • PAH by Orla Owen
  • Girl A by Abigail Dean
  • Dear Reader – Cathy Rentzenbrink
  • The Girl, The Crow, The Writer & The Fighter – George Patterson
  • The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

BOOK OF THE YEAR: Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift.

Follow Clare on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Ellie at Elspells

  • Panenka by Ronan Hession
  • The Smallest Man by Frances Quinn
  • Kolollo Hill by Neema Shah
  • What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson
  • Sybelia Drive by Karin Cecile Davidson
  • Boys Don’t Cry by Fiona Scarlett
  • Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Godden
  • The Stranding by Kate Sawyer
  • Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal
  • Havana Year Zero by Karla Suarez translated by Christina MacSweeney
  • Catch The Rabbit by Lana Bastasic
  • My Broken Language by Quiara Alegria Hudes
  • Still Life by Sarah Winman
  • Assembly by Natasha Brown
  • The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
  • Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
  • The Good Book by Iain Hood
  • Iron Annie by Luke Cassidy
  • Line by Niall Bourke
  • Somebody Loves You by Mona Arshi
  • Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter by Lizzie Pook

BOOK OF THE YEAR:  Iron Annie by Luke Cassidy 

Follow Ellie on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Emma at Emma’s Biblio Treasures

  • The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
  • Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker
  • The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
  • The Asylum by Karen Coles
  • Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal
  • The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea
  • Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
  • The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
  • The Stranding by Kate Sawyer
  • This Is How We Are Human by Louise Beech
  • The Tsarina’s Daughter by Ellen Alpsten
  • Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bulbitz
  • Mrs England by Stacey Halls
  • The Beresford by Will Carver
  • The Last Library by Freya Sampson
  • The Hidden Child by Louise Fein
  • The Maid by Nita Prose
  • Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
  • The Imperfect Art of Caring by Jessica Ryn
  • A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington
  • Midnight in Everwood by M. A. Kuzniar

BOOK OF THE YEAR: This Is How We Are Human by Louise Beech

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter

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Hayley at The Lotus Readers Blog

  • The Stranding by Kate Sawyer
  • The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
  • The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone
  • Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
  • Bad Apples by Will Dean
  • This Is How We Are Human by Louise Beech
  • The Beresford by Will Carver
  • The Watchers by A.M. Shine
  • The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea
  • A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ni Ghriofa
  • The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
  • The Spirit Engineer by A. J. West
  • The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cooke
  • The Return by Anita Frank
  • Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal
  • The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
  • Snow and the Works on the Northern Line by Ruth Thomas
  • The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
  • Cold as Hell by Lilja Sigurdardóttir 
  • The Unheard by Nicci French

BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Stranding by Kate Sawyer

Follow Hayley on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Hayley at Shelf Lyfe

  • House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
  • Under the Rainbow by Celia Laskey
  • Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift
  • Botanical Curses and Poisons; The Shadow Lives of Plants – Fez Inkwright
  • Spirited by Julie Cohen
  • Assembly by Natasha Brown
  • The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain
  • Small: On Motherhood by Claire Lynch
  • The Harpy by Megan Hunter
  • Malice by Heather Walter
  • The Crossing – Manjeet Mann
  • Gold Fury by Keiren Westwood
  • The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
  • The Charmed Wife – Olga Grushin
  • 100neHundred – Laura Besley
  • The Shadow in the Glass by JJA Harwood
  • Together by Luke Adam Hawker
  • The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
  • Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Ilana Estelle
  • The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
  •  A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts: A Collection of Deliciously Frightening Tales – Ying Chang Compestine

BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Harpy by Megan Hunter

Follow Hayley on Instagram and Twitter.

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Jackie at Jackie’s Reading Corner

  • Kololo Hill by Neema Shah
  • No Honour by Awais Khan
  • The Art of Death by David Fennell
  • Blackstoke by Rob Parker
  • The Stonebridge Mysteries(Series, all 5) by Chris McDonald
  • Dead Ground by M. W. Craven
  • The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
  • True Crime Story by Joseph Knox
  • Cave Diver by Jake Avila
  • The Wolf Mile by C. F. Barrington
  • Dangerous Women by Hope Adams
  • Cunning Women by Elizabeth Lee
  • The Metal Heart by Caroline Lea
  • One Ordinary Day at a Time by Sarah J. Harris
  • The Stranding by Kate Sawyer
  • She’s Mine by A. A . Chaudhuri
  • Black Reed by Rod Reynolds
  • The Spirit Engineer by A. J. West
  • The Man Who Made Them Happy by John Lawrence
  • Facets of Death by Michael Stanley
  • The Appeal by Janice Hallett

BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Kololo Hill by Neema Shah and No Honour by Awais Khan.

You can follow Jackie on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog

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Jen at Travels Along My Bookshelf

  • Together by Luke Adam Hawker
  • Cecily by Annie Garthwaite
  • Diamonds At the Lost and Found by Sarah Aspinall
  • The Dead of Winter by Nicola Upson
  • When They Find Her by Lia Middleton
  • Under the Mistletoe by Sue Moorcroft
  • The Hollow by Agatha Christie
  • The Maid by Nita Prose
  • The Last Library by Freya Sampson
  • The Law of the Heart by Boris Starling
  • Snow Country by Sebastian Faulks
  • When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister
  • The Spirit Engineer by A. J. West
  • The Prison Healer (series) Lynette Noni
  • All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle
  • The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain
  • The Stranding by Kate Sawyer
  • The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
  • Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd Robinson
  • War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  • Elektra by Jennifer Saint

BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Law of the Heart by Boris Starling, Together by Luke Adam Hawker and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Follow Jen on Instagram and Twitter

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Karen at Book Blogging Bureau

  • Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • The Appeal by Janice Hallett
  • The Smash Up by Ali Benjamin
  • The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jonasson 
  • A Girl Made of Air by Nydia Hetherington
  • Lullaby Beach by Stella Duffy
  • Leonard and Hungry by Paul Ronan Hession
  • The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent
  • A Taste of Home by Heidi Swain
  • On Hampstead Heath by Marika Cobbold 
  • The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
  • The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean
  • A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery
  • Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz
  • The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
  • The Fair Botanist by Sara Sheridan
  • Common Ground by Naomi Ishiguro 
  • Dear Reader by Cathy Retzenbrink 
  • The Lip by Charlie Carroll
  • The Good Neighbours by Nina Allen
  • Shiver by Allie Reynolds

BOOK OF THE YEAR: Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Follow Karen on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Kate at Rutherford Reads

  • Other Parents by Sarah Stovell
  • Psychopaths Anonymous by Will Carver
  • The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole
  • The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
  • Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult
  • Freckles by Cecelia Ahern
  • The Appeal by Janice Hallett
  • For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing
  • Always in December by Emily Stone
  • The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker
  • Let That Be A Lesson by Ryan Wilson
  • My Best Friend’s Murder by Polly Phillips
  • Invite Me In by Emma Curtis
  • Worst Idea Ever by Jane Fallon
  • Both of You by Adele Parks
  • The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor
  • When They Find Her by Lia Middleton
  • The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
  • The Promise by Lucy Diamond
  • The Downstairs Neighbour by Helen Cooper
  • The Pact by Sharon Bolton

BOOK OF THE YEAR: Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Follow Kate on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Kirsty at Kirsty’s Book Buying Addiction

  • Someone I Used To Know by Paige Toon
  • Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton
  • On A Night Like This by Lindsey Kelk
  • Walking On Sunshine by Giovanna Fletcher
  • The Lock In by Phoebe Luckhurst
  • The Telephone Box Library by Rachael Lucas
  • The Village Green Bookshop by Rachael Lucas
  • A Taste of Home by Heidi Swain
  • Underneath the Christmas Tree by Heidi Swain
  • And Now You’re Back by Jill Mansell
  • The Promise by Lucy Diamond
  • The Woman in the Middle by Milly Johnson
  • A Cosy Countryside Christmas by Eliza J Scott
  • The Merry Christmas Project by Cathy Bramley
  • My Kind of Happy by Cathy Bramley
  • The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella
  • The Best Is Yet To Come by Katy Collins
  • The Road Trip by Beth O’Leary
  • Until Next Weekend by Rachel Marks
  • The Summer Job by Lizzy Dent
  • Lost Property by Helen Paris

BOOK OF THE YEAR: Someone I Used To Know by Paige Toon.

Follow Kirsty on Twitter and her Blog

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Sue at Brown Flopsy’s Book Burrow

  • The Burning Girls by C. J. Tudor
  • Last One at the Party by Bethany Clift
  • Rites of Spring – Anders de la Motte
  • On Hampstead Heath – Marika Cobbold
  • The Wolves of Leninsky Prospekt – Sarah Armstrong
  • Summer in the City by Fiona Collins
  • The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
  • The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan
  • The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper
  • The Hidden Child by Louise Fein
  • The Impossible Truths of Love by Hannah Beckerman
  • Kings of a Dead World – Jamie Mollart
  • The Girl in the Maze by Cathy Heyward
  • The Arctic Curry Club by Dani Redd
  • Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart
  • Blasted Things – Lesley Glaister
  • Tsarina/The Tsarina’s Daughter by Ellen Alpsten
  • The Lip by Charlie Carroll
  • Space Hopper by Helen Fisher

BOOK OF THE YEAR: On Hampstead Heath by Marika Cobbold

Follow Sue on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Vikkie at Little Miss Book Lover

  • When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins
  • I Know What You’ve Done by Dorothy Koomson
  • Love and Other Mushy Stuff by Lyndsay Gallagher
  • Love at First Sight by Mary Jayne Baker
  • All My Lies by Sophie Flynn
  • Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker
  • The Last Thing To Burn by Will Dean
  • I Have Something To Tell You by Susan Lewis
  • The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting by Evanna Lynch
  • The Locksmith by Linda Calvey
  • Trust Me by TM Logan
  • The Art of Loving You by Amelia Henley
  • Worst Idea Ever by Jane Fallon
  • Three Weddings and a Proposal by Sheila O’Flanagan
  • When They Find Her by Lia Middleton
  • Look What You Made Me Do by Nikki Smith
  • That Night by Gillian McAllister
  • No Honor by Awais Khan
  • The Beresford by Will Carver
  • Isn’t It Bromantic by Lissa Kay Adams
  • Is This It? by Hannah Tovey

BOOK OF THE YEAR: When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins

Follow Vikkie on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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Zoe at Zoe’s Book Nook

  • Still Life by Sarah Winman
  • Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
  • Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
  • You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry
  • The Upper World by Femi Fadugba
  • Assembly by Natasha Brown
  • Lean, Fall, Stand by John McGregor
  • Luster by Raven Leilani
  • The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights by Various
  • The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
  • Fault Lines by Emily Itami
  • The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa 
  • Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar
  • Cecily by Annie Garthwaite
  • 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
  • Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke
  • Six Stories by Matt Wesolowski
  • Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
  • Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain
  • Before the Ruins by Victoria Gosling
  • It’s Behind You by Kathryn Fox

BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff and Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Follow Zoe on Instagram, Twitter and her Blog.

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One of my favourite parts of putting together the Squadpod’s lists of favourite books is seeing how diverse they are. And this year that was even more evident. We had a lot of books that appeared on two or three of our lists, but only seven that appeared on four or more lists. One was even on many of our lists last year and very nearly took the title of overall favourite. So, here’s our ultimate Squadpod Recommendations for 2021:

Some debut novels that just narrowly missed this list but were clearly loved by many in the Squadpod were Shiver, The Last Library, The Last House on Needless Street, The Summer Job, The Appeal, When They Find Her, The Lip, Assembly and All My Lies.

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Squadpod Book of the Year

We had a tie for Book of the Year, with The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot and The Wolf Den both appearing on six of the Squad’s lists.

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What do you think of our choices? Do you see books you’ve loved this year on our lists? Let me know in the comments. And don’t forget to follow us.

Thanks for reading Bibliophiles! Wishing you all a Happy New Year ☺️Emma xxx