Fable For The End of the World by Ava Reid

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death of a child, violence, animal death, sexual harassment, sexual assault, blood, gore, injury detail, parental abuse, fire, traumatic flashbacks

Dystopian is back with a bang. This is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful and raw story that examines climate change, capitalism and the commodification & exploitation of women.

Full review here.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

⭐️🧠

CW: death, murder, blackmail, gaslighting, sexism, grief

This was an inventive spin on a classic locked-room mystery set-up with excellent twists and a deliciously meta layer to proceedings. It is a clever puzzle box of a book with a destructive game at its heart. 

Full review here.

Honeysuckle and Bone by Trisha Tobias

⭐️🧠

CW: death, murder, grief, violence, injury, blood, sexual assault, harassment, gaslighting, manipulation, physical abuse, infidelity

I really enjoyed this Jamacia-set Gothic YA mystery. Tobias captures the setting so well – bringing it vividly to life on the page and completely immersing you. A stellar and sinister Gothic YA mystery.

Full review here.

Scenes from a Tragedy by Carole Hailey

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, grief, gaslighting, manipulation, drugging, sexual assault, suicide

This was suspenseful and tightly plotted with a creeping sense of menace and an incredibly compelling plot. You are constantly questioning everything and Hailey sits in that ambiguity and uncertainty wonderfully.

Full review here.

Cuckoo by Callie Kazumi

⭐️🧠

CW: death, murder, infidelity, gaslighting, manipulation, stalking, racism, child abuse, verbal, physical, and psychological violence

A twisted but highly entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed unpicking the layers of. Kazumi has a great sense of pacing and feeds the reveals into the narrative so well, skilfully setting them up.

Full review here.

Red Flags by Sophie Jo

⭐️🏳️‍🌈

CW: sexism, gaslighting, misogny

This  is a wonderful YA rom-com that will spark joy and remind you of the power of love in all its forms. We follow Cam and Poppy as they embark on this slightly mad-cap scheme. It is a hilarious set-up that blossoms beautifully into a heartfelt spark of something more.

Full review here.

Everyone in the Group Chat Dies by L. M. Chilton

⭐️

CW: death, murder, violence, injury, gore

I highly enjoyed this darkly comedic murder mystery that moved into slasher-esque territory at times and had a gripping plot. Its exploration of the true crime industry was fascinating and layered as well.

Full review here.

Bad Blood by Sarah Hornsley

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CW: death, murder, violence, blackmail, abusive relationship, physical violence, gun violence, sexual assault, traumatic flashbacks

This was packed full of excellent twists, dark secrets and compelling characters, zipping along at breakneck speed. Hornsley is definitely one to watch.

Full review here.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

🧠

CW: grief, suicidal ideation

Sadly, this just did not work for me. I can commend Rooney’s character work for its complexity and some of the actual prose sparkled, but the narrative stylings really weren’t for me. It was my first Rooney and I’m not sure I’ll be racing to pick up another.

The Girl You Know by Elle Gonzalez Rose

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, parental abandonment, drugging, sexual assault, suicide, blood, violence

This was a fascinating YA Dark Academia mystery with an effective use of atmosphere, great twists and an explosive conclusion.

Full review here.

Notes on Surviving the Fire by Christine Murphy

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CW: death, violence, rape, sexual assault, harassment, grief, traumatic flashbacks

This was a gut punch of a book. It was brave and brilliant, delving into tough territory with nuance and sensitivity. Murphy examines rape culture and the trauma around this in a deftly handled manner that is mired in complexity.

Full review here.

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: mass murder, executions, body horror, childhood sexual abuse, rape, miscarriage, domestic violence, sexual assault, suicide, sexism, grief

This was such an anticipated read for me because I adored Iron Widow. Unfortunately it was a huge letdown for me with many aspects that really did not work in my opinion. I’m not sure I’ll finish the series.

I Make My Own Fun by Hannah Beer

🏳️‍🌈

CW: stalking, death, blood, violence, sexism, manipulation, infidelity

This was an unhinged rollercoaster ride of a book. Think American Psycho in the world of the BAFTAs and British wealth. Obsession, power and privilege intertwine in a deeply compelling read.

Full review here.

All Better Now by Neal Shusterman

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, grief, pandemic, self-harm, suicidal ideation, gun violence

This was a thought-provoking speculative YA thriller dwelling on the meaning of happiness and how powerful forces may react when confronted with a movement of meaningful social change. It was ethically knotty and interesting.

Full review here.

The Curfew by T. M. Logan

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CW: cancer, grief, drugging, attempted sexual assault, missing child, self-harm

I absolutely devoured this. As I excepted from Logan, it made the most of a great premise with pacy writing and great twists and turns. However I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending.

While We’re Young by K. L. Walther

⭐️🧠

CW: grief, death of a parent, infidelity

This was a wonderful and heart-warming YA contemporary romance about reconnecting with those you love and living life to the full. Strong Ferris Bueller vibes too.

Full review here.

These Deadly Prophecies by Andrea Tang

⭐️🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, dismemberment, police profiling, grief

This was an enjoyable YA fantasy murder mystery with an interesting plot and an enticing magic system. It made the most of its shorter length, but the ending wasn’t as impactful as I had hoped for.

People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd

CW: miscarriage, suicide, death, grief, manipulation, gaslighting, kidnapping, death of a child

I have a fascination with thrillers focusing social media and the disparity between image and reality. This delves into parent influencing, with some dastardly twists and highly unlikeable characters. A tight and twisted thriller.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: grief, natural disaster, death

This was just beautiful. Harvey’s prose was sumptuous and covered a wide range of topics in a short space. It flowed so well, moving from climate change to grief to what it means to be human. Just stunning.

Circle of Liars by Kate Francis

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, grief, traumatic flashbacks, transphobia, fire, arson, injury, self-harm, suicidal ideation, manipulation, blackmail

This filled the space the ending of The Traitors left for me. A wonderfully paced, challenging and layered YA mystery with a twisted dilemma at its heart.

Full review here.