Six Little Words by Sally Page

 

                                            

Ebook:   432 pages      

Genre:  Contemporary Literary Fiction, Fiction,                                         

Publisher: Harper Collins 12 March 2026

Source: NetGalley

First Sentences: To be or not to be... That is all that is written on the orange card. Six little words. Nothing more.

Review Quote: 'I LOVE Sally Page's story-telling and her characters, who, quite frankly, could simply sit about a room for an entire novel and I'd still be entranced' Freya North

My Opinion: 

Having been recommended to Sally Page's novels a couple of years ago, she is now a firm favourite of mine. 'Six Little Words' is the fourth I have read and it is just as captivating as her previous ones.

A group of very diverse men and women get together as a group to try and discover creativity within themselves. They all have inner struggles ranging from battling cancer to difficult childhoods. The group gives them the confidence to form new friendships and regain their self esteem. Using quotes from Shakespeare to introduce each chapter, cleverly leads the characters into the creative ideas they come up with.

Both funny and sad the story is to be recommended to readers that enjoy character driven fiction that deals with contemporary problems.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review.

 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Can one small note give her the courage to find a new path?One Note. One Act of kindness. Her new beginning is closer than she thinks.

Kate gave up her dreams of being a painter years ago. But six little words pinned to the noticeboard of her local café could change her path forever.

‘To be, or not to be…’ – printed on orange card with no explanation – appears one morning.

Each day, a new line from a different Shakespeare play is added, sparking curiosity throughout the café. Among the regulars is Bardy, a retired English teacher grappling with writer’s block.

As Kate and Bardy follow this breadcrumb trail, they discover a local community group encouraging people to rediscover their own creative spark – and the long-lost courage to chase it.

For Kate, their new group might just offer a second chance at happiness, if only Bardy can find the strength to share his story too…

Previous Review:  The Keeper of Stories.  The Book of Beginnings  The Secrets of Flowers

Author Profile: 

Courtesy of Author Website

After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.co.uk.

In her debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, Sally combines her love of history and writing with her abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is a doctor and her younger daughter is the author, Libby Page. Both are keen wild swimmers.

Photograph, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

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The Opposite of Murder by Sophie Hannah

                                                           

Hardback:  357 pages

Genre:  Contemporary Murder Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton 2026

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: This is my story and no one else's. In it I am a killer.

Review Quote: An ingenious puzzle of a novel that crackles with energy and menace -- Nicci French-Author 

My Opinion: 

Although I prefer Sophie Hannah's psychological thrillers, I have read some, but by no means all of her Spilling CID series of which 'The Opposite of Murder' is. Detectives Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer are on the case again, this time investigating a murder that was confessed to before the event!  As with the previous novels in the series, this can be read as a stand alone story.

The story is set around the complicated family relationship that the female protagonist Jemma Stelling has had with her step-mother. This leads her to walk into a local Police Station and confess to a murder that she has planned but not yet committed. Most of the officers she spoke to did not take her seriously though. At the same time as Jemma is confessing a murder takes place that she would be the prime suspect for had she not already got the perfect alibi. Will Simon Waterhouse, Charlie Zailer and colleagues be able to solve this case, the twists and turns keep them and the reader guessing. The result was certainly not one I had expected.

Although I found this novel intriguing, I still prefer Sophie Hannah's psychological thrillers which I find more entertaining. If you are a crime fiction fan you will probably enjoy this one.

 

Previous Reviews:   Haven't They Grown  Little Face  Hurting Distance  Point of Rescue  

The Other Half Lives.  The Couple at the Table

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

What if the only way you could prevent a murder was by confessing to it?
5.05pm. A terrified Jemma Stelling walks into a police station and says she is about to commit a murder.
She knows that the person she hates most in the world, Marianne Cass, might soon be killed. She knows this because she is the one in danger of killing Marianne, and the urge to do so is growing stronger.
The only way to stop the struggle in her mind is to inform the authorities that Marianne is at risk - from Jemma herself. Desperate to be free of her frightening obsession, she seeks out police officer Simon Waterford and makes what she thinks of as a 'preventative confession'. 
5.05pm. Marianne Cass is murdered in her home.
But while Jemma is talking to the police, Marianne is brutally murdered. The time of death window means Jemma is unequivocally eliminated as a suspect.
The problem for Simon is that he's now positive that Jemma Stelling is a ruthless, cold-blooded killer, and possibly the most ingenious one he's ever encountered...

Author Profile:         

Sophie Hannah is a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling writer of crime fiction, published in forty-nine languages and fifty-one territories. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide. In 2014, with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s family and estate, Sophie published a new Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders, which was a bestseller in more than fifteen countries. She has since published two more Poirot novels, Closed Casket and The Mystery of Three Quarters, both of which were instant Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers.

In 2013, Sophie’s novel The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards.  She has also published two short story collections and five collections of poetry – the fifth of which, Pessimism for Beginners, was shortlisted for the T S Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A Level and degree level across the UK. Most recently, she has published a self-help book called How to Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment – The Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life.

Sophie has recently helped to create a Master’s Degree in Crime and Thriller Writing at the University of Cambridge, for which she is the main teacher and Course Director. She is also the founder of the DREAM AUTHOR coaching programme for writers. She lives with her husband, children and dog in Cambridge, where she is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Sophie Hannah - Official Website  Twitter - Sophie Hannah  Facebook Profile 

Goodreads - Author Profile   Amazon Author Page.   Instagram Profile

The Lister Sisters: Anne and Marian by Rebecca Batley

                                                 

Ebook:  240 pages      

Genre:   Non-Fiction, Biography,  Social History,                              

Publisher: 9th February 2026 - Pen and Sword

Source:  NetGalley

Setting:   Halifax, England

My Opinion: 

Although I am interested in Biographies I rarely actually ready any, though I do find them relaxing to listen to as audiobooks. Anyway I was attracted to 'The Lister Sisters' when I was given the opportunity to read and review, predominately due to my enjoyment of the portrayals of these interesting women in the recent television production 'Gentleman Jack'.

In fact for me this made the book, which is drawn mainly from Anne Lister's diaries easier to follow, as parts tend to feel rather like a list of events, times and places.

It is certainly a well written and researched biography. Recommended to those readers in general interested in social history and those with a particular interest in the sisters themselves.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publishers Pen and Sword for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of NetGalley:

When Anne Lister, ‘Gentleman Jack,’ and her infamous diaries hit the headlines a few years ago, their popularity spawned a plethora of Gentleman Jack blogs, research and books which have focused primarily on Anne Lister’s romantic relationships with (a huge) number of women, but whilst they are an integral part of the Lister story, there is another woman lurking in the pages of her diaries: The original Lister Sister, Marian.

Marian Lister was Anne’s younger sister and the two women had a complex and fascinating relationship. The evidence reveals Marian to be a complicated woman who both resented, loved and was fiercely protective of her older sister. Forced to live together for a large part of their lives Anne vehemently disapproved of Marian’s desire to escape in order to marry a “carpet maker” feeling him to be unworthy of the sister she herself derided. Marian, for her part, did not understand her elder sister's relationships with women, but she accepted them, defended her and worried about her excessively even whilst she ranted about Anne’s spending, scheming and selfishness.

When together, the two women bickered constantly with Marian, literally at times screaming in frustration at her headstrong sister. Anne, for her part, complained that Marian was “simple … good for nothing,” yet her approval meant a good deal to her.

Here, for the first time, we look at the complex relationship between the two women, how it developed, its moments of triumph and tragedy, as well as the profound influence it had on each of their lives.

Author Profile:                                                                                                

                                                  

                                                      Courtesy of Amazon

Rebecca Batley is an archaeologist and historian with a particular interest in women's history. Her work can be found in numerous publications, including New Scientist, Aeon, Nautilus, Gay and Lesbian Review, American Naval History, Medieval History, Medieval Warfare, Ancient History, NILE, The Pilgrim, Mental Floss, Reverb, American History, and History Scotland. She regularly gives talks on her research and has worked for, amongst others, MOLA and Wessex Archaeology.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

NetGalley   Amazon Profile.   Goodreads Profile

Three Summers by Karen Swan

                                                            

Ebook:   454 pages      

Genre:    Historical Romantic Fiction, Thriller                                     

Publisher: Feb 2026 - Random House UK

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentences: The bolt of satin rolled out along the length of the cutting table, ripples catching the light like the sparkling sea that lay beyond the window.

Review Quote:  'The beloved master storyteller Karen Swan takes readers to sun soaked Puglia in Three Summers. Evocative, romantic and atmospheric' - Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The View from Lake Como

Setting:   Puglia, Italy

My Opinion: 

Having last read a novel by Karen Swan back in 2020 during lockdown that was a beguiling love story I was expecting more of the same from ‘Three Summers’.

Set in Puglia, Italy over three summers in the late fifties and early sixties the story follows a love triangle between Rafaella Parisi, Fon Gianelli and Cosimo Franchetti who have been friends since childhood.

As an Italophile this was not really the romantic escapism I was looking for when I decided to read ‘Three Summers’.  The elements are there with wonderful descriptions  of a beautiful region and idyllic summers but the story takes a dramatic turn. Overpowered by the organised crime element and the terrible things that happen rather spoiling the novel for me.  It is well written, but don’t pick it up unless you are prepared for a somewhat disturbing and dark story.  

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House UK for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Tricase Porto, Puglia, Italy

1957: The summer of innocence

Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Gianelli, but there is one person she longs to Cosimo - son of the wealthy Franchetti family.

1958: The summer everything changed

After a devastating accident at the lavish Franchetti villa, Rafa makes a vow that changes the course of all their futures…

1961: The summer they met again…

And when Rafa and Cosi’s lives collide, Rafa must decide if she’s willing to risk the life she has built for the future she might have had…

Previous Review:
         The Rome Affair

Author Profile:                                                                                                

                                                

                                                 Courtesy of Goodreads.

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times Top Three and international best-selling author. She has sold over five million books and is published in more than twenty five languages worldwide. She writes two books each year and her stories are known for their evocative locations, with Karen travelling widely for research. Her books feature complex love stories rooted to a central mystery and span both contemporary and historical timespans. 

Her latest book Three Summers is set in Italy's heel, Puglia, in the late '50s, early '60s, and follows the taut love triangle between three childhood friends. Sharing their summers in a tiny fishing port they are caught between class and expectation - until a freak tragedy shatters their lives and resets their futures. Told over the course of three summers, they become bound together in an increasingly-fraught struggle of passion, possession and power. 

She lives in Sussex with her husband, three children and three dogs.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile   Amazon Author Profile.   Facebook Profile

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