Review - the Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan

The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan

Publisher: John Murray Press

Release date: 29 January 2026

Back cover blurb: For over a century two rival organisations of women have gone to deadly lengths to secure a precious scrap of fraying embroidery in the hopes of finding the original medieval manuscript from which it was torn. There's the Order of St Katherine: devoted to the belief that women must pull strings in the shadows in order to exercise covert control. And the Fellowship of the Larks: determined to amass as many overt positions of power for women as possible . . . while making sure their methods never come to light. When trailblazing paleographer Dr Anya Brown is headhunted by the exclusive Institute of Manuscript Studies at St Andrews, she's unaware that she is in grave danger - her new employers are the Larks, and they'll stop at nothing to achieve their mission. As Dr Brown is drawn deeper into this ancient web, events spiral beyond her control. To uncover the truth, and escape with her life, she must summon all her expertise to decipher a series of messages that have lain hidden for centuries.

The Burning Library isn't like Gilly Macmillan's previous novels if you are a follower of her work. But it is a a brilliant novel nonetheless. 

Dr Anya Brown thinks she is happy in her current role, having done some really important work in the filed of palaeography. 

That is until she is offered the chance of a lifetime, the opportunity to join the Institute of Manuscript studies.

But the Institute have an ulterior motive for inviting her.

As far back as anyone is able to recall, there have been two secret female societies who have embedded themselves firmly into other societies (WI, elite universities etc). Both are trying to recover a priceless item that has been lost for years.

Both will do anything to recover it.

Including murder.

The Institute of Manuscript studies is the perfect place for a member of either society to hide in plain sight. 

This novel does require a high level of concentration, but it is definitely worth it.

The Burning Library is available to pre-order now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Very Slowly All at Once by Lauren Schott

Very Slowly All at Once by Lauren Schott

Publisher: HQ

Release date: 29 January 2026

Back cover blurb: Mack and Hailey Evans are on the cusp of living the American Dream. Established careers, two beautiful children, and a new house on a coveted lakefront estate. But modern life is expensive, so the anonymous payments they start to receive are spent before they know it. Could this money be from Mack's estranged father? Or one of Hailey's clients? Does it really matter? Then they discover that this mysterious benefactor expects a return on their investment. How far will the couple have to go to pay them back? As it turns out, the best things in life are not free. And the price is far steeper than they could have imagined …

I really really adored this book until it's final pages when I realised that there wasn't going to be a satisfying conclusion. It was then I realised that I also didn't truly understand the real reason behind the criminal campaign at this novel's heart. 

Though some might argue it's obvious, to me there were still a lot of unanswered questions...

Mack and Hailey are happily married. Whatever that means... with two young daughters and a dog. They are a couple that appear to have it all. 

A fancy house in the most desirable part of town, the ultimate professional careers; Hailey a hot shot divorce lawyer and Mack a highly respected University professor.

But nothing is ever as perfect as it seems on the outside, and Mack is silently fighting an harassment battle claim that his wife knows nothing about. Hailey, the most difficult case of her career to date.

Then, all of their dreams seemingly come true when a cheque comes through the mail, unidentifiable. Mack only hesitates for the smallest moment before casing it, thinking it will buy him some time should the unthinkable happen and he loses his job.

Mack assumes its a one off, maybe a mistake, but the cheques keep coming, whilst everything around him continues to fall apart.

And then the threats start. 

Pay back the money that's been cashed, or things will get nasty. And no one wants that...

Very Slowly All at Once is available to pre-order now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - So, I Met This Guy... by Alexandra Potter

So, I Met This Guy by Alexandra Potter

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Release date: 29 January 2026

Back cover blurb: So, I Met This Guy... Well, isn’t that how every love story starts? But how does it end – a happily ever after? Or with the discovery that the supposed love-of-your-life has stolen your life savings and your home, trashed your heart and demolished your self-esteem? Maggie is barely fifty years-old, and she's not one to give up on herself. So when she meets Flick, a young reporter who realizes this story could be the big break she’s been looking for, they set off to catch him as he goes on the run across Europe. After all, she’s got nothing left to lose, right? But as the pair embark on the road trip of their lives, unexpected twists, hidden secrets and hard truths are revealed. And as an unlikely friendship begins to blossom, they realize it’s not just about finding the guy, it’s about finding themselves... From the author of the mega bestseller Confessions of a Fortysomething F##k Up comes another laugh-out-loud novel full of wit, wisdom . . . and women who have had ENOUGH.

How many times have we females started a conversation with, "So I met this guy"? 

Maggie unfortunately thought she had met 'the One'. Even though she wasn't actually looking for anything, but isn't that always the way.

She was completely blindsided by Theo, a total charmer. Who unfortunately scammed her out of her life savings, leaving her with nothing.

Flick, a local newspaper reporter who has dreams of becoming a 'proper' journalist has gotten wind of Maggie's plight and wants to do an article on 'Romance Scammers'. With an ulterior motive...

Maggie reluctantly agrees, and the pair find themselves by accident, or coincidence, neither of them is really sure.. on a whirlwind trip across Europe, following Theo to try and confront him so that he can be arrested and finally made to pay for his crimes.

Can they bring him to justice?

You'll have to read to find out.. 

Buckle up, it's a bumpy, but hugely enjoyable ride!

So, I Met This Guy is available to pre-order via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - The 10:12 by Anna Maloney

The 10:12 by Anna Maloney

Publisher: Raven Books UK
Release date: 29 January 2026

Back cover blurb: Claire Fitzroy was just trying to get home when her train from Manchester to London was hijacked by a group of armed men. In one terrifying moment she faced the starkest of choices: to stand back. To fight back. And maybe to die either way. Claire chose to fight back, and in doing so saved hundreds of lives. But what looks like heroism in the heat of the moment can play out very differently in the courts and the eyes of the public. Especially when you have the blood of two men on your hands. Selfless and quick-thinking. Attention-seeking vigilante. Unrepentant murderer. Whichever she is, this is Claire's story of what happened that day. But is it the whole story? A breath-taking thriller where nothing is as it seems and saving the day is only the beginning, The 10:12 is the perfect read for fans of Sarah Vaughan, Catherine Ryan Howard and Ava Glass.

Reminiscent of BBC's recent[ish] thriller series, 'Night sleeper', the 10:12 would make an excellent TV series and/or feature length movie. 

Set to be one of 2026's most anticipated reads, the 10:12 was a novel that I wanted to read as soon as I read the blurb.

The 10:12 train from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston isn't the most obvious target for a terrorist attack. I was instantly reminded of the aforementioned 'Night sleeper' when the first attacker revealed themselves.

This novel's characters, every day commuters all have different reasons for being on the train. 

Claire our main protagonist is on her way home from visiting her Sister in Law who is recovering from breast cancer. Claire having been through treatment herself, was hoping to bring some comfort.

Instead she was dealt her own blow. Completely blindsided by news that her Brother in Law shared with her. 

She doesn't know what makes her think that she can take down the first attacker, but something inside her instinctively spurs her into action.

And her fellow passengers are quickly roped into assisting her, whether that want to be or not...

The 10:12 is available from 29 January 2026. You can pre-order it now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Review - Esther is Now Following You by Tayna Sweeney

Esther is Now Following You by Tanya Sweeney
Publisher: Bantam
Release date: 29 January 2026

Back cover blurb: You have one new follower. Esther first sees Ted walking in a park in London. They lock eyes and for a fraction of a second, she feels something she’s never felt before. She starts by reading up about his life in Canada and his work as an actor. Then she watches every interview with him online. It isn’t long before she’s joined Ted’s fan site online where her and the ‘Tedettes’ stalk his every move. When Ted gets a new celebrity girlfriend, Esther decides that things have gone far enough. She leaves her husband, takes all their savings, and buys a one-way ticket to Canada. After all, Ted might not know it yet, but they are meant to be together – he just needs a little bit of persuading.

Esther is happily married to Johnny (Jonathan only to his Mother and Father). Although they've been married for four years, they've not yet been blessed with the child that they so desperately want.

When Esther falls pregnant unexpectedly, they are both elated. Four months into the pregnancy, Esther tragically loses the baby, and their once perfect relationship, already strained by the threat of infertility, begins to fall apart.

Whilst Esther is trying to piece her broken self back together she stumbles across an online fan forum for an up and coming actor. They very man she had locked eyes with in a park only a few days before. She'd had no idea he was famous!

And so her obsession begins...

Ted Levy is an up and coming Hollywood star with an obsessive fanbase who don't want him to become 'too' famous, or get ideas above his station. The 'Tedettes' as they are known, want to keep him for themselves.

As Esther sinks further in depression fuelled by grief, her obsession with Ted hits delusion, and she leaves her husband to travel to Toronto, believing that when she finally meets Ted he will fall head over heels for her. 

Esther's story may seem far fetched, but fan obsession (and stalking) unfortunately is not. Esther does not realise that she is breaking the law and moral boundaries until it is too late. 

When she meets Ted's sister, her common sense goes out of the window, and her obsession spirals out of control with devastating consequences.

Esther is now following you is available to pre-order now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - the Oppposite of Murder by Sophie Hannah

The Opposite of Murder by Sophie Hannah
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: 29 January 2026

Back cover blurb: What if the only way to prevent a murder is by confessing to it? Jemma Stelling has confessed to a murder - one she can't have committed. She has an unshakeable alibi: when Marianne Upton was stabbed to death outside her home, Jemma was at the police station confessing to a murderous obsession with Marianne and a plan to kill her in precisely the way she was killed. So is Jemma innocent? Or is she an ingenious, cold-blooded murderer?

The opening line of this novel is (excuse the pun) a killer... Literally. There is no holding back when we meet Jemma.

But there is more to her 'confession' than meets the eye.

Because she isn't actually a killer, and hasn't committed the murder that she has confessed to.

Yet...

By going to the Police and telling them everything she has planned, Jemma hopes that she won't carry out her plan.

The visit to the Police Station is a perfect alibi should the unthinkable happen. 

The only trouble is, whilst Jemma is at the Police Station that is exactly what happens. 

Jemma's wicked Stepmother and arch nemesis Marianne is found dead. Murdered. In exactly the way Jemma described to the police and Jemma is now the prime suspect.

She knows that she didn't commit the murder, and is almost 100% certain that no one else would have carried out her 'plan' without her knowledge. 

So what exactly did happen to Marianne? 

And why is everyone being so weird about it?

A strange, but enjoyable whodunnit.

The Opposite of Murder is available to pre-order now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review - Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven

Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Release date: 15 January 2026

Back cover blurb: Los Angeles, 1964. For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favourite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now the 60s are in full swing, and the Newmans’ perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and rock ‘n' roll idol Shep may finally be in real trouble. When Del is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken young reporter, to help her write the final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different perspectives about what it means to be a woman, and a family, in 1964 America. Can Dinah Newman bring her family together to change television history? Or will she be cancelled before she ever had the chance? 

The Newmans' are America's Favourite family, and also now my favourite family.

On television they are the perfect family. Mum, Dinah Newman, Dad, Del Newman, Son's Guy and Shep Newman. Flawless and fantastic.

But of course, no family is ever perfect, and off screen the Newman's are perfectly dysfunctional, as we all are.

Dinah isn't satisfied with her life, but she can't put her finger on exactly why. She has everything she could possibly want after all. But somehow it still isn't enough.

Del wants complete control over everything and will never settle for his family appearing less than perfect on the television.

Guy and Shep have frustrations with their family and the show for various different reasons, not least because growing up in the spotlight is a lot tougher than it looks. 

Having to conceal or suppress your authentic flawed identity, for your perfect television one is going to be tough on anyone.

When tragedy strikes, the family must rally together in ways that they didn't realise was possible.

Change is coming whether Del likes it or not. Will he be able to relinquish control to enable the family to survive. Or will the Newman's be torn apart forever?

Meet the Newmans' is one my must reads for 2026!

Meet The Newmans is available to pre-order via Amazon online and all good book shops.

Thank You to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.