I loved Mahi Cheshire’s debut, The Deadly Cure, so I was excited to read The Lying Guest. I also love a destination book. There is nothing quite like being whisked away to a different world. Preferably one with a beach.
I could not put this book down. I was drawn in from the first page and was desperate to know what was going to happen. Mahi Cheshire has cornered the unique medical thriller market. Anika is a surgeon who makes a mistake at work. Her entire life unravels and she heads back to Sri Lanka, where she used to summer when she was younger, and when a tragic accident happened. The Lying Guest has so many layers and they are all tied together perfectly. I love everything about this immersive novel. It has everything you could want: secrets, drama, exotic locations, a medical setting, and love. I had no idea where the plot was going. I loved the ending. I raced through this five star read. A perfect, twisty, thriller.
Hardworking and overworked, Anika is a talented surgeon at a London hospital. It’s been some time since she’s had a decent night’s sleep, let alone a holiday. Not ideal for someone with parasomnia – a rare condition, made worse by stress, that can cause sleepwalking.
When a patient dies on her operating table, important people start asking questions and the media and her colleagues turn against her overnight.
It seems her only respite is to escape on a housesitting gig in Sri Lanka and to keep a low profile until the verdict on her case, and her career, is decided.
Despite everything, she’s excited to visit the place she used to summer as a child. But what should be a restorative beach break ends up being a trip back into a murky, haunted past that’s been waiting for her all along.
Anika left for what she thought was a dream holiday, only to find herself trapped inside another nightmare. Will she finally wake up to face her demons?
Red Flags is a joyful book with a great message. It is How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days for the Gen Z generation. I love Poppy. She is so confident and sure of herself, but her guard is up and she is too cynical. Then we have Cam, who is scared of being vulnerable. He is terrified of intimacy. It is so wonderful to see a young man portrayed in such a beautiful and nuanced way. I am not the target market for this book. I am not a teen, nor a young adult, but if I ever wanted to read a manual for having a good, healthy, relationship, then this is definitely it.
This witty and engaging book is a must read. Sophie Jo writes very wise books full of warmth and well-rounded characters. I adored it. A brilliant five star read.
Poppy is known for her high standards. Why bother with relationships when boys don’t ever seem to live up to her expectations? One red flag and she’s out.
Cam is known for quickly developing the ick. He’s never dated anyone for long – a week here, a month there, but he always spooks.
When Poppy’s friends challenge her to give someone a chance for two whole months, Poppy decides that Cam (her mysterious bus crush) could be the best of an underwhelming bunch. But Cam’s been set his own challenge: he’s banned from ending things in his next relationship … and that means he’s ready to do whatever he can to put Poppy off.
Two skeptics. Two months. And this time, neither of them can disappear the moment they spot something they don’t like…
Natali Simmonds is the author who became huge with Good Girls Die Last in 2023. It was a brilliant book. A blistering feminist thriller. This was followed by My Daughter’s Revenge and now, While My Baby Sleeps. I honestly think no one has a right to be this talented. Publishing a thriller of this calibre a year, with all of the other stuff she has going on, the TV rights for Good Girls Die Last also sold, is simply not on.
Jokes aside, I met Natali Simmonds in person at Laura Pearson’s book launch for The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up. She talked about this book and how hard she thought it was going to be to write it. Natali suffered with severe sleep deprivation for years. Her two daughters were born close together. You can feel it in this book. The real emotion. The experience. It has all of the mum-with-a-toddler haze all wrapped up in a thriller so perfect you will think of it every moment you are not reading it. I was desperate to know what was going to happen and read it into the night.
While My Baby Sleeps is a masterclass in thriller writing. An absolute perfect novel that I practically inhaled. I loved the story, I loved the characters (or hated them), and the ending was perfect and unpredictable. I am going to insist you read it. You will not be disappointed.
I have to stay awake… I need to keep him safe.
I haven’t slept properly since Riley was born. I love my baby so much – every noise he makes and every sleepy blink has me rushing to his side to make sure he’s safe.
Yet the lack of sleep is getting to me. There are terrifying blanks in my memory, and my temper is blindingly short. I can’t rely on my partner – I don’t even know where he is half the time. But at least I have Maggie next door. She tells me this is just what new motherhood is like, so I have no choice but to ignore the blackout rages and blurred vision, for Riley’s sake…
But after another night of no sleep, the last thing I expect is a police officer at my door. My neighbour has been found dead. The man I’ve been furious at for weeks for keeping me and the baby awake with his late-night parties.
Though really, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised… Because this morning, I woke up on my doorstep. And I have no memory of what happened – or where the blood on my hands came from.
As I hear Riley start to cry, I swallow against the rising panic in my throat. It can’t have been me. I’m no killer, I’m just a sleep-deprived, loving mother… aren’t I?
An absolutely unputdownable, addictive suspense thriller with a jaw-dropping twist. Perfect for fans of gripping page-turners like The Housemaid, The Family Across the Street and The Family Upstairs.
Every now and then there is a book that everyone wants a proof of. Melancholy is the downside of seeing the social media posts of the book you want to read RIGHT NOW. Anyway, not to be smug, but I got a copy of Kate Kemp’s The Grapevine ages ago and devoured it in two days. A sumptuous story set in 1970s Australia, it is one of the most talked-about debuts of 2025. Winner of the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction, The Grapevine is a grippy and luscious story of living in a claustrophobic community and how the roles of motherhood can lead to bad decisions.
I felt for the housewives of this suburban community, even while being infuriated and sad with their decisions.
Set in the height of the summer in Australia, 1979, you can feel the heat in this book. It starts off with a shocking murder. As the news of Antonio Marietti’s death spreads through the neighbourhood, the gossip starts and fingers are pointed. Twelve-year-old Tammy launches her own investigation, desperate to solve the mystery.
The Grapevine is a fantastic story with a gripping plot and characters that you don’t forget. I thought I knew what was going to happen, then the plot threw me for a loop. Expect big things from Kate Kemp. This is a stunning debut and an unforgettable novel. It captures small-town life perfectly. The historical settings add yet another layer to this atmospheric novel. Gorgeous.
Australia, 1979.
It’s the height of summer and on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac a housewife is scrubbing the yellow and white chequered tiles of her bathroom floor. But all is not as it seems. For one thing, it’s 3 a.m. For another, she is trying desperately to remove all traces of blood before they stain. Her husband seems remarkably calm, considering their neighbour has just been murdered.
As the sun rises on Warrah Place, news of Antonio Marietti’s death spreads like wildfire, gossip is exchanged in whispers and suspicion mounts. Twelve-year-old Tammy launches her own investigation, determined to find out what happened, but she is not the only one whose well-meaning efforts uncover more mysteries than they solve. There are secrets behind every closed door in the neighbourhood – and the identity of the murderer is only one of them . . .
Richly atmospheric and simmering with tension, The Grapevine is an acutely observed debut novel about prejudice and suspicion, the hidden lives of women, and how the ties that bind a community can also threaten to break it.
Five eight in heels. Five four in a bullet proof vest.
Fundamentallyis the book of 2025. It is in every magazine and newspaper with rave reviews, and its author, Dr. Nussaibah Younis, long-listed for the Women’s Prize, is the woman of the moment. Readers, do believe the hype. The Times called Fundamentally Bridget Jones with Isis brides. It says a lot about the talent of the author that she can take such a serious subject and make it so funny. This debut, yes, it is actually a debut, is funny as fuck. Written with a bravery and lack of filter that sorts out the great writers from the good ones. This no-holds-barred novel takes a serious subject, the rehabilitation of Isis brides and extremism and handles it perfectly. It is not tackled with kid gloves, and Younis reminds me of I.S. Berry, who wrote The Peacock and The Sparrow (pretty much my favourite book of 2024). Written in first person, Dr. Nadia Buart has been abandoned by her mother and is escaping a broken heart after her girlfriend, Rosie, leaves her. Going to Iraq to rehabilitate Isis brides is one hell of a rebound. Dr. Nussaibah Younis knows her stuff. She’s a peacebuilding practitioner and a globally recognised expert on Iraq. She advised the Iraq government for years on proposed programmes to deradicalise women affiliated with Isis. It is impossible not to fall in love with Nadia, despite her many faults. Younis writes with such humour that you will laugh even when you wonder how she was brave enough to write it. Fundamentally is an immersive novel. Completely unique and full of hilarious, well-rounded characters. It tackles a very serious subject with such skill and compassion. Some of the women in the camp ended up there because their husbands told them they were going on holiday. When they get there, they are trapped. It is hard to say who my favourite character is because I kind of love them all. Younis put a huge amount of work into the book. I went to her book launch, and she said how she did a stand-up comedy course to get the jokes right and be funnier. She even got her book club to read her manuscript and critique it. The result is a morally complex, sparklingly funny, jaw-dropping, and gripping novel. It will make you laugh out loud. Fundamentally, is essential reading from a bright new talent who is completely unafraid. Nussaibah Younis has big things ahead of her. We are all just along for the ride.
A wickedly funny and audacious debut novel following an academic who flees from heartbreak and lands in Iraq with an insane job offer—only to be forced to do the work of confronting herself.
When Dr. Nadia Amin, a long-suffering academic, publishes an article on the possibility of rehabilitating ISIS brides, the United Nations comes calling, offering an opportunity to lead a deradicalization program for the ISIS-affiliated women held in Iraqi refugee camps. Looking for a way out of London after a painful, unexpected breakup, Nadia leaps at the chance.
In Iraq, Nadia quickly realizes she’s in over her head. Her direct reports are hostile and unenthused about taking orders from an obvious UN novice, and the murmurs of deradicalization being inherently unethical and possibly illegal threaten to end Nadia’s UN career before it even begins.
Frustrated by her situation and the unrelenting heat, Nadia decides to visit the camp with her sullen team, composed of Goody Two-shoes Sherri who never passes up an opportunity to remind Nadia of her objections; and Pierre, a snippy Frenchman who has no qualms about perpetually scrolling through Grindr.
At the camp, after a clumsy introductory session with the ISIS women, Nadia meets Sara, one of the younger refugees, whose accent immediately gives her away as a fellow East Londoner. From their first interaction, Nadia feels inexplicably drawn to the rude girl in the diamanté headscarf. She leaves the camp determined to get Sara home.
But the system Nadia finds herself trapped in is a quagmire of inaction and corruption. One accomplishment barely makes a dent in Nadia’s ultimate goal of freeing Sara . . . and the other women, too, of course. And so, Nadia makes an impossible decision leading to ramifications she could have never imagined.
A triumph of dark humor, Fundamentally asks bold questions: Who can tell someone what to believe? And how do you save someone who doesn’t want to be saved?
Reading The Rebel Skies Trilogy was an absolute joy. Ann Se Lin took me back to my childhood reading fantasy and obsessively reading Stephen King novels. Ann is such a brilliant writer she reminds me of King. The comparison might seem weird, considering Lin writes YA and King is very adult. Yet the standard of Ann Sei Lin’s writing is so high that she has a long and illustrious career ahead of her. She is one of the best writers writing today.
Her imagination at building a world full of paper spirits, flying ships and cities in the sky immerses you completely. The characters become your friends, or people you want your new friends to defeat. With lyrical prose and vivid imagination, Ann Sei Lin has triumphed. The Rebel Skies trilogy will stay with me.
Rebel Dawn is an action packed and vivid fantasy adventure. It took me a while after I finished it to write this review. The ending resonates so deeply. It is beautiful, with a longing that stays with you. The third and final book in the trilogy, Kuara is dealing with a lot. Guilt, PTSD (I would guess!) and the weight of her burden. The world is falling apart. Can she fix it? I cannot wait for what Ann Sei Lin does next. She is one of the best YA writers and is more talented than one human being should be allowed.
I cannot recommend the Rebel Skies trilogy enough. They are absolute perfection.
The third and final book in a pacy, lyrical and vivid fantasy adventure set in a world of flying ships, sky cities and powerful paper spirits.
Kurara and her friends have found the key to releasing shikigami from their bonds and granting them eternal freedom – if they can unlock its power. The answer lies in Kurara’s homeplace, deep in the mountains of Mikoshima. But can the crew reach it before the imperial forces catch up with them, or their own internal battles break them apart for ever?
Excellent world-building, a dramatic and pacy plot, and an array of deep and believable characters – explored through multiple perspectives – make for a thrilling final instalment in this masterful fantasy adventure.
My first fiction book, Ember, came out in 2022. As a baby author my overwhelm was helped by being part of a debut group. I was so grateful to become a published author that I was naive. It was a big rollercoaster of emotions as I tried to make my way. Before And After The Book Deal by Courtney Maum was a lifesaver. Full of great advice. It’s like having someone to hold your hand through a tough journey.
I am two weeks out from publication day on my second book. This is not a drill. Where The Light is Hottest will be out on February 27th. I am excited and stressed all at the same time. I wrote a piece about the book for The Sunday Times. I am also doing a good number of events and podcast interviews in the future.
I don’t think people realise how much work goes into being a writer. There are endless trips to the post office (over £17 to post four books. Yikes), interviews and an endless amount of emails. Months and years can go into the publication of a book. I signed the contract in July 2023. I wrote the first draft of the book nine years ago. I entered it into The Good Housekeeping writing competition. I was upset when it didn’t win but it wasn’t ready then. Nowhere near it. I finally got the book where I wanted it to be by reading other books with the same energy.
Where The Light is Hottest is based on my experiences in the film industry. It has lots of gossip and backstabbing. It has female friendship and is a feminist tale of survival and what it takes to achieve your dreams.. The main character, Natasha Jones, is Scottish and some of the book is set in Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is also set in London, New York, LA and Gstaad. It is dual timeline, told from the past as Natasha makes it, alongside her friends Scarlet and Claudia from drama school, and in the present as people try to bring her down. She is a famous, Oscar-winning, actress and dark forces are at work. Spreading rumours and sharing stories about her to Popbitch. If any of this sounds like your thing you can preorder here: https://tinyurl.com/Where-The-Light-is-Hottest
I will be writing a lot about author life. So keep an eye out for more.
Frost editor, Catherine Balavage Yardley, has written a powerful piece for The Sunday Times on her experiences in the film industry. Where The Light is Hottest is based on the real experiences of Catherine and people that she knew. While the book is fiction, it gets to the heart of an industry which is both beautiful and tough. Historically, it hasn’t treated women well. Let’s hope things change.
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The first review for Where The Light is Hottest is below. You can preorder it here. It’s out on February 27th.
Why am I so terrified?
‘Where the Light is Hottest’ is an uplifting but unflinching look at what it feels like for a woman to succeed as an actor. Protagonist Natasha is a wonderful creation: tough, passionate and loving in turn, fighting against a male-dominated hierarchy while surrounded by friends and family who are in turn supportive, dismissive and, all too often, downright poisonous in their readiness to betray Natasha and her dreams. I particularly liked her voice: ‘Being liked is overrated. You can’t take shit from people all the time so they’ll think you are likeable.’
As in Yardley’s earlier and equally readable book, ‘Ember’, torrid family relationships play an important role in ‘Where the Light is Hottest’. But I particularly enjoyed the focus on friendship, the struggle for success in a cut-throat, back-stabbing industry, and the fight for female empowerment. As one character says, ‘Do not doubt yourself, Natasha. They doubt us all the time. Be brave and put yourself out there knowing you are just as good as anyone else.’
I also learned a few terrific new words, including a ‘fashiongasm’ and a ‘floordrobe’.
‘Where the Light is Hottest’ is a great, entertaining and ultimately joyful read. I thoroughly enjoyed its depiction of a woman’s fight for success in an environment where she never quite can relax. As Natasha says in an insightful moment: ‘My life has completely changed. It is everything I ever wanted. So why am I so terrified?’
