People In Love by Claire Daverley

                                                    

Hardback: 360 pages     

                                                                                           

Genre:  Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance,

Publisher: Michael Joseph 2026

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Nora is on the train home when Bren emails her, after months of nothing. It is the same day that Robin has asked her to marry him, and she is still dazed, and full of celebratory butter cake, and feelings she cannot quite name.

Review Quote: I ADORED this novel. A grown-up love story that delves into matters of the human heart with such nuance and insight. Claire's prose is so finely woven that every beautifully honed sentence immerses you fully into the emotional dilemmas of her characters. I stayed up until the early hours reading it. It deserves to be a huge hit’ -- HANNAH BECKERMAN

My Opinion: 

This is the second published novel by Claire Daverley but the first I have read. It caught my eye at the library and I am glad as it is an engrossing read.

'People In Love' is a love story that takes you right to the heart and minutiae of the lives of the characters. Nora's boyfriend Robin has just proposed to her and the first person she tells, by email is her friend Bren whom she has not seen for twelve years. He turns up unexpectedly at the Engagement Party which causes Nora to question her future as she discovers she still has feelings for him. Will she settle for a safe and secure future with Robin or adventure and freedom with Bren?

An emotional and delightfully told love story. Recommended if you enjoy a love triangle romance.

 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

A long-lost friend reappears and ignites an old spark, leading to an emotionally fraught love triangle.

One bright blue day, on a bench by the river, Nora’s partner Robin proposes.

It is unexpected; they’d always agreed that they didn’t need a wedding. But after a decade of in-jokes, dancing in the low-lit kitchen and sharing morning toast in bed, Nora says yes. Why wouldn’t she?

The answer lands on the night of their engagement party, when Bren turns up on her doorstep.

Growing up, Bren and Nora were the sort of best friends who everyone swore would end up together. But when a sudden heartbreak turned their lives upside down, Bren left, Nora stayed, and the silent longing between them remained unspoken.

Now, he’s back, and their tentative yet undeniable spark reignites, forcing Nora to ask herself: How can you know your heart, if it feels like it’s split in two?

Tender and compelling, People in Love is a story about what-ifs and maybes, and the moments of misunderstanding that can shape our lives. It’s a book about living one life while musing on another, exploring how our choices shape our relationships and inform our regrets, and revealing, in the end, that the real love story is not always the one you'd expect.

Author Profile:

                                                             

                                              

                                                             Courtesy of Goodreads

Claire Daverley was born in 1991 and has been writing stories ever since she was six years old. After graduating with a degree in Fine Art from The University of Oxford, she began a career in publishing, writing about books by day but penning her own by night, on trains and in the light of the early mornings. She has spent most of her life in Hertfordshire, but now lives in Scotland with her husband and spaniel. Her debut novel, Talking at Night, has sold in twenty-four languages to date.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Goodreads Profile.    Amazon Author Page

A Fatal Love by Louisa Treger

Hardback + EBook: 229 pages     

                                                                                           

Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, 

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2026

Source: The Author + NetGalley

First Sentence: Ruth got out of the car and walked towards the Magdala, the gun in her hand heavy and cold.

Review Quote: Vividly and grippingly portrayed ― The Times

My Opinion: 

Lousia Treger has once again succeeded in writing another exhilarating novel about a 'Trail Blazing Woman'

'A Fatal Love' is the story of Ruth Ellis, who was the last woman to be executed in Britain. It was the 1950's and Ruth was working as a hostess in the infamous drinking clubs of London. Ruth already had a history of abusive relationships in her past and it was sad to see her drawn into another one with David Blakely. An abusive relationship which culminates in her shooting him.

The author has certainly found her niche, producing fictional stories, based on facts about real and fascinating women with stories to be told. Let us hope she has many more to reveal to us, as they so far have all been gripping reads.  Louisa Treger has an eye for detail and with her sensitive writing the reader understands how Ruth was a tragic victim of an abusive relationship.  Highly recommended reading.

 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

It is Easter Sunday in 1955 and a young man lies face-down on the ground covered in blood. A woman, blonde and petite, stands over him with a gun in her hand. This is the story of Ruth Ellis as never told before...

As Ruth awaits her trial in Holloway Prison, she recollects growing up in England during the Second World War and the events that led to the death of her lover, David Blakely.

Meanwhile, Kitty Carrington - the assistant to Ruth's trial lawyer - tries to forge her own path through the male-dominated legal world of the 1950s and ensure that Ruth receives a fair trial.

Navigating secrets, betrayal and a broken justice system, Ruth and Kitty try to take control of their own lives and narratives. But do we ever really know the full story?

Previous Reviews: The Dragon Lady   Madwoman.   The Paris Muse

Author Profile:

Born in London, Louisa Treger began her career as a classical violinist. She studied at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music, and worked as a freelance orchestral player and teacher.

Louisa subsequently turned to literature, gaining a First Class degree and a PhD in English at University College London, where she focused on early twentieth century women’s writing.

Married with three children, she lives in London.



Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Author's Official Website   Goodreads Author Profile  Amazon Author Page

Twitter Profile.    Instagram Profile  Facebook Profile

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

                                                       

Paperback:   288 pages                                                                         

Genre:  Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, 

Publisher:  Penguin Paperback 2026

Source:  Tywyn Library

Literary Awards:  *WINNER OF THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2026*
Audie Award for Ensemble Performance and Nominee for Fiction (2026), Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Audiobook (2025), Women's Prize for Fiction (2026), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction and for Debut Novel (2025), The Rooster -- The Morning News Tournament of Books Nominee for Longlist (2026), The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Nominee for Longlist(2025), She Reads Best of Award Nominee for Book of the Year (2025), Libby Award Nominee for Best Audiobook and Best Debut (2026)

Setting: Maryland, USA.  

First Sentences: At last, on Monday around ten or half past, Sybil Van Antwerp carries the mug of Irish breakfast tea with milk to her desk.

Review Quote:  'Immensely enjoyable' Guardian

My Opinion:

I have been wanting to read ‘The Correspondent’ for sometime now. Mainly because since publication last year it has been nominated for so many literary awards and I wanted to find out why.

In this her debut novel, the author Virginia Evans has given us a memorable protagonist in Sybil Van Antwerp. Sybil uses letter writing as communication and the novel is written as a series of letters, sent and received, through which the reader gets to know how life has treated her.

A unique idea which was an emotional read. Letters are not an easy format for a novelist to use as a medium to tell a story through. Virginia Evans has done so successfully and compassionately.  Highly recommended.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Every morning, Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters – to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to attend a class she desperately wants to take, to her favourite authors to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Because at seventy-three, Sybil has used her correspondence – witty and wise – to make sense of the world. But beyond the page, she has spent the last thirty years keeping the people who love her at arms’ length... Until letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life.

Now, Sybil must send the letter she has been writing for all these years - and find forgiveness within herself in order to move on.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be ‘a very small thing’, but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

Author Profile:

                                                                                                              

                                                Photo and Bio Courtesy of Amazon

Virginia Evans is from the east coast of the United States and was born in 1986.  She attended James Madison University for her bachelor’s in English literature. After starting a family, she went back to school for her master’s of philosophy in creative writing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she had the good fortune to study under Carlo Gébler, Eoin McNamee, Claire Keegan, Harry Clifton and Kevin Power. She now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with her husband, Mark, two children, Jack and Mae, and her Red Labrador, Brigid.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile   Amazon Author Page.   Wikipedia Profile.    Author - Official Website

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

 

                                                      

Ebook:   656 pages                                                                       

Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, 

Publisher:  Fig Tree May 2026 

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence: Downtown Drugstore had a bell on the door that made a single tink sound when you opened it. 

Review Quote:  'It’s such a joy to immerse yourself in this world and with these characters ... a really special book that’s been well worth the wait' Good Housekeeping

My Opinion: 

It is many years since I read Kathryn Stockett's now classic novel 'The Help'. It was a 5* read and still an all-time favourite. So I was excited to have the opportunity to read and review her highly anticipated new novel, published just a few weeks ago, seventeen years later.

Set in Mississipi and Oxford USA  in 1933 during the Depression 'The Calamity Club' the main protagonist of the story is Birdie, whose family are depending on her for their financial survival. The other main character is Meg Lefleur still a child but one who has already learnt that you cannot rely on anyone. Their worlds collide when Birdie visits her sister in Oxford to ask for financial support from her wealthy husband. Things don't work out as anticipated and there is pressure on the economic circumstances the family faces from all directions. Despite the difficulties Birdie and the women she meets face they raise the money they need to survive by very unconventional means.

What refined storytelling 'The Calamity Club' is. At over 600 pages it is a wonderful, emotional and humorous saga that I did not want to end having become so immersed in the worlds of Birdie and Meg. Highly recommend to everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, Fig Tree and the author, Kathryn Stockett for the opportunity to read and review.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

In 1933 Oxford, Mississippi, Prohibition is on the wane, and the Great Depression is tightening its grip. Poor and rich folks alike have fallen on hard times, even as the old social order remains. For women on the margins, the options are few and the price of dignity and self-determination is unbearably high.

Eleven-year-old Meg, one of the unadoptable “big girls” at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed. Birdie, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford on a mission to ask her social-climbing sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. And Charlie is a woman with a past, running low on luck but driven by fire, fury, and grit. When their fates converge, they come up with an audacious plan to take back control of their lives. Together, they form an unlikely sisterhood—but in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife, women’s freedom is fragile, and making an enemy can have dire consequences, will the price they pay for their outrageous risk-taking be too high?

The Calamity Club will make you laugh, cry, and cheer—an epic testament to resilience, friendship, and the fierce, funny women who know that calamity can be the spark of new beginnings. This is Kathryn Stockett at her most confident, heartfelt, and hilarious—the triumphant return of one of the most beloved storytellers of our time.

Previous Review: The Help

Author Profile:

                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                             Courtesy of Goodreads

Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in English and creative writing, she moved to New York City, where she worked in magazine publishing for nine years. She currently lives in Mississippi and New York City.

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile.   Amazon Profile.   Kathryn Stockett - Official Author Website

Instagram Profile

Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller

                                                        

Ebook:  352 pages                                                                            

Genre: Literary Fiction, Horror Thriller, Mystery,

Publisher:  Penguin, May 7th 2026

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence:  All everyone wants to know about is the murder and what we did with the body:armchair detectives, tabloid journalists, the curious and the ghoulish, speculating on what happened.

Review Quote:  ‘An absolute masterpiece. Utterly absorbing, genuinely unsettling …like all the most terrifying horror films of the 70’s and 80’s and all the most scary ghost stories’ ― Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

My Opinion: 

Having previously found Claire Fuller's writing thought provoking I decided to read this novel. However I had no idea it was going to be so horrific, horror is certainly not a genre I'm drawn to. The author has said that this novel has the most of her in it, set in the town where she went to the art school where the protagonist of the story, Ursula works. She also has her living in the same squat but assures readers that this is where the similarities end.

Ursula's story is told across two timelines. The present day where she is now known as Uschi, a renowned sculptor who keeps her early years very much a secret. Until that is a documentary film maker starts researching into a mystery from the time she was known as Ursula, a young woman with a very troubled background. Unsettling as Ursula's memories appear to become fragmented in that she can no longer distinguish between reality and fiction.

Definitely unique! Although I am glad I had the opportunity to read 'Hunger and Thirst' I would never have done so had I known it was going to be quite so horrific and disturbing.  If you are a fan of horror stories, then this is one for you.

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

Previous Review:  Unsettled Ground

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

1987: After a childhood trauma and years in and out of the care system, sixteen-year-old Ursula finds herself with a new job in the postroom of a local art school, a bed in a halfway house, and—delightfully— some new friends, including wild-child, Sue. When Ursula is invited to join a squat at The Underwood, a mysterious house whose owners met a terrible end, she can’t resist the promise of a readymade, hodgepodge family. 

But as Sue’s behaviour and demands become more extreme, Ursula who has always been hungry—for food—and more importantly for love, acceptance and belonging, carries out her friend’s terrible dare. It's a decision that will haunt her for decades.

Thirty-six years later, Ursula is a renowned, reclusive sculptor living under a pseudonym in London when her identity is exposed by true-crime documentary-maker who is digging into an unsolved disappearance. But it is not only the filmmaker who has discovered Ursula’s whereabouts, and as her past catches up with her present, Ursula must work out whether the monsters are within her or without.

From critically acclaimed and award-winning author, Claire Fuller, Hunger and Thirst is a compelling and chilling tale of loneliness and female friendship, of the dangerous line between wanting and needing, and of how far a person will go to truly belong.

Author Profile:

                                                    
                                                     Courtesy of Goodreads

 Claire Fuller was born in Oxfordshire in 1967. She trained as a sculptor before working in marketing for many years. In 2013 she completed an MA in Creative Writing, and wrote her first novel, Our Endless Numbered Days. It was published in the UK by Penguin, in the US by Tin House, in Canada by House of Anansi and bought for translation in 15 other countries. 

She is the author of six novels: Hunger and Thirst, The Memory of Animals, Unsettled Ground, which won the Costa Novel Award 2021 and was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction; Our Endless Numbered Days, which won the 2015 Desmond Elliott prize; Swimming Lessons, shortlisted for the Encore Prize; and Bitter Orange longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Goodreads Author Profile   Claire Fuller - Official Website    Amazon Profile

Twitter Profile

The Names by Florence Knapp

                                                     

Hardback: 336 pages 

Genre: Literary Fiction, 

Publisher:  Phoenix 2025

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: Cora's mother always used to say children were whipped up by the wind, that even the quiet ones would come in after playtime made wild by it.

Setting: England and Ireland

Main Characters: Cora Atkin, Gordon Atkin, Maia Atkin, Bear Atkin, Julian Atkin

Review Quote: 'An unadulterated success: moving, evocative and utterly convincing' The Times

Favourite Quote: “She catches snippets of what they’re saying: how dogs don’t need to live as long as humans, they’re simply so good at finding the joy in life. As if we are put on this earth to extract a certain amount of happiness and can leave once the job is done.”

Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction and for Debut Novel (2025), Book of the Month Book of the Year AwardNominee (2025), She Reads Best of Award for Literary Fiction (2025), Libby Award Nominee for Best Debut (2026)

My Opinion:

I have been wanting to read this debut novel from Florence Knapp for sometime and my expectations were high. Were they met, most definitely.

Cora Atkin is about to register the birth of her son and the novel is about how her choice of names will impact on the future of her and her family. Related to the reader as three separate stories, following the life of her son, depending on which name she chooses.  Her daughter wanted him called Bear, Cora's preference was Julian, which she thought suited him, but her controlling husband was insisting on Gordon. Each name meant a vastly different life unfolds. Three names but the story of one family and how love is enduring despite everything.

A really successful debut novel with an ambitious premise that works. It is a compelling and moving read that I highly recommend. A warning though, if you are in any way sensitive to domestic violence scenarios you may find it disturbing.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she'd like to call the child, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora's and her young son's lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.

Author Profile:       

Courtesy of Goodreads

In her own words : I live just outside London with my husband, our dog, and sometimes one (or two) of our now-adult children. Some of my favourite things are: words, photo booths, old tiles, rain, long phone calls, clothing with pockets, book covers, dimples (I don’t have any of my own, but I covet the cheeks of those who do), houses lit up at night, the word eiderdown, notebooks, kaleidoscopes, homemade soup, Italy, taking photos, book chat, hummus, barre, house plants, a thick duvet with wool blankets piled on top, hand-stitching, making lists. 

I’m less keen on condiment bottles, driving on motorways, and socks where the heel slips down.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile.   Author's Official Website.   Instagram Profile 

Amazon Author Profile

The Homemade God by Rachel Joyce

                                                       

Hardback: 372 pages

Genre:  Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Italy

Publisher:  Doubleday 2025

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: That was the summer they wore flip-flops. Everywhere they went, they wore them.

Setting: Lake Orta, Italy

Favourite Quote:  “The fact is,” she said, “we’re all born. We’re all going to die. So the only interesting question is what we choose to do with the middle.”            

Review Quote: A masterly and deeply satisfying exploration of art, grief and familial bonds. -- Hannah Beckerman- Author

My Opinion: 

Having enjoyed the previous novels I have read by Rachel Joyce I was keen to read her latest offering 'The Homemade God'  

The protagonists are four siblings Netta, Susan, Gustav(Goose) and Iris. Now adults, they were brought up by their widowed artist father with whom they have a tempestuous relationship. Their world is torn apart when Vic meets and marries, in a very short space time, a much younger woman. This seems to them out of character and they are suspicious of her motives. To make matters even worse, Vic dies within weeks of the marriage leaving them reeling with doubts. Obviously they need to find out what happened to their father and the process completely screws up even more the family dynamics as secrets are revealed.  

An absorbing and emotional novel with complex characters. Highly recommend this novel to everyone as it is a superb read from a talented author.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Goose and his three sisters gather at their father's home by Lake Orta in Piedmont, Italy. Their father, a famous artist, has recently remarried a much younger woman and decamped to Italy to finish his masterpiece; now he is dead. There is no sign of his new wife and no sign of a painting.Always close, all that the siblings come to understand, about themselves, their father and their new stepmother, Bella-Mae, will drive them apart before they can come to any kind of understanding of what their father's legacy truly is.

Previous Reviews:  Miss Benson's Beetle.  Perfect.   Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North   The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Author Profile:         

                                                          Courtesy of Goodreads 

Rachel Joyce was born in London in 1962. She has written over 20 original afternoon plays for BBC Radio 4, and major adaptations for both the Classic Series, Woman's Hour and also a TV drama adaptation for BBC 2. In 2007 she won the Tinniswood Award for best radio play. She moved to writing after a twenty-year career in theatre and television, performing leading roles for the RSC, the Royal National Theatre, The Royal Court, and Cheek by Jowl, winning a Time Out Best Actress award and the Sony Silver.

For a full profile visit her Website

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Profile   Rachel Joyce - Official Website   Instagram Profile

Amazon Book Page