Book Reviews Jan 2026
Blog · Posted January 28, 2026
What we’ve been reading…
A psychological thriller at its best. You will go on quite a journey with Eden Fox and Birdy. One, newly moved to the rural coastal town of Hope Falls with her husband, the other a recluse who has recently received some devastating news. Fox returns home from a run one day to find that her key no longer fits in the front door of her house, for it then to be opened by a woman, who looks scarily similar, and is adamant that this is HER home!
Feeney has a way of writing that draws you in from the first page, leaving you feeling every bit of deception, heartache and drama along the way. This book will leave you guessing until the very last page. Set aside an evening or two as you won’t want to put it down until the mystery is uncovered…
Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven
Get ready to be transported back to 1964, where Dinah and Dell and their sons Guy and Shep are America’s favourite TV family. But can they hold onto their ratings as times start to change in America and are there cracks starting to show behind the shiny facade?
This story is one of friendship, family dynamics and feminism. The characters come to life and the relationships unfold beautifully as the book goes on. Can an unlikely friendship between Dinah (a traditional American housewife) and Juliet (a young journalist with a thirst for equality) change the lives of the Newmans? Atmospheric, heartwarming and moving. I couldn’t put it down!
A Family Matter by Claire Lynch
Reviewed by Vicky
When Maggie was four, her mother, Dawn, disappeared from her life and all she knew growing up was the love of her father. Dawn’s name is never spoken between them but one day Maggie finds out the truth of what really happened in 1982.
The alternating narrative between the time periods allows us to piece together what is a family tragedy. Yet somehow more impact is made through quiet heartbreak than could be achieved with any on-page histrionics.
‘But they were different times’ says one character – but for every reader today, it’s surely too close for comfort. A beautiful exploration of a little-known aspect of queer history. Lynch’s debut is a powerful achievement.
Belgrave Road by Manish Chauhan
This is the story of Mira and Tahliil, one has come from India for an arranged marriage and the other is a refugee from Somalia awaiting legal status from the government. They are worlds apart but their lives collide in Leicester. They share a love that is bigger than the barriers that separate them. But will it be enough?
Belgrave Road is full of an empathy that has to live with heartbreak and a hope that has to contend with truth. Chauhan’s depiction is tender but never loses sight of reality. His debut is not just a love story, it’s a mirror raised to the society we live in. Truly a tale for our modern times.
Goodlord by Ella Frears
I listened to Ella Frears narrate Goodlord on a Spiracle audio book and was left breathless.
This is at once a howl against the inequalities of modern life, a rage against the hold others have over us and a quietly intimate evisceration of past relationships and sexual encounters.
So enthralled was I, that I have now bought a copy of the book to follow the prose which, although written as an email, seems more like poetry.
Ella Frears has written a devastatingly alive work of fiction that seems unbearably real. Please read and listen, you will be blown away!
Wreck: A Novel by Catherine Newman
Wreck: A Novel is a warm hearted book that follows Rocky and her family through a year that is touched by the ripples of an accident on the periphery of their lives and the up close and personal worry of a difficult-to-diagnose medical condition.
This is a low key family drama rather than a fast paced train-wreck of a book: it pulls you along because Rocky is such a relatable character (speaking as a woman of similar age and stage!), her angst and concerns resonate and family life feels so real.
A drama without drama, this book is witty, poignant and sharply observed. The novel may be based around a wreck but Rocky, despite her foibles and worries, is not! I have read out of sequence so am looking forward to going back to Rocky in Sandwich…
This is a rollercoaster of a ride as Margo becomes first obsessed and then deranged as she attempts to secure the purchase of her dream home in Washington D.C..
If you couldn’t look away from unhinged protagonist Amy in Gone Girl, you’ll be hooked by Margo and the increasingly crazy and deadly lengths she goes to. Jack and Curtis’ interiors-magazine-worthy, fully-renovated 1940s colonial is soon to be on the market and Margo WANTS it, NEEDS it: “no house, no baby” is her mantra!
You will laugh, then gasp and finally be unable to stop turning the pages as devastation looms…
Seriously Silly by Robert Ross
Always my favourite Python, it was a joy to read this informative and loving account of the life of Terry Jones. Not only was he the true backbone of the comedy group, he was a respected medieval historian, generous foodie, proud Welshman, beer connoisseur, prolific author, innovative director (the list goes on!). But above all, Terry Jones was a great chum. This shines through the words of Robert Ross who was a close friend of his subject for over 20 years.
Seriously Silly will set you on a path of hilarious rediscovery but also brand new discovery. As for me, thanks to Ross I have now watched The Complete and Utter History of Britain (laugh-out-loud clever silliness) and am moving on to Do Not Adjust Your Set.
What a pleasure it would have been to share a pint (or four) with this wonderful polymath.
The Ferryman and His Wife by Frode Grytten
Nils Vik wakes up on the 18th November and knows it’s the last day of his life. What follows is an emotional yet peaceful recollection of his long years as he is visited by the memory of departed loved ones: many humans and one beloved dog. The end, though inevitable, is filled with such raw intensity as to make you weep.
An honest and heartbreaking reflection that becomes an ode to the beauty of a life well-lived.
The Zorg by Siddharth Kara
In 1781, The Zorg set sail from the West Coast of Africa to Jamaica. In its hold were 442 enslaved souls. This single voyage would change the course of history.
Mistakenly called The Zong for centuries, this, and many other erroneous ‘facts’, are set straight by Siddharth Kara. The result is a fast-paced yet horrific thriller with a cast of characters that surely bring new meaning to the word shame.
A must-read – if only to make yourself aware of just how depraved the human race can be.
The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji
The Valiat family are used to getting their own way. And so it is that a family holiday in LA goes wildly awry for ex-pat Persian Shirin when she’s arrested for allegedly soliciting a police officer. Perhaps life in the promised land of the US isn’t quite the dream she and her family had hoped for.
And what of those left in Tehran, living under the shadow of the revolutionary guard? Matriarch, Elizabeth, and her granddaughter, Niaz, find their own ways of living within the system, but the knock-on impact of Shirin’s arrest cracks open a vault of family secrets.
Topical, fascinating and, at times, very funny, this is a multi-generational story that gives readers insight into a lost world of pre-revolutionary Iran, and the powerful, resourceful women behind their veils.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
This is one of those brilliant books that covers so many bases – it’s a literary eco-thriller set on a (very) low-lying island off what feels like New Zealand – Station 11 meets Before I Go To Sleep.
A woman is washed up on the shores of a remote island, almost dead. Who is she and why has she come? Found by the lighthouse keeper Dominic Salt who, along with his two children, is the last remaining human inhabitant of the place, Rowan presents a mystery, but who is misleading whom?
The writing is satisfyingly rich and the pace never lets up, each character is brought to life with a few brush strokes and you are in. It’s perfect for these dark and stormy nights, wrap up and tuck in.