Keep It in the Family by John Marrs

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CW: child death, murder, suicide, miscarriage, child abduction, stalking, gaslighting, manipulation, abuse

I have heard so much about Marrs’ work and this enticed me with a great concept and compelling writing. It took a few turns I was less sure about but I will pick up more of his books.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

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CW: death, murder, grief, sexual assault, child abuse, stalking

I did not realise this was a re-read until over halfway through. Enjoyed the set-up and the writing style but then it goes off the boil for me with some of the twists.

And Then We Screamed by Holly Bourne

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: gaslighting, hounding, manipulation, sexism, misogyny, sexual assault, rape, harassment

This is a shiver-inducing book that screams with frustration and rage. It is a welcome return from a well-established voice in YA fiction that you should be listening to.

Full review here.

Flashlight by Susan Choi

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, grief, kidnapping, torture

This was a beautiful, fraught portrait of a family pushed to the extreme and left to pick up the pieces. The writing was stunning and the characterisation superb.

Beautiful Liars by Amanda Cassidy

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, grooming, manipulation, infidelity, domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape

This was something extraordinary. The way Cassidy brings together this tense and yet folkloric atmosphere with the exploration of rich people behaving very badly and with this political lens is fantastic. One to watch in 2027.

Full review to come.

The Finalist by Faith Gladwin

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: murder, death, violence, injury, gore, blood, chronic illness

This  is a slower-burning psychological horror that delves into the cost of ambition and the sacrifices we would make to get to the top. The way it talks about dealing with a chronic illness is fantastic. There is this palpable grief for the life you could have had, the person you thought you were going to be and the way the world diminishes you.

Full review here.

The Dragon and the Dove by Catherine Doyle

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, gore, violence, injury, war, grief, PTSD, traumatic flashbacks, blood

This concludes the story kickstarted by the sumptuous and swoon-worthy The Dagger and the Flame. It brings this romantasy trilogy to an epic conclusion full of love and heartbreak in equal measure. These characters have stolen a sliver of my heart.

Full review here.

We’re All Going to Die Tonight! by Veronica Bane

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, violence, gore, murder, injury

I wanted to love this and I did enjoy the taut atmosphere of mistrust. The characterisation was good but something about it just didn’t connect for me and the final third didn’t land how I wanted it to.

Victorious by V. E. Schwab

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, grief, gore, injury, abusive relationship, torture

This is the culmination of a trilogy that has set my heart on fire time and time again. It is such a brilliant spin on the idea of the superhero and supervillian, filled with morally gray territory and twists that will leave you stunned.

Full review to come.

Taipei Story by R. F. Kuang

⭐️🧠

CW: death, grief

I really enjoyed elements of this story and how it looked at that feeling of disconnect and isolation from your family, your heritage and your culture. However it was my least favourite Kuang to date.

Pictures of You by Josh Malerman

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CW: death, murder, violence, gore, suicide

This was a case of brilliant concept, lacklustre execution for me. The pacing dragged for a final third that I really did not enjoy. However the very last page was intriguing.

Reap & Sow by Charlotte B Plumb

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, execution, torture, religious fantacisim

This was such a gorgeous romantasy with a real sense of darkness and heart. That ending was brutal as well, I need the sequel immediately.

Full review to come.

All Hallow’s Eve

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: murder, death, suicide, bullying, animal cruelty, gore, car accident, death of a loved one, child death, violence 

This is the perfect short story collection to pick up as the nights draw closer and shadows might just be lurking in the darkness. I love a themed short story collection and this focuses on that time where the veil between life and death seems thinnest.

Full review here.

Winterveil by Ava Reid

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, torture, war, suicide, sexual assault, homophobia, classism, kidnapping

For me this is a return to the Ava Reid I know and love. It is a brilliant idea that os realised in unexpected ways and feels like a puzzle box you get to untangle.

Full review to come.

Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: grief, death, car accident, racism, homophobia, sexism, sexual assault

I really liked the concept of this and I did enjoy the ending, even if it did feel a tad far-fetched. The characterisation was a bit lacklustre for me though and I think some points could’ve been stronger.

The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, violence, gaslighting, manipulation, cults

Stevie Bell is back with a vengeance. This continues one of my favourite YA mystery series of all time and shows that Johnson will knock it out of the park every single time.

Full review to come.

The Serial Killer Support Group by D. B. Stephens

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, violence, domestic violence, abusive relationships, injury, gore

This is such a phenomenal concept and the story it weaves from there is compelling. It is packed full of twists and turns, while also talking about a deep societal issue in an interesting way.

Heart the Lover by Lily King

⭐️🧠

CW: death, grief, terminal illness

This is such a gorgeously written story with characterisation that will break your heart and mend it in equal measure. It is a beautiful love story and a different kind of romance.

Say What You Think by Rachael Fernandes

⭐️

This was such a delightful YA contemporary romance full of the joy of fandom and connection. I enjoyed how swept away in the story I felt, like being in a blanket of clouds.

The Lost Name Society by S R Krish

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: gore, body horror, death, murder, violence, injury, blood, racism, classism, sexism

I really enjoyed the message of this book and the horror elements in this were fantastic. However I did find aspects of it lacking and jumped a little too far.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

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CW: murder, death, violence, shooting, kidnapping

This has such a brilliant concept and takes some big swings but lands them perfectly. It is compelling and twisty as hell. I will be reading more of McAllister’s work.

The Serial Killer Support Network by D. B. Stephens

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: gore, violence, injury, death, murder, abuse, PTSD, flashbacks, stalking, self-harm, suicide

This sequel brings us into new territory after that ending with book one. I really enjoyed the ramifications of previous decisions and how those continue to ripple through. The overarching stories are fascinating and I am excited to pick up book three.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

⭐️🧠

This was a re-read for book club and an absolute delight to revisit. I picked up a few more details this time around as well. Still such a unique spin on the vampire genre in this often raw and bloody epistolary novel that is infued with the monstrosity humanity is often capable of.

Full review here.

You’re No Better by Andrew Joseph White

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: murder, death, violence, injury, transphobia, abuse

This is such a brilliant but twisted book. The central concept is a fascinating take on the true crime industry and raises uncomfortable uestions immediately. It is probably my favourite of White’s work so far and that is a high bar to cross.

Full review to come.

Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

I really liked Lessons in Chemistry but I adored this book. There was something so singular in the voice that ensnared me and the way Garmus talks about the creation and commodification of art is intriguing. A book that will polarise but really landed for me.

Full review to come.

Scorpion Deep by C. G. Drews

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, abuse, drowning, injury, self-harm

God this book got under my skin. It is one of the best aquatic horror books I have picked up, just really goes into the unfathomable terror of the unknown. Drews plays with your psyche and delivers an excellent, twisted story.

Full review to come.

Notes on an Obsession by C. L. Taylor

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CW: death, murder, suicide, obsession, grief

I loved elements of this book, namely the voice and the central hook. It opens with a bang and then hooks its claws into you and will not let go. I think the ending did not quite work for me but I hope it finds readers that adore it.

Ink and Shadows by Lauren Willmore

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, violence, drowning, grief, PTSD, missing, injury

This is the Dark Academia YA mystery you need to pick up this season. It combines a compelling murder mystery with brilliantly Gothic atmosphere and thought-provoking themes at the heart of the story.

Full review here.

Barb Jacobs Just Won’t Die by Tanya Pell

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, violence, gore, stalking, obsession, blood, injury, fire

This was such a cleverly meta slasher all about the final girl image, what that means and unpicking it in a different lens. There is this wonderful balance of darkness, humour and rage that taps into the silent scream we all may hold inside.

Full review to come.

The Shark by Emma Styles

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, stalking, blood, injury, grief

I liked the interplay between these two characters and the overall conclusion of the mystery (that final page was excellent) but I did find that the middle dragged a little for me.

Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠💙

CW: death, murder, violence, gore, colonialism, paedophilia, grief, injury, self-harm

In news that will surprise no one, the sequel to one of my favourite books of all time delivered the goods. This is a road trip like no other and the depths of hell you are plunged into are pure nightmare fuel.

Full review to come.

Almost the Whole Truth by Robin Stevens

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, stalking

This was exceptional. I am so, so excited for the world to fall in love with this book in 2027. The way Stevens explores the true crime industry is phenomenal, complex and thought-provoking.

Full review to come.

Seven Deadly Spells by L. A. Weatherly

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, PTSD, flashbacks, addiction, abuse

I was sold as soon as I heard Romeo and Juliet meets The Sopranos with a magical twist. The world-building in this is fascinating and the dynamic between our protagonists is dynamite.

Full review to come.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

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CW: grief, death, abuse, childbirth

Well I understand the hype now. This was such a delicately crafted and yet emotionally raw book. It holds such power within its pages and you feel like these characters are sat around you, holding your hand as they tell their story.

One Last Scare by Bill Wood

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, gore, injury, grief, PTSD

What a way to finish up a trilogy. This is an excellent conclusion packed full of thrills and chills with some devastating twists along the way. I have thoroughly loved this series and am sad to bid goodbye to the Sanera Four.