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Audio Books book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BOOK REVIEW: This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum

Published March 12th, 2026 by Hodder & Stoughton
Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Romance Novel

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘A MYSTERY WRAPPED INSIDE A LOVE STORY. A STUNNING DEBUT’ ALICE FEENEY

‘THIS IS THE THRILLER I NEEDED TO FILL THAT GONE GIRL-SHAPED HOLE’ RUTH MANCINI

‘Absolutely addictive. This story might keep you up at night’
‘THIS AMAZING THRILLER MIGHT JUST SAVE YOUR LIFE’

Benny and Joy like to say that they’ve been saving each other since the moment they met.

Until the day Joy disappears and Benny is accused of her murder.

Best friends Benny and Joy host a beloved ‘comedy survival’ podcast, gleefully finding life-affirming humour in near-death experiences.

When Benny arrives at Joy and her husband’s home one morning to record, he finds shattered glass and an empty house.

With Joy missing and the hours ticking by, not even their most devoted fans could guess the terrible secrets they have hidden from the world – and from each other.

If Benny wants to find Joy in time, and clear his own name, he’ll have to solve the highest stakes survival story yet.

BUY THE BOOK

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MY REVIEW:

We have a strong contender for my favourite book of the year. 

Best friends Benny and Joy co-host a popular comedy survival podcast, finding life-affirming humour in near death experiences. But when Benny arrives at Joy’s house one morning to record, he discovers the house empty and in disarray. Joy and Xander are missing. There are few clues and as the police search for the couple, Benny is trying to decipher them in an attempt to find Joy and clear his own name before it’s too late.

What a rollercoaster! Funny, vibrant, and heart-poundingly tense, This Story Might Save Your Life is a  love story cloaked inside a compelling mystery. Tiffany Crum has crafted a truly original debut. Beautifully written, perfectly paced, meticulously choreographed and layered with intimacy, humour and suspense, Crum had me in her thrall from start to finish. This feels like a very modern story and I loved the podcast element, especially 

how clips from actual episodes were included. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators elevated every facet of the story, which also meant I often found myself forgetting I wasn’t listening to a real podcast. I also loved  trying to piece together the clues alongside Benny but it was hard to predict and my jaw dropped with every revelation. Totally unputdownable, it kept me on the edge of my seat and up well past my bedtime. And that ending! I’d never have guessed it.

The book is filled with a cast of characters that were likeable, charismatic and real, especially Benny and Joy, whose friendship felt genuine. I loved their easy, witty banter and the way they supported each other. And then there’s the undercurrent of love and longing, which creates a will they/won’t they tension. It’s obvious from the start that they have feelings for each other, but there is always a reason not to confront it, whether that’s other relationships or fear of ruining their friendship. I was screaming at them that they were meant for each other and that none of this would have happened if they’d just been together all this time.

A magnificent and unforgettable debut, this is a must for your TBR.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tiffany Crum grew up on a dairy farm just down the road from a maximum-security prison. A longtime Californian, she now lives in Atlanta with her husband, two sons, and dogs, and spends her free time trying to keep her vegetable garden alive. Her debut novel, This Story Might Save Your Life, is a New York Times bestseller, an Amazon Best Book of March, a Book of the Month selection, and a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick. It will be published in nineteen languages and is under option for television.

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BOOK REVIEW: Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser

Published March 5th, 2026 by Orion
Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Feminist Fiction

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

THE REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK!

‘Feminist, fierce, and wildly fresh. Lady Tremaine is destined to be one of the biggest books of the year’ GLENNON DOYLE

‘A reimagining of Cinderella’s stepmother that explores motherhood, family, and the pressure to be perfect’ REESE WITHERSPOON

Everyone said she was wicked.
Now Cinderella’s stepmother tells her own story…

After the death of her second husband, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two daughters, Rosamund and Mathilde, her simpering stepdaughter Elin, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor buried in the woods.

When a royal ball offers the chance to change their fortunes, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of girls – only for her hopes to be fulfilled by the wrong one: Elin.

Yet as her stepdaughter’s engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the feckless stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn…

Bridgerton meets Circein this breathtaking reimagining of one of the world’s most iconic fairytales, Cinderella.

BUY HERE

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MY REVIEW:

We all know Lady Tremaine as the infamous wicked stepmother to poor Cinderella. But what is her story? How did she become the symbol of cruel mothers? In her magnificent debut Rachel Hochhauser answers those questions, exploring the life of Lady Tremaine and turning the well-known fairytale on its head in a fierce and feminist reimagining. 

This story is so much more than a fairytale reimagining. It is also an exploration of marriage, misogyny, motherhood, the pressure to be perfect, violence against women and domestic abuse. With beautiful, evocative and razor-sharp storytelling, Hochhauser reclaims the fairytale, peeling back the layers of dysfunction to reveal the truth about this famous blended family. Nothing is what it seems. Instead of the wicked stepmother and ugly stepsisters, she reveals a loving family who have no idea how to reach their lazy and entitled stepdaughter/stepsister and are pushed to the end of their patience. It’s honest, nuanced, insightful and filled with understanding that ensures you will never look at Cinderella the same way again.

The eponymous Lady Tremaine is a fascinating and unforgettable character. She’s feisty, strong, determined and will do anything for her children. When we meet her she has been left penniless by her late husband but is trying to keep up appearances, scrimping on meat to buy sugar to maintain the protective cloak of respectability for herself and her daughters. She knows that this is vital if she wants them to make good marriages and secure themselves a better future. I loved her relationship with her daughters and my heart broke as she tried to connect with her stepdaughter. It was a surprise to find myself empathising with those I’d traditionally thought of as the villains in this fairytale but I appreciated how Hochhauser fostered an understanding of everyone’s behaviour in this version, providing nuance, showing us that nothing is ever black and white and reminding us to look to the shades of grey for the truth.

A spectacular and unforgettable debut, it’s easy to see why this was a recent Reese’s Book Club pick. Highly recommended.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

Thank you Orion and NetGalley for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rachel Hochhauser is a writer and co-founder of Piecework, 
a cult-favorite puzzle brand. Raised in Santa Barbara, she studied at New York University and earned her master’s in fiction from the University of Southern California. She now lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two young daughters.

Her debut novel, Lady Tremaine, will be published by St. Martin’s Press (U.S.), Orion (U.K.), and Fleuve-Éditions 
(France) in March 2026.

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024 Squadpod Squadpod Reviews

SQUADPOD REVIEWS: First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

Published January 2nd, 2024 by Headline
Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Mystery, Horror Thriller

Welcome to my review for the mind-blowing First Lie Wins. Thank you to Caitlin at Headline for the gifted proof in exchange for an honest review.

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SYNOPSIS:

You meet a stranger at a party. She looks like you. Even has your name. What does she want? And how far would you go to protect it?

‘The best cat and mouse suspense I’ve read. I’m still breathless’ LISA GARDNER
‘I devoured it. Absolutely brilliant’ HEIDI PERKS
‘Unexpected and pacy. A brilliant central character’ HARRIET TYCE
‘A clever, high-stakes now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t thriller’ A J FINN
‘An absolute CRACKER of a book’ RACHEL ABBOTT

** MAJOR TV SERIES OF FIRST LIE WINS IN DEVELOPMENT **

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Everything she is about to tell them is a lie…

Evie Porter has everything a girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a picket fence, a fun group of friends.

The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

First comes the identity. Once she’s given a name and location by her employer, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it.

Then the mark: Ryan Sumner.

The last piece of the puzzle is the job. For Evie, this job feels different. Ryan has gotten under her skin and she’s started to picture another kind of life for herself – one where her boss doesn’t pull the strings.
But Evie can’t make any mistakes. Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to – her real identity – just walked right into this town. A woman, who looks just like her, has stolen her name – and she wants more. As Evie’s past begins to catch up with her, can she stay one step ahead to save her future?

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MY REVIEW:

“There’s an old saying: The first lie wins. It’s not referring to the little white kind that tumble out with little to no thought; it refers to the big one. The one that changes the game. The one that is deliberate. The lie that sets the stage for everything that comes after it. And once the lie is told, it’s what most people believe to be true.”

2024 is shaping up to be the year for first-class thrillers. And this one is another corker. A propulsive game of cat and mouse that packs a suspenseful punch, First Lie Wins is a mind-blowing thriller you need on your TBR.

Evie Porter seems to have it all: the doting boyfriend, the nice house, fancy friends and tickets to the best events in town. But things aren’t what they seem and Evie Porter doesn’t actually exist. Her identity has been created for her by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, her boyfriend, Ryan, is her mark and she will shed this life and identity as soon as her job is complete. But when she meets a woman who looks just like her that is claiming to have her real identity she starts to suspect that this job isn’t like the others and she could be in real danger. It is soon apparent that while Evie is playing her game, others are playing theirs. Is she prepared? And can she stay one step ahead and uncover the truth before it’s too late?

When the Squadpod were offered the chance to read First Lie Wins I was excited as this sounded right up my street. But when I heard that it had been chosen as Reese’s Book Club pick for this month I knew I was in for a real treat. Expertly written, fast-paced, cleverly plotted and unpredictable, Ashley Elston has shown she’s a talent to watch with this outstanding debut. A thriller lover’s dream, it is one of those books that grabs you by the throat and throws you to the floor when it’s done with you. I devoured this one quickly, Elston holding me in her thrall until the final page.

“I should have seen this coming. 
It’s been a long time since I’ve been blindsided.”

I love a book that gives up its secrets slowly, and this one does just that. We know from the start that there is much more to Evie than meets the eye. We know she’s keeping secrets and telling Ryan and his friends strategic lies that are part of something much bigger but have no idea who she really is or exactly what she’s hiding. Despite her morally grey character, I couldn’t help but root for Evie, something that was helped by her backstory, which humanises her; revealing a soft and broken side to the strong and unflinching woman she is today. After Evie meets the woman using her real name we discover she isn’t the only one with secrets and I loved trying to figure out which of the other characters were genuine and who was part of the complex web of lies Mr. Smith had spun. Elston gives up her secrets piece by piece, teasing us with intriguing flashbacks, little breadcrumbs of information and surprising curveballs that slowly unveil the truth. And when it was revealed I was left reeling and in awe at how cleverly this was written. 

Jaw-dropping, unexpected and consuming, First Lie Wins is a sensational thriller that you don’t want to miss. Highly recommended.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ashley Elston is the author of several novels, including THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING (a finalist in the Best Young Adult Novel category of the International Thriller Awards) and 10 BLIND DATES. Her work has been translated into 23 languages. She graduated with a Liberal Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Ashley worked for many years as a wedding photographer before turning her hand to writing. Ashley lives in Louisiana with her husband and three sons.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxxx

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