Review: Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

 

Publication Date: June 2025

Source: Borrowed from library

Blurb:       [ Goodreads ]

Three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller. He’s the perfect man. It’s a perfect lie.

Nina Swann is intrigued when she received a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her late husband, who is looking to connect after her husband’s unexpected death. Nick is a man of substance and good taste. He has a smile that could melt the coldest heart and a knack for putting others at ease. But to Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, Nick seems too slick, too polished, too good to be true. Without telling her mother, Ash begins digging into Nick’s past. What she finds is more than unsettling…

Martha is a florist living in a neighboring town with her infant daughter and her devoted husband, Alistair. But lately, Alistair has been traveling more and more frequently for work, disappearing for days at a time. When Martha questions him about his frequent absences, he always has a legitimate explanation, but Martha can’t share the feeling that something isn’t right.

Nina, Martha, and Ash are on a collision course with a shocking truth that is far darker than anyone could have imagined. And all three are about to wish they had heeded the same warning: Don’t let him in. But the past won’t stay buried forever.

It's no secret - I'm a huge Lisa Jewell fan. So if you were awaiting a negative review - keep scrolling. 

This book was more of Lisa Jewell's amazingly twisted mind conjuring up pulse-quickening excitement that I couldn't eat up fast enough. Full of twists, untrustworthy characters and craziness. If you are a fan of true crime documentary's this is a book you would really enjoy. 

Review: Yesteryear by Caro

 

Publication Date: April 7 2026

Publisher: Fourth Estate Books

Blurb: 

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle – and her followers are sick with envy. Her charming farmhouse on her working ranch is artfully cluttered, her husband is a handsome cowboy, her homemade sourdough boules are each more beautiful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers and industrial-grade ovens behind the scenes? What her followers don’t know won’t hurt them.

Then, one morning, Natalie wakes up in a strange, horrible version of reality. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Is this a hoax? A reality show? A test from God? Natalie knows just two things for sure: this isn't her perfect life, and she must escape, by any means possible.

I would say this is the book of the year - EVERYONE has been raving about it, so naturally enough I was somewhat apprehensive going into it. I honestly can say I feel the hype was warranted in this case. 

This is a book where I feel like I am left thinking about it long after I turned the last page. Not solely because of the content, but because of the message, its execution and the societal changes that have warranted this book being published. 

Review: The Dirty South by Alex Wheatle

 

Publication Date: January 2008

Publisher: Serpent's Tail

Source: Borrowed From Library  [ Goodreads ]

Blurb: 

The mean streets of south London offer little hope for young black guys. Selling drugs, on the other hand, offers quick money and respect. 

Dennis Huggins finds himself drawn into the spiral in this powerful portrayal of gang life.

Alex Wheatle is an author I have recently discovered that I am trying to make my way through their back catalogue and read all of their work. Having read Liccle Bit and loving it, I picked up Dirty South as my next read. 

Review: Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen

 

Publication Date: June 2009

Source: Borrowed from library

Blurb:     [ Goodreads ]

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

I haven't read much Sarah Dessen, despite her being the queen of teen when I was a teenager, and I found myself pleasantly surprised by this one. 

Review: Effie Is Offline by Karen Harte

 

Publication Date: June 2026

Publisher: Gill Books

Source:  Borrowed from library    [ Goodreads ]

Blurb: 

Fifteen-year-old Effie has spent her entire life in the spotlight as the daughter of @TheBrightFamily, a famous Irish influencer family known for their picture-perfect posts. But after her dad’s very public cheating scandal implodes their online empire, Effie’s mam relocates the family to a small rural town for a fresh start.

Desperate to escape her embarrassing past, Effie hides her influencer origins at her new school, where she finally starts to make friends and meets Jack – a grounded, gentle boy with a total lack of online presence or knowledge of that world. But as her mam starts reinventing herself, Effie’s secrets and her chance at a new beginning are at risk of being exposed … in a very public, very messy way.

Utterly unexpected and fantastic. One of my five star reads of the year! 

I actually had no idea this book was a graphic novel until it arrived into the library. I had only skim read the blurb before requesting it as I knew this sounded like a fun time. What I came away with was so much more than fun. 

Review: I Wrote This For Attention by Lukas Gage

 

Publication Date: October 2025

Source: Borrowed from library

Blurb:      [ Goodreads ]

Lukas Gage was having one of the shittiest weeks of his life. His beloved grandmother was dying. And Lukas was sitting next to his father, a man who had been mostly absent in his son’s childhood—except when talking to Lukas about tits because he loved nothing more than tits, and listening to Howard Stern on the radio. They were across the street from a building in Century City, where months prior, Lukas had to grapple with the dissolution of his marriage. This week had it all: death, divorce, and daddy issues.

In that room, Lukas did the smartest thing anyone can do in a crisis: doom scroll to see what random people on the internet were saying about him. People were calling him an attention whore—and they were absolutely right. Lukas Gage was no stranger to going viral. He loved attention. As a toddler, he set his room on fire. As a child, he hugged and flirted with women at Hooters to his father’s delight. As a teen, he stole handles of alcohol and cherry cough syrup. He had sex at a restroom in Chili’s, and fell hopelessly in love with a girl who wore an ankle monitor. He became an actor and filmed that scene in White Lotus (if you know, you know). Lukas was scared of attention and yet he craved it more than anything in the world.

I Wrote This for Attention is a riveting, exquisite memoir full of heart that chronicles Lukas’s coming of age in the haunting underbelly of San Diego and clawing his way to stardom.

As someone who loves a celebrity autobiography or memoir, when I heard about this one I knew I wanted to read it. I haven't had the most interactions with Lukas Gage - I mean I have seen The White Lotus and heard about his marriage which Kim Kardashian officiated- but asides from that I didn't really know much about him. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read

 Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I am so guilty of this one - buying or renting out books that I am desperate to read at the time and then for some reason leaving them to gather dust on my shelf! Hopefully this will be the push to actually read these books soon..

1) Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

This book is EVERYWHERE at the moment and I requested it immediately after reading the blurb..but I still have not read it. I will hopefully be reading it very soon.

2) Half His Age by Jeannette McCurdy

After reading I'm Glad My Mom Died, I knew I would read her next book and to find out it was a fiction title - I needed it! I added it to my most anticipated books of the year and even got it as a christmas present..have I read it yet? No. 

Review: Swept Away by Beth O'Leary

 

Publication Date: April 2025

Source: Borrowed from library

Blurb:       [ Goodreads ]

Lexi is looking for no-strings-attached fun with a stranger. She deserves one night for herself, doesn't she?
Zeke is looking for love. But for one night with a woman like Lexi, he'll break his rules . . .
Sparks fly at the pub, one passionate kiss leads to another and they end up stumbling home to the marina together.

The next morning, hungover and shaken by an amazing night together, Lexi is more than ready for Zeke to leave. There's just one small problem . . . the houseboat they stayed on has been swept out to sea.
As their supplies start to run dangerously low, and the waves pick up, Zeke and Lexi soon realise there's much more on the line than their new relationship.

How long can they really survive on a drifting houseboat in the North Sea? Will search and rescue find them? And who will they be if they both make it back to dry land?

As someone who is a big fan of Beth O'Leary's books, The Switch and The Flatshare are two books I constantly recommend and rave about, this one just didn't hit the same spot. I still flew through it in a few days and enjoyed it but it felt a little flat to me. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Want to Read by New to Me Authors

 Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This weeks theme is "Books I Want to Read by New to Me Authors ". 

I took this theme to mean, for me, authors I have not read books by at all. So I have included both more recent titles and some real throw backs that I'm almost scared to admit I have not read - Enjoy! 

1) Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S King 

Blurb: 

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.
 
So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Review: The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent

 

Publication Date: March 2026

Publisher: Penguin Books

Blurb:   [Goodreads]

If my sister hadn’t been beautiful, none of it would have happened.

Ruby Cooper and her sister, Erin, live an idyllic life in their close-knit church community in Boston. But when Ruby is sixteen, she is involved in an incident that causes her family’s world to implode.

Across decades, the fallout leaves a wake of destruction behind Ruby in Dublin and Erin in Boston.
Not that Ruby wants to think about the past.
But it can’t stay a secret forever.

Liz Nugent has done it again and proven herself as one of my all time favourite authors. I don't know how she comes up with the most insane, gripping and unforgettable books each and every time. This was no exception. 

The book centers around two sisters Ruby and Erin. Ruby has always felt she lived life in Erin's shadow, never as pretty, clever or interesting as her. Then something life changing happens to them and their family which divides them and send their lives on a ricochet path for the rest of their days. 

Review: Apocalypse Cow by O.R Sorrell

 

Publication Date: June 2024

Publisher: Guppy Books

Blurb: [ Goodreads ]

Mel loves Sasha and dreams of a day that Sasha might reciprocate her feelings (even though she's straight) - so the fact that it's thirty degrees outside in January and hasn't rained for a year simply passes her by.

Mel is just about coping with being the only 'out' lesbian in school and all the sniping that Janis and Ella aim her way, as well as her dreary Saturday job with the stupidly posh Dorian... But when domestic animals suddenly lethally turn on the human race, and Mel finds herself stuck in a mansion with Dorian and Ella, her love-life suddenly turns on its head in the most extraordinary way.

This might be both one of my most unexpected reads and favourite books of the year! 

An apocalypse caused by human pollution and climate change causes animals to lash out, mutate and take over the city. From the first page I was absolutely hooked. If you know anything about me, I love to watch those films that are so crazy and out there - think along the lines of "Zombeavers" or "Sharknado". This was absolutely my perfect cup of tea. 

Review: Girl Hearts Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe

 

Publication Date: June 2016

Publisher: Scholastic

Blurb:  [ Goodreads ]

An inspiring, uplifting and sympathetic story about sexuality and self-acceptance, Lucy Sutcliffe's debut memoir is a personal and moving coming out story. In 2010, at seventeen, Lucy Sutcliffe began an online friendship with Kaelyn, a young veterinary student from Michigan. Within months, they began a long distance relationship, finally meeting in the summer of 2011. Lucy's video montage of their first week spent together in Saint Kitts, which she posted to the couple's YouTube channel, was the first in a series of films documenting their long-distance relationship. 

Funny, tender and candid, the films attracted them a vast online following. Now, for the first time, Lucy's writing about the incredible personal journey she's been on; from never quite wanting the fairy-tale of Prince Charming to realising she was gay at the age of 14, through three years of self-denial to finally coming out to friends and family, to meeting her American girlfriend Kaelyn.

As June is pride month, I spent the month reading a lot of LGBTQ+ book. This book had been on my physical TBR since it came out 10 years ago. That is way too long to have a book on my shelf, granted I probably have older ones, so I knew I wanted to read this autobiography. 

Lucy Sutcliffe was a prominent UK Youtuber at the time of publication who mostly shared her relationship with her long distance partner Kaelyn on their channel Lucy & Kaelyn. I didn't follow them at the time so going into the book I didn't know much about them, and unfortunately, I sort of felt the same finishing the book. 

Review: Woman Down by Colleen Hoover

 

Publication Date: January 2026

Publisher: Montlake

Blurb: (Goodreads)

Her words used to set the page on fire. But a viral backlash over her latest film adaptation forced Petra Rose to take a hiatus, resulting in missed deadlines and an overdue mortgage. Branded a fraud and fame-hungry opportunist, she learned the hard way what happens when the internet turns on you. And she’s been uninspired to write ever since.

Now, with her next suspense novel outlined and savings nearly gone, she retreats to a secluded lakeside cabin, hoping to find inspiration. It’s Petra’s last-ditch attempt to save her career—and herself. Then he shows up.

Detective Nathaniel Saint arrives with disturbing news, his presence igniting a creativity in her she thought long since burned out. Petra’s words return in a rush, and her fictional cop character begins to mirror the very real cop who’s becoming her muse.
Their “research” sessions blur the lines between fantasy and reality. Each glance, every touch pulls Petra deeper into a world she thought she’d never lose herself in again. She’s never felt more alive. But inspiration this powerful comes at a cost.

When Saint starts taking his role in her career a little too seriously, Petra’s forced to confront the chaos she created. But doing so could cost her more than the reputation she’s been trying to salvage. The reputation the world wrote for her—the reputation only she can reclaim.

I think Colleen Hoover should stick to writing thrillers over romance. I have enjoyed more of her thrillers than her romances much much more.

Although this one didn't hit as hard as I thought it would, I still flew through it in a few days. 

It did feel a little hard to separate the art from the artist so to speak with this one as the plot focuses around an author whose novel has been made into a movie which has faced severe backlash within the crew and online. Hmm where have I heard this before... 

Looking past all of that, I found that once I started reading the book it was a real addictive page turner. Although some parts of the plot felt a little far-fetched as I tried to suspend my belief that this could plausibly happen - an author renting a cabin in the middle of the woods and having a man that is basically her character arrive at the door and engage in an outlandish role play relationship to further her novel... I did actually end up enjoying the wild rollercoaster of a novel. 

The ending felt a little bit flat for me, it seemed a little too rushed and tying up loose ends as quickly as possible. But overall a fun, crazy, thriller that was a good quick read. Hopefully Colleen Hoover writes some more thrillers as I think they are better and more entertaining than her romance novels. Overall - pick this one up for some fun, outlandish reading that you can fly through but won't blow your socks off. 

Review: Shorelines by Ruth Ennis

 

Publication Date: 2026

Publisher: Little Island Books

Blurb: (Goodreads)

When proud mermaid Muireann flees her climate-ravaged ocean in search of hope on land, she confronts human cruelty and body-shaming as she struggles to find her true home and voice. Caught between a dying ocean and a divided world, she must grapple between the sea that made her and the surface that might break her – in this stunning verse novel that reimagines The Little Mermaid.

Muireann is a mermaid – fierce, curious and proud of the body that keeps her warm beneath the waves. But life in the ocean is becoming impossible. The merfolk are at war with the human ramifications of climate change: food is scarce, and her twin sister has been killed in a mass-fishing net. With her mother lost in grief and her world falling apart, Muireann longs to escape to the surface to find some answers. But the human world isn’t the haven she hoped for. It’s colder, crueller – and here, her large body is seen not as strength, but as something to be ashamed of. 

I have read A LOT of Little Mermaid YA retellings, and let me tell you this one right here really did hit different. 

There was so many things I loved about this book. Written by an Irish author, her debut too, this book is up there with one of my favourites of the year. Once of the things that made me love this book was the unique twist the author took with the storyline - the plus size representation and championing of bigger bodies in the mer world then seeing the difference of how they are viewed on land, the Irish names of Muireann's family, the seeking of treasures and the sea witch not being villainized in this story. 

Review: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

 

Publication Date: October 2004

Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books

Blurb:  (Goodreads)

In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." 

Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: "there is no perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia Snow. / There is only Bree." Bree will do all the things good girl Kristina won't, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys who can provide her with a steady flow of crank.

This book has been on my TBR for years. I finally got my hands on a copy from my library and devoured it on a rainy afternoon in May. 

When I first heard of this book all those years ago, there was nothing but rave reviews on Youtube and Goodreads. So to say I went into this with high expectations, albeit rating my other experiences with Ellen Hopkins middling. 

The story shows how easy it can be for teenagers, or anyone, to fall into drug use and addiction. I felt the plot of the novel was a little slow in points, lots of Kristina / Bree bouncing between random boys for what seemed like no reason. But I suppose it did all point back to her need for something more in her life, looking for that rush of excitement she felt was lacking. 

Review: Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

 

Publication Date: September 2014

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Blurb:  (Goodreads)

In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever.

Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.

Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town's most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept separate but equal.

Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.

This book has been on my TBR, my physical TBR at that, for 12 years! That is insane. I am trying to read some of my older TBR books this year and although I don't always do that as much as I should I thought 12 years is a ridiculous amount of time to have a book on my shelf unread for. 

The plot of this book is set around the integration of black and white students into a high school in Virginia America in 1959. The author clearly did so much research when writing the book that all of the tension, anger and behaviours of the time really rose from the page with how vivid they were. The subject was very tough to read about, especially with 2026 eyes, seeing how such hatred was allowed and encouraged by the staff, business people and adults of the time. 

Review: All These Beautiful Strangers by Elizabeth Klehfoth

 

Publication Date: July 2018 (Goodreads)

Publisher: Penguin Books

Blurb: 

In the last day of summer, Grace Fairchild, the beautiful young wife of real estate mogul Allister Calloway, vanished from the family’s lake house without a trace, leaving behind her seven-year old daughter, Charlie, and a slew of unanswered questions.

Years later, seventeen-year-old Charlie still struggles with the dark legacy of her family name and the mystery surrounding her mother. Determined to finally let go of the past, she throws herself into life at Knollwood, the prestigious New England school she attends. Charlie quickly becomes friends with Knollwood’s “it” crowd.

Charlie has also been tapped by the A’s—the school’s elite secret society well known for terrorizing the faculty, administration, and their enemies. To become a member of the A’s, Charlie must play The Game, a semester-long, diabolical high-stakes scavenger hunt that will jeopardize her friendships, her reputation, even her place at Knollwood.

As the dark events of past and present converge, Charlie begins to fear that she may not survive the terrible truth about her family, her school, and her own life.

When I picked this up, I had been eyeing it for a while and was excited for some messy rich kid drama with a summery backdrop. And while it did deliver in that, there was a little lacking for me in some areas. 

The mystery thriller element was interesting but sometimes the twists and turns felt to me like they came out of nowhere. It began to feel a little random in the middle and I was starting to lose my grasp of what the timeline was and what was actually going on. The conclusion to the mystery was what I had thought it was from the beginning so that left me a little disappointed. 

Review: The Exorcism of Faeries by J.L Vampa

 

Publication Date: November 2025

Publisher: Vampa Productions LLC

Source: Purchased on Kindle (Goodreads)

Blurb: 

She is the daughter of morticians, studying Botany at Trinity College, Dublin. He is her Morbid Anatomy professor. And the Fae are possessing the good people of Dublin. Only Atta and Professor Murdoch can exorcize the fae, but can they fight their forbidden feelings for one another in the process?
Trinity College, Dublin 5th November, 1993

He always reads standing in front of the shelf, one hand shoved in his pocket until it’s time to flip the page. It’s the first thing I noticed about him, while I was supposed to be studying. Instead, I watched him move from shelf to shelf and book to book. I had no idea at the time that I would one day meet him and he would change everything. We would change everything.

-Excerpt from the diary of Ariatne Morrow, found in the wreckage at Ground Zero

This was a book club pick and I was glad it was chosen as it was something I never would have picked up normally, very out of my comfort zone but a welcome surprise! 

The book centers around Ariatne at college in Dublin whose real passion is human anatomy, studying and delivering mysterious corpses to a secret society of masked scientists. Secret society, mysterious deaths and dark academia vibes GALORE. 

Review: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

 

Publication Date: February 2025

Publisher: Crown

Source: Borrowed from Library (Goodreads)

Blurb: 

Look, the song whispered to me, that day in my living room. Life can be so big.

It’s a Friday night in a campus bar in Berkeley, fall of 2000, and Percy Marks is pontificating about music again. Hall and Oates is on the jukebox, and Percy—who has no talent for music, just lots of opinions about it—can’t stop herself from overanalyzing the song, indulging what she knows to be her most annoying habit. But something is different tonight. The guy beside her at the bar, fellow student Joe Morrow, is a songwriter. And he could listen to Percy talk all night.

Joe asks Percy for feedback on one of his songs—and the results kick off a partnership that will span years, ignite new passions in them both, and crush their egos again and again. Is their collaboration worth its cost? Or is it holding Percy back from finding her own voice?

I picked up this book solely because I heard it was being made into a movie at some point with a stacked cast.. not sure if that is still going ahead as I haven't seen any updates but this was definitely a book that disappointed me. 

I had seen people comparing this book to Normal People and One Day - both of which I loved, so I had some high expectations going in which were ultimately not met by the book. 

To start on a positive note, I thought the characters were really realistic and while they were completely self-pitying and pretentious I did feel they were true reflections of the type of people you meet in college who believe they know everything about one topic (music) and think all other opinions are invalid. I think I enjoyed reading about some of the side characters more than the main characters at times as the constant music chat going on for paragraph after paragraph did begin to grate on me and I found myself skimming over those parts to get back to wondering more about the "will they won't they" aspect of the story. 

I didn't find myself bored at any point reading the book, though it was definitely not a gripping read I was looking forward to picking up each evening. It turned out to be just an okay read for me with a very disappointing anti-climactic ending. Kinda like a digestive biscuit, plain and okay but there are other biscuits out there that are tastier. 

A reviewer said that they thought book would have been 90% more enjoyable if it was 10% gayer and I completely agree. There was a hint towards something in the storyline that then felt rushed and shoved off to the side. 

An okay read that was enjoyable at times, the music monologuing for me was too much, but I won't be rushing out to buy Brickley's next book. 

Review: When Love Comes To Town by Tom Lennon

 

Publication Date:  1993

Publisher: O'Brien Press

Source: Borrowed from library (Goodreads)

Blurb: 

Meet Neil Byrne - try-scorer on the rugby field, prizewinning student, one of the in-crowd at the disco, regular guy, gay. Presenting one face to the world and burying his true feelings in fantasy, Neil manages to keep his secret. But when fantasy isn't enough and he becomes caught up in the bizarre subculture of Dublin's gay nightlife, the pretence must end. It is the time for truth. The consequences are both hilarious and painful. Told with honesty, humour and originality, WHEN LOVE COMES TO TOWN brings a new type of hero to modern Irish fiction.

Stumbled across this book at work and thought I'd give it a go. I was glad I did. 

This book was a quick but memorable read for me. I read it over the course of a weekend and enjoyed the characters, the storyline and how while it was definitely "of its time" it still felt relatable to today. 

The book centers around our main character who is hiding his sexuality while finishing secondary school in Ireland. Pressures are building on him from hiding his feelings for men, doing his leaving cert, pressures from his parents and the casual homophobia he is exposed to in his friend group.