Review - the Truth of Us by Sara Cox

The Truth of Us by Sara Cox
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release date: 16 July 2026

Back cover blurb: Manchester, 1982. The houses on the street are almost identical but number 51 has always been slightly neater, a shiny penny next to number 49. The people inside have their differences too but still their lives are entwined, most especially for young girls Abi and Christy. From questionable fashion choices, illicit nights out and doomed romances, growing up together they share everything. Including the secret that eventually tears them apart. Two decades later, Abi's life is one of marriage, family and stability. Christy, always the wilder of the two, has travelled and partied and risen high in the world of TV. Until, unexpectedly, they're living next door to each other again. Is it finally time to confront the past and speak the truth?

Firstly, I really hope that this book has a sequel, or that the characters appear in some sort of follow up as the ending for me felt a little bit abrupt.

But let me clear, I absolutely adored this book and genuinely didn't want it to end, hence my disappointment. 

Abi and Christy have the kind of friendship that everyone dreams of growing up. 

Best friends that live next door to each other, and share a birthday! 

They are living the dream.

Abi and Christy's friendship is stronger than most. They navigate a hell of a lot together. 

First crushes, first kisses, fashion faux pas. 

You name it, they have shared it at some point.

Now they are both older, but not necessarily any the wiser. 

Abi is married with kids of her own, and a husband she doesn't much like anymore. Christy is single, living the good life as a hotshot TV producer. 

They both want more. 

Suddenly they find themselves living next door to each other again as Christy returns home for a family emergency. 

Can they pick up where they left off? 

Or has too much changed between them?

The Truth of Us is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

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

Review - Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard

Buyer Beware by Catherine Ryan Howard

Publisher: Bantam

Release date: 16 July 2026

Back cover blurb: When Ellie moves into 1 Delaney Row, all she has to her name is the house, a small suitcase and the terrible secrets she’s desperate to keep. But what she doesn’t know is that her new home is already hiding someone else’s secrets – and the people determined to keep them are watching her. When a grim discovery prompts Ellie to find out more about the house’s past, she unwittingly puts herself on a deadly collision course not just with her new home’s history, but with her own as well… Inspired by so-called ‘stigmatised properties’ – houses with dark and violent pasts – Buyer Beware is an intricate puzzle-box of a thriller with a pulsing emotional heart, from an author at the very top of her game.

When Ellie moves into her new property, all she has is the house itself to her name. 

She has no money, no clothes and a terrible secret that needs to be kept.

But the walls seem to have eyes and ears and do not want Ellie living there...

Someone tries to break in the first night she is there, and her neighbours desperately want to help.

But she is terrified of them discovering her past, and doesn't want to let them in. Though she msut for her own safety.

The thing is, Ellie has been to prison.

Albeit for a crime that she didn't mean to commit, a terrible accident that ended up costing her everything. 

But a crime was committed nonetheless. 

And now it seems that someone wants revenge. 

This will keep you guessing until the very end. 

This is one of those books that I can't say too much more about as I don't want to give anything away, but it's a brilliant read, and I highly recommend it.

Buyer Beware is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

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

Review - the Night Stairs by Erin Kelly

The Night Stairs by Erin Kelly

Publisher: Harvil

Release date: 9 July 2026

Back cover blurb: St Cordula’s Catholic boarding school has survived for centuries on tradition, discipline and silence. Now its future is under threat, and Deputy Head Fiona Fox is preparing to lead the controversial change that could save it from ruin. But St Cordula’s has always had rules of its own. Legend has it that the ghost of fifteenth-century nun, Sister Matilda, will keep the school safe. But only as long as the words ‘GOD FORGIVE ME’, scrawled by Matilda on a chapel staircase wall before she fell to her death, remain. Every year, the words are repainted. The only time they were allowed to fade, in 2002, a terrifying outbreak of vertigo swept through the pupils. One girl died on the night stairs. And only three people know what really happened. Now the vertigo is back, and as panic sweeps the school, Fiona must confront a dark secret from her past. Or face the deadly consequences…

St Cordula's Catholic School for Girls is about to go kicking and screaming into the modern day, through a partnership with the local Catholic boys school.

After a scandal involving some of its priests - I'm sure you can guess the rest ... the boys school is keen to make a fresh start.

But St Cordula's is about to have a long ago scandal of its own resurface when one of its pupils is struck down by the 'spins', a vertigo phenomenen that affects people in very close proximity with each other, like a boarding school.

Deputy Head Teacher, Fiona Fox was once a pupil at St Cordula's and she was there when the last attack of the 'spins' struck, resulting in tragedy. But no one knows she is a former pupil, and no one must find out.

Years earlier Becks, Jessica and Kylie are navigating the bullies of St Cordula's whilst trying to save it from closure due to its financial situation. There is a ghost supposedly haunting the abbey attached to the school. The spirit of Matilda who fell to her death on the 'night stairs'.

Possibly the first victim of the 'spins'. 

When the girls risk their lives by climbing the night stairs years later, they can't possibly understand the danger that they have put themselves in or what might follow.

Twisty, turny and expertly written combining years of tradition with modern tech and evolution, I loved this latest offering from Erin Kelly.

the Night Stairs is available 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 Project by Annie Lord

The Project by Annie Lord

Publisher: Harvill

Release date: 16 July 2026

Back cover blurb: Daisy and Maya bounce around the city like they own it, from all-night house parties to sticky-floored smoking areas, drinks in hand. But after a particularly regrettable one-night stand with her annoying friend James, Daisy starts to look around and wonder why, in a sea of intelligent, gorgeous women, all their prospects seem so hopeless. It’s time for The Project, a radical reinvention of dating, and who better to start with than James? James may be raw material, but he’s quite happy to go along with Daisy and Maya if it means a little more time alone with Daisy. But falling for James was never part of Daisy's Project - can she bring down her walls enough to let someone in? Because she might not find someone perfect, but she might find something real.

Daisy has loved Fin for as long as she can remember, but each time she thinks that they can make it work, he introduces her to his newest girlfriend.

James, who they have known since Uni, is the guy that gets all the girls. But he doesn't always treat them how he should.

Maya, Daisy's best friend and work colleague decides that they need 'a project' to find the perfect man.

James, ends up being part of the project. Unquestionaly fuckable, and charming. You could possibly take him home to meet your Mum. But then he might break your heart by fucking your best friend..

There a lot of imperfections to work on.

The end goal is, that James becomes perfect and able to take home (and keep) any girl he wants.

Not so ideal timing then for Daisy to realise that it's James and NOT Fin who is the one for her. 

He is the one that thinks she's funny, beautiful and smart. He gets her sense of humour, he thinks she's gorgeous, he just gets her.

But as always with James he has other girls interest in him, and Daisy has SO many insecurites with men.

With a little coaxing from Maya, Daisy trusts herself enough to let James know that she might just be interested, but it might be too late.

And then in the worst possible timing, Fin decides to try it on with Daisy as he's not 'gelling' with his current girlfriend.

Daisy of course will realise that she's no longer interested in Fin and tell him to get lost. Won't she?

I absolutely adored this funny, quirkly novel and I look forward to more from this author.

The Project is available 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 Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge by Rachel Hore

The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge by Rachel Hore

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Release date: 26 July 2026

Back cover blurb: Nancy Foster has harboured a devastating secret that shattered her professional and personal life. On meeting her, journalist Stef Lansdown realizes that she has the power to restore Nancy’s reputation and to heal the wounds, if only Nancy will trust her. But someone else wants to get to the bottom of the story first, someone who doesn’t want it to be told. Set in the beautiful environs of the Norfolk Broads in 2010, and in London in the '40s and ‘50s, when life for career-driven women was so different, The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is Sunday Times multi-million copy bestselling author Rachel Hore’s utterly compelling new novel, interweaving the past and the present.

Stef is feeling prickly after a break up and not sure that she wants to go home. But then a research opportunity presents itself and she can't not.

Stef is a journalist, working on a book about Women in Science and is intrigued by Dr Nancy Foster's potential story. 

For she was one of the leading scientific researchers of the 1950s and then seemingly disappeared from that world.

Dr Nancy Foster is adamant that she does not want to be in Stef's book until she meets Stef and gets to know a little about her. 

As their friendship strengthens, Nancy begins to open up to Stef, until she decides to tell her everything she wants to know.

Nancy's grandson Aaron is fiercely protective of his grandmother, and naturally suspicious of Stef and her motives. But he also warms to Stef as he gets to know her and understands why she wants to write the story that she does.

This is a beautifully written novel about female scientists and the struggles that they have faced in a traditionally male-dominated sector.

The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge is available now via Amazon online and all good bookshops.

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

Review - When You Looked Away by S.M. Govett

When I Looked Away by S.M. Govett
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Release date: 9 July 2026

Back cover blurb: Laura is ready to start a new chapter. Between her messy divorce with her ex-husband, and moving in with her new fiancé, her son Benjy and her successful writing career have been her only constants. Until that fateful day. The afternoon starts like any other. Laura collects Benjy from school, then heads upstairs to write. It’s not until the sun is setting that she realises the house is quiet. Too quiet. It’s not until she sees the footprints in the garden that she knows something is terribly wrong.  One set is undeniably Benjy’s. It’s the other set that strikes fear in her heart – those of an adult. Someone who took her son, right from under her nose… DI Stratton is called to investigate. She must trust no one - and suspect everyone. Even Laura. After all, doesn't her latest story follow a boy the same age as Benjy? One that takes a devastating turn...

Laura Forrester is a hugely sucessful author, often absorbed in her writing and detached from reality. Sometimes forgetting to check on her Son, Benji after school.

But then he is 11, and should be able to fend for himself to a certain extent.

Laura is well into her latest edit when she realises she hasn't prepared any dinner, and then comes the shocking realisation that her Son is missing. After a frantic search, Laura discovers that the worst possible outcome has happened, Benji is dead.

Seemingly taken from the house, led to nearby waters and drowned. The Police arrive quickly and work to understand the facts.

Ted, Benji's soon to be Step Father, Laura's fiancee is a teacher, and quickly becomes the prime suspect.

Formerly known as Simon Hunt, accused but never charged with the abuse of three young boys before moving away from the area he lived in previously. It transpired that one of the boys was later found dead in almost identical circumstances to Benji.

Laura can't believe it. Doesn't want to believe that Tim is capable of such horrific crimes.

But Ted has a ready made list of excuses, and more importantly he has an alibi. Which leads the detectives to their next prime suspect, Benji's actual Father, Laura's ex Richard. A stereotypical narcissistic arsehole.

But even he wouldn't have hurt his own son, surely?

Turns out, he also has an alibi as he's been sleeping with Laura's neighbour. Confirming the reason he lied about his whereabouts, but also justifying his reason for being near the crime scene.

Which leaves Laura herself. Could the Mother be the true killer? Has she confused fiction with reality and somehow killed her son in the name of her latest novel?

When You Looked Away is available 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 Last Time I Saw Her Alive by Kate Riordan

The Last Time I Saw Her Alive by Kate Riordan

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Release date: 30 July 2026

Back cover blurb: It’s been years since Rain went home. To many, growing up on the Tanglewood estate, nestled in a beautiful corner of the Cotswolds countryside, seemed like a dream. But for Rain, memories of her childhood there are forever tainted by what happened that summer. The wild party. The body… Now estranged from her mother, and all ties to Tanglewood, Rain thought she’d moved on. Yet when another dead body is found at Tanglewood, she knows she must face her past. Rain has long held suspicions that what happened that summer wasn’t an accident. It was murder. And now's her chance to prove it.

Tanglewood.

A name that conjures thoughts of Woodstock and Glastonbury - the usual 70's stuff. And also Karl Lund.

Famous for one epic vinyl album, Lily of the Valley.

Rain wanted to escape Tanglewood as soon as she was able. She has always had a poor relationship with her Mother, who was more interested in drugs and sex with Karl than looking after her own daughter.

Now Rain is working for Dan, who is making a documentary about the 70's music scene, and in particular events like 'the gathering' at Tanglewood. 

Infamous for never actually taking place.

Now, 30 years on, Karl is planning a gathering anniversay, and a performance of 'the' album in full.

Rain doesn't want to go back to Tanglewood, but Dan doesn't know she grew up there, it isn't something that she ever speaks of, but he knows that she is local to the area and can potentially get something interesting for the documentary.

And then a young woman, Willow, is found dead on the Tanglewood estate and despite never wanting to return, Rain finds that she is curious. 

Especially when it transpires that there was another death on the estate, some 30 years previously...

The Last Time I Saw Her Alive is available 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.