The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

 

Elderly Sybil Van Antwerp spends her days tending her garden, reading books, and writing letters. Given a glimpse into the letters she writes, we learn of the diverse relationships she has with family, friends, and acquaintances.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans has been on my radar since it was first published. Having recently purchased a copy of the paperback, I moved it to the top of my TBR. I do enjoy novels written in epistolary format, short passages keep me turning the pages, and the voyeuristic aspect is difficult to avoid. 

I liked the main character, Sybil. She's a highly educated woman, having been a successful lawyer. Divorce and a difficult relationship with her children have led to her living alone. Sybil is a stubborn woman and is adamant that, despite being alone, she's not lonely; she has lots to fill her time, particularly her insistence on keeping the art of letter writing alive. I loved the way in which Sybil would write to authors if she wanted to share her opinions of their books, and some authors wrote back! 

Through the content of various letters, we learn of aspects of Sybil's life which give us a greater understanding of her character. Both grief and guilt have impacted the choices Sybil has made, and continues to make (I did say she was stubborn). With her eyesight failing, Sybil finally begins to address the issues that have troubled her in recent years. Building bridges, accepting the hand of friendship, and travelling are not easy when you are in your seventies, and even harder when you are never sure if your vision will suddenly disappear, so it was lovely to see Sybil lowering her defences and finding joy in whatever life still had to offer.

Author Details

Virginia Evans is from the east coast of the United States. 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.

The Pumpkin Pie Book Nook by Harper Graham (Audiobook)

 

Robyn is taking a sabbatical from her job as a professor at Yale. During her time off, she is looking after The Pumpkin Pie Book Nook in Maple Falls for a friend. Challenges await Robyn: finding the parts of an old manuscript, preventing someone from buying the shop to turn it into a grocery store, and, toughest of all, not falling for her colleague, Tyler.

I do enjoy visiting Maple Falls on a regular basis. If you haven't read any of the series, I would heartily recommend starting at the very beginning. In The Pumpkin Pie Book Nook, book 5 in the series, author Harper Graham takes us back to Maple Falls during autumn. This is the season that shows the small town and its tight-knit community at its best. Using the same narrator, Andie Eloise, for the whole series certainly helps you feel as if you are part of the story.

Both Robyn and Tyler are likeable characters, and the chemistry between them is instant. It is easy to understand the reluctance they both display. Not only is Robyn recovering from a broken heart, but she is only staying in Maple Falls for a few weeks. Tyler has his daughter to think about; he doesn't want Emma to become attached to someone who isn't going to be around for long.

The pair find it impossible to resist the attraction they feel, and there are some hot and steamy scenes (if you listen to this as an audiobook, I would definitely recommend earphones). Both Robyn and Tyler are grappling with the growing feelings they have for the other person, and time isn't helping. Added to all of this is the fact that the book shop is looking for a new owner, and the only person interested intends to turn it into a grocery store. 

With the help of the wonderful community of Maple Falls, things turn out exactly as you would expect, and we are given a hint as to what will follow in book 6, The Sugar And Spice Kitchen, which is due out in October.

The Pumpkin Pie Book Nook by Harper Graham is available in paperback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a review copy.

Author Details

Harper Graham lives with her mischievous spaniel in a cozy small town in Connecticut. Her quirky neighbours may or may not have inspired the residents of her Maple Falls series. When she’s not hiking with her daughter, baking her grandmother’s recipes or reading in her favourite coffee shop, Harper can be found writing the sweet and spicy romance stories of her own dreams.

Serenity Falls by C. J. Tudor

 

Dan Barker and his daughter Sadie, inherit a house in the model town of Serenity Falls. The chance to start a new life seems perfect, until they move into their new home and strange things begin to happen. Is Serenity Falls as perfect as everyone makes out?

I'm not a fan of horror in general, so I tend to shy away from the genre in my TV, film, and reading selections. However, I know that C. J. Tudor will serve up just the right level of terror to keep me feeling unsettled, but unable to stop reading, without giving me nightmares. The author's latest book, Serenity Falls, does just that. Even the cover is enough to make you feel perturbed, the juxtaposition of the beautiful sunset with the tag line "Once you're here, you're here to stay..."

The mystery begins early in the story when Dan inherits a house in Florida worth millions of pounds. He's puzzled that his mother had never mentioned an expensive property she had owned for decades. A fresh start is just what Dan needs; his daughter isn't so keen.

Both Dan and Sadie are extremely likeable characters; their relationship is strong, having been forged in the decade since their wife and mother, Nat, disappeared. Dan is a flawed individual; he's very protective of his daughter, which is understandable since he's a lone parent. He's also well aware that trying to wrap Sadie in cotton wool is likely to backfire. The mystery surrounding Nat's disappearance is one that recurs throughout the book, keeping you undecided about Dan's true nature. Sadie is independent and intelligent, slightly rebellious, but always considerate of other people. It's her inquisitive nature that drives the story forward.

As for Serenity Falls itself, on the surface, it looks and sounds perfect, a community where crime doesn't happen. Hearing from various residents of the town throughout the narrative makes you realise that not everything is picture perfect, with bizarre accidents making you hesitate. As Dan and Sadie search for answers about one of the accidents that happened at their new home, you realise that something sinister lurks just below the surface.

There are a variety of reasons why people don't leave Serenity Falls. When the shocking truth is finally revealed, you feel sympathetic towards some of the characters trapped by circumstance and horror at the vision imagined by the creator of the idyllic community.

Serenity Falls by C. J. Tudor will be published on the 10th September 2026 in hardback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for a review copy.

 

Author Details

C. J. Tudor’s love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert. Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, dog walker, voiceover, television presenter and copywriter.

She is now the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Chalk Man, The Taking of Annie Thorne, The Other People, The Burning Girls, The Drift and The Gathering. All of her books are in development or optioned for TV. The Burning Girls is available on Netflix.

She is also the author of a short story collection, A Sliver of Darkness.

To All The Men I've Killed Before by Katy Brent (Audiobook)

 

Kitty Collins is on a mission. She's determined to seek revenge on the man who brutally attacked her best friend. Kitty heads to Los Angeles on the trail of Aiden Ward, but she's not alone this time. Alongside Kitty is her newly found half-sister, Antoinette, a serial killer in training.

To All The Men I've Killed Before by Katy Brent follows on directly from I Bet You'd Look Good In A Coffin (you can read my review here). This is the third book in the Kitty Collins series, and is definitely my favourite. While you can read them as standalone stories, I would recommend reading them in order to see the character development. I found the audiobook engrossing. I was totally consumed by the story, thanks to the wonderful narration of Victoria Morrison and Imogen Front. I found myself losing huge chunks of time as I listened to "just one more chapter".

After the events of the previous book and the end of her relationship, mellow Kitty is no more; we're back to the empowered woman determined to rid the world of predators. First and foremost, however, is her determination to avenge her friend. The perpetrator has fled to LA. and Kitty doesn't hesitate in following him. The addition of her half-sister to the storyline certainly adds to the narrative. Kitty has honed her skills over the years, but being in an unfamiliar location brings problems of its own without the added complication of Antoinette discovering how much she enjoys killing. The humour is dark and firmly tongue in cheek, but there is a strong ethical message focused around the #MeToo movement.

I did like the range of characters introduced, particularly the private investigator Travis. The array of different characters keeps you guessing as to the identity of the villain, and there are plenty of twists to add to the uncertainty. As the story sped towards the conclusion, not only was I still unsure, I was also worried for the fate of Kitty and Antoinette. The twist involving Kitty herself certainly puts a new spin on things, opening a whole host of new problems for any future books.

To All The Men I've Killed Before by Katy Brent will be published on 27th August 2026 in paperback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Katy Brent is the author of three novels. Previously an award-winning journalist, she always dreamed of writing a book and lockdown finally gave her the excuse to do it.

The Day Our Lives Collided by Laura Pearson

 

Hayden, Tash, and Adam literally bump into each other during their first week at university. Over the next seventeen years, we follow the complexities of their friendship through the weddings they attend.

You can never be too sure what you are going to get when you pick up a novel by Laura Pearson. It could be something with a quirk in the tale, such as the narrative being seen through the eyes of children before they are conceived, or being able to see the different routes your future could take. Other times, the author delivers a 'standard' tale, for example, twins raised separately and suddenly finding each other, or a woman surviving domestic abuse. What you can always be sure of is a story that digs deep into emotional territory and characters that become such a part of you that you don't want the book to end.

The Day Our Lives Collided is a straightforward story about three people who meet at university and form a close friendship. I loved the way in which we followed the lives of Hayden, Tash, and Adam, along with their social circle, through the years by focusing on weddings. Weddings are emotional events in their own right, but using them as a vehicle to examine the way in which relationships, both romantic and friendship, developed and changed over the years really helped to focus on how people were feeling.

Every emotion is covered, but the main focus of the story is how a strong friendship can be damaged when jealousy rears its head. It is impossible to pick a side, as you sympathise with all the characters involved. I simply wanted a happy ending for everyone involved, without the book actually ending. I would have happily read on for another 200 pages, following how the lives of such engaging characters developed.

The Day Our Lives Collided by Laura Pearson will be published on 6th September 2026 in paperback and ebook format. My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a review copy.

Author Details

Laura Pearson is the author of eleven novels. The Last List of Mabel Beaumont was a Kindle number one bestseller in the UK and a top ten bestseller in the US. Laura lives in Leicestershire, England, with her husband, their two children, and a cat who likes to lie on her keyboard while she tries to write. Her latest book, The Last Marriage of Dot Brightmore, came out in May.

Wrecked by Katie Mitchelson

 

Desperate to escape terrible home lives, teenagers Jake and Minnie agree to be participants in the trial of a new technology that is designed to help young people deal with trauma. Their lives begin to spiral out of control when another member of the trial goes missing.

I picked up Wrecked by Katie Mitchelson as she is a local author. I don't read much YA fiction, but I do enjoy novels that are slightly dystopian; just different enough to make things unsettling, but not too different that they are implausible. Wrecked certainly fit the bill. Young people are offered the chance to have a microchip implanted in their brain which will record their thoughts. These thoughts can then be shared with a therapist to help the young person deal with the trauma they have suffered. The young person is assured that they are completely in control of what they share.

Both Jake and Minnie have chaotic backgrounds. Jake's stepfather is abusive, and his mother is too frightened to stand up to him. All Jake wants to do is find somewhere he can live with his mother and young sister, well away from the abuse. After her mother died, Minnie ended up in the care system, separated from her siblings. Her recent foster placement has fallen through as the foster carer was apathetic towards Minnie; the only thing she was interested in was the financial reward.

Spectrotext, the company behind the implant, runs The Hive, an accommodation unit for the young people taking part in the trial. From this base, both young people become involved in the world of drugs thanks to a local drug dealer. It was frightening how quickly and easily both Jake and Minnie were drawn into this world. The chance of easy money, the promise of much more to come, and peer pressure all work their magic on two susceptible individuals. Danger is never far away, and the pair are drawn deeper into this nefarious world when a friend goes missing. I was shocked at how casually life is treated.

As Jake and Minnie search for their friend, they have to consider how much of their thoughts are being recorded. I would have liked to see the technology side of the story play a bigger part than it actually did. By the end, however, you are considering who is more morally bankrupt: the drug dealers who are open and honest about the products they supply, or the technology companies secretly monitoring your every thought and action?

Author Details

Katie Mitchelson has worked as a youth worker in the North-east. Her work with young people inspired a lot of her writing during her creative writing PhD, compelling her to write about teenagers who do not realise that they are victims, who do not realise that they are being groomed for criminality, and the wider problems of country lines.

Making sense of existence is the undercurrent of Katie's writing, as she seeks to unravel the complexities of inequality and raise awareness of important issues in the hope of inspiring important social reforms. Child criminal exploitation is just one of the sociological injustices Katie hopes to explore.

Love Unlocked by Cecelia Ahern

 

Podcaster Melody is intrigued when she hears about relationships breaking up on the day that a couple's 'love lock' was cut off a bridge in Dublin. Determined to find out more, she decides to track down the man responsible for the removal of the locks, Al.

I'm really not sure what I was expecting when I started reading Love Unlocked by Cecelia Ahern. I know I certainly didn't expect to become fully invested in the lives and relationships of two wonderful characters. It was refreshing to see that the main characters were both in their late thirties, a time when most people would hope to have their lives sorted out.

Melody is very much a free spirit; she doesn't like the thought of long-term commitment and runs at the idea of spending her life with one person. Unfortunately, she's also terrified of being alone at night (one of her many foibles), so this can be an issue. It's Melody's honesty and vulnerability that make her so likeable. I certainly understood her choices to buck societal norms around marriage.

Al is the complete opposite; he's a true romantic, he loves grand gestures. So when his fiancée breaks his heart, you can't help but sympathise with him. There were times when I found his actions hilarious, and other times that left me feeling really uncomfortable; however, his behaviour was understandable. Music plays a big part in Al's emotional journey; I could hear the songs playing in my head as he went through the different stages of his break-up. There definitely needs to be a Spotify playlist made.

It is under these inauspicious circumstances that the couple first meet, and the chemistry between them is palpable, even though we know they are complete opposites. There is a spark, but they both seem determined to fight it. Melody is adamant she isn't looking for anything long-term, and Al is convinced he's still in love with his fiancée. As the pair spend time together, they begin to realise what has brought them to this point in their lives, but is this realisation enough to make them want something different?

Love Unlocked by Cecelia Ahern will be published on 27th August 2026 in hardback, ebook, and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Cecelia Ahern is an Irish novelist whose work was first published in 2004. Her debut novel PS I Love You was an international bestseller and was adapted to film starring Hilary Swank. Her second novel, Where Rainbows End, was adapted into Love, Rosie starring Lily Collins. Her books have been published in over thirty-seven languages, and have sold over twenty-five million copies. In addition to her novels, she is also the author of a highly acclaimed collection of stories, Roar, which is now an Apple Original series starring Nicole Kidman on Apple TV+.