Hera by Jennifer Saint

🧠

TW: rape, sexual assault, traumatic flashbacks, PTSD

Jennifer Saint has such a distinctive stamp on the genre of Greek mythological retellings – the narratives are captivating and choose interesting new takes on familiar stories. Saint turns her eye to the Queen of the Gods in this nuanced take on misdirected wrath and humanising a complex, otherworldly figure.

Full review to come.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr

🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: death, grief, sexism, cancer, suicidal ideation, car accident, homelessness

This was an absolute delight to read. It was full of warmth, love and terrific puzzles. Burr bursts out of the gate with a heart-warming ode to found family, the craft of puzzles and beginning to write your own story.

Full review here.

Dead Happy by Josh Silver

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: indoctrination, homophobia, violence, torture, emotional abuse, physical abuse, blood, injury detail, conversion therapy

I really enjoyed HappyHead, finding it an ominous thriller that rang too true. Silver has really levelled up in this sequel, with an increase in tension and horror – Lord of the Flies type touches as well. The characterisation is taken up a notch too.

Full review here.

The Kill List by Nadine Matheson

⭐️🧠💙

TW: murder, death, rape, sexual assault, corruption, police brutality, torture

I am a fan of Anjelica Henley’s thrillers and will continue reading as long as Matheson keeps writing them. This is another read that sent shivers down my spine and kept me glued to the pages until the early hours. Excellently plotted with plenty of gnarly surprises in store.

Full review here.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

TW: death, murder, grief, shooting, prejudice, discrimination, gun violence, cancer, car accident, terminal illness

This had such a fantastic premise (essentially knowing how much of your life you have left) and Erlick built on that wonderfully. It had such great characterisation and arcs, with a few moments that made me feel like everything stopped around me.

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: Islamophobia, death, grief

This was everything I could have dreamed of and so much more. My expectations were in the stratosphere as two of my favourite authors teamed up for a YA rom-com, but they were easily surpassed.

Full review to come.

You May Now Kill the Bride by Kate Weston

⭐️🧠

TW: death, murder, rape, sexual assault, traumatic flashbacks

Kate Weston has such a wicked sense of humour that I adore. I loved Murder on a School Night and knew I had to pick up her adult thriller debut. This was tongue in cheek, twisty and terribly enjoyable.

In The Dark by Cara Hunter

🧠

TW: Alzheimer’s, kidnapping, rape, domestic violence, murder, death, bigotry, cancer, child death, child suicide, grief, child abandonment, gaslighting

This was a solid and entertaining police procedural thriller that I enjoyed. Cara Hunter is so good at meshing media forms and creating this compulsively readable, well-plotted stories. The ending was not my favourite though.

Girls by Kirsty Capes

🧠

TW: emotional abuse, abandonment, neglect, depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm, suicide, death, grief

Kirsty Capes snuck into my life and broke my heart. This was such a poignant look at sisterhood, survival and the destructive capabilities of creativity. It re-examines the tortured artist trope in such an interesting and thought provoking way.

Full review here.

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

⭐️

TW: suicide, murder, grief, drugs, violence, gore, injury

I generally enjoy Blake’s writing style and duelling magic crime families in a Romeo and Juliet modern retelling? Sign me up! This was a fantastically imagined and morally murky read that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Full review here.

When We Were Silent by Fiona McPhillips

🏳️‍🌈🧠

TW: death, murder, rape, sexual assault, grooming, manipulation, gaslighting, suicide

God, this was one hell of a read. It is a book writhing with anger and concerned with questions of justice and the fallibility of the legal system. Your skin will crawl several times throughout reading.

Full review here.

I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue

⭐️🧠

TW: cheating, cancer, terminal illness, addiction, alcoholism, anxiety, depression, grief, flashbacks

I came for the biting office satire and I stayed for the beating heart of this book. Jolene is a complex, somewhat unlikable character at times, but you still root for her and cackle at her newfound power. Prepare to be laugh and cry.

Full review here.

Something to be Proud Of by Anna Zoe Quirke

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

TW: homophobia, transphobia, ableism, cheating, divorce

This was just fantastic. It was an intersectional book full of love and hope for building a community for yourself that genuinely supports everyone. For me, it was a love letter to friendship, genuine support and carving out a space for yourself against all odds.

Full review here.

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

TW: rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, misogyny, trafficking, kidnapping, incest, violence, murder, animal cruelty, suicide, infanticide, panic attacks, psychological trauma (taken from the start of the book)

Hur’s historical mysteries always hit such a sweet spot for me. This was a dark and intense read, shedding light on a horrific period of history I was unaware of before reading. I sped through the pages, gripped by the feeling of the oncoming storm as death and despair reigned.

Full review here.