Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: homophobia, racism, colorism, attempted rape and assault, outing, racial microaggressions

This was a delicate and beautiful, but also devastating and hard-hitting meditation on family, legacy and love. Cho’s writing was intoxicating and extremely captivating, immersive and descriptive. I sped through this in one all-consuming sitting.

Broken Hearts and Zombie Parts by William Hussey

🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

TW: homophobia, homophobic slurs, medical content

This had many bright spots, particularly in the romance plots and the disability representation. Hussey poured his heart into this and it shines through. However, I just did not feel as connected to the characters as I wanted to.

The Grimoire of Grave Fates

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

TW:  bullying, homophobia, abusive parent, death, graphic injuries, murder, colonisation, war, racism, fire, violence, generational trauma, chronic pain, ableism, panic attacks, transphobia, PTSD, grief, loss of a loved one

This has such a phenomenal premise and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend time with all of these incredible characters, particularly as they started to interweave. This is an anthology like no other!

Full review here.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

⭐️🧠

TW: blood, violence, childhood trauma, death, poverty, on-page death & murder, suicidal thoughts & intention, kidnapping, hospitals, consent issues

It is no secret that I love Chloe Gong’s work in the Secret Shanghai series and was highly anticipating her adult debut. This is a twisty, intense and vicious stab to the heart that I absolutely adored.

Full review here.

Boy Like Me by Simon James Green

🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: section 28, homophobia, violence, abuse, outing, hate crimes

This book proved to me just why I love Simon James Green’s work so much. It captured the paranoia and suppressed atmosphere of Section 28, contrasted with a joyous and beautiful celebration of queer love in the face of hatred. A book we desperately need.

The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: racism, homophobia, fatphobia, depictions of anxiety (specifically anxiety and panic attacks and spiraling thoughts), online harassment

Adiba Jaigirdar is just one of those top-tier authors for me. I will read each and every book she publishes. They just always bring joy to my heart and a smile to my face. Queer joy, particularly queer joy for people of colour, is something that should always be celebrated and Jaigirdar captures that perfectly. Reading her books is like letting a ray of sunshine into your life or getting the sweetest bite of cake. 

Full review here.

Liar’s Beach by Katie Cotugno

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

TW: death, murder, drug abuse, hospitalisation, injury, cheating

As soon as I heard about a new YA take on Hercule Poirot and a particular favourite of mine out of his cases, I knew I had to have it in my life. Liar’s Beach pays a gorgeous homage to the intense atmosphere, claustrophobia and resultant paranoia of Christie’s locked-room mysteries. It has that same character study, with added nuance and a social awareness more benefitting current times.

Full review here.

Every Word a Lie by Sue Wallman

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

TW: death, murder, stalking, catfishing, death threats, stabbing, hospitalisation, animal death, graphic details of dead animals, violence, injury

Every Word a Lie spins an intriguing tale of deceit and double bluffing. In a story where pretence is a major theme, suspect everyone and trust nothing. Yet again, Wallman has created another twisty, heart-racing mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. Her writing is so compulsively readable, letting me speed through the pages in a couple of sittings. The pacing is spot on, never allowing you to fully relax and draw breath, but also ensuring there are quieter moments of character work. 

Full review here.

The Hummingbird Killer by Finn Longman

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

TW: on-page depictions of murder, death, and associated violence, including against children, references to past child abuse and neglect, hospital scenes, PTSD, trauma flashbacks, physical abuse, emotional abuse, experimenting on a child, torture, blood

The Butterfly Assassin was one of those books that I will be throwing at everyone I know. It was a unique, memorable and brilliantly complex book that shatters every expectation. The Hummingbird Killer builds on this and impossibly elevates it, with phenomenal world-building, character work and twists and turns that truly shocked me. Longman yet again just twists the knife with some moments making me need to step away from the book, make a cuppa and compute fully what I had just read.

Full review here.

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

TW: grief, death, violence, cult, emotional abuse, manipulation, loss of autonomy (mind/body control), parental abandonment, physical abuse, blood magic, animal death, classism

Little Thieves left me absolutely stunned in 2021 and I have been craving the sequel ever since. Luckily, Painted Devils smashes through every lofty expectation I had. The mesh of times is more about working through trauma and learning to live with your past, confronting it without forgiveness if needed. Owen really digs into these various forms of family – blood, found and chosen. This creates a mesh of intriguing and fleshed-out characters around our central duo of Vanja and Emeric. 

Full review here.

Morgan is My Name by Sophie Keetch

TW: death, murder, rape, miscarriage, domestic abuse, physical abuse, gaslighting, blood

This was an unexpected treasure for me. I love a good feminist retelling steeped in myth and legend and this gave me that and so much more. Just know I am incredibly eager to read the next part immediately!

Full review here.

Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: death, murder, rape, graphic violence, domestic abuse, gaslighting, emotional abuse, manipulation, sexual abuse, sexual assault, suicide, transphobia, assault

I loved this intense and character driven thriller, as each connection was slowly revealed and the truth began to emerge. Wilding balances all perspectives brilliantly and keeps you guessing throughout.

Full review here.

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: racism, homophobia, death, murder, violence, sacrifices, graphic violence, blood, abuse, neglect

This was such a fantastic premise – a YA horror set in an immersive horror experience that starts to go terribly wrong. As always, I loved Bayron’s representation, particuarly the throughline of the Black sapphic romance and the meta horror commentary interspersed.

Full review here.

Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton

⭐️🏳️‍🌈

TW: death, murder, racism, violence, blood, physical injuries, burns, nonconsensual touching, kidnapping, sexual harassment

I adored this dark, thrilling YA fantasy. Saoirse is so unapologetically morally gray and yet I came to love her fiercely, particularly the way she would fight to tooth and nail for her family at all costs.

Full review here.

Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara

🏳️‍🌈 (side character)

TW: murder, rape, violence, physical abuse, war, sacrifice

I enjoyed aspects of this retelling, including the total transformation of Psyche, but I also didn’t enjoy how completely removed from her femininity this version seemed to want her to be. For me, there was also a lack of justifications for a lot of the changes made to the mythology, almost becoming a tickbox of famous Greek mythological figures.

Good Girls Die Last by Natali Simmonds

TW: death, murder, violence, serial killer, sexual abuse, harassment, sexual assault, rape, physical abuse

This was a sweltering, blistering and bombastic thriller that delves into rape culture and sexual harassment. It is intense, with a literal clock to race against. I sped through this in one sizzling sitting.

Full review here.