BOOK REVIEW: The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester Hachette Australia March 2020 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction / Historical Fiction 90% Rocking Natasha Lester certainly knows how to dress her stories for success. The historic fiction writer has published half a dozen books which blend romance with great storytelling. The Paris Secret brings […]
BOOK REVIEW: Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell & Katie Cotugno Pan Macmillan April 2020 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Kids & Children’s books / Personal & Social Issues / Sexuality & Relationships for Children & Teenagers 60% Rocking Rules for Being a Girl is a timely novel, written for young adult […]
BOOK REVIEW: HRT: Husband Replacement Therapy by Kathy Lette Vintage Australia April 2020 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction / Modern & Contemporary Fiction 65% Rocking Kathy Lette may be in her sixties but she knows a lot about girl talk. The Australian author first came to fame as the co-author of the book, […]
BOOK REVIEW: A Weekend With Oscar by Robyn Bavati Walker Books July 2021 Paperback $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Fiction 75% Rocking A moving #LoveOzYA novel about loss, first love and being there for your family, no matter what. “It’s only a weekend. Don’t you want quality time with Selena?” We both […]
BOOK REVIEW: Annie Stanley, All At Sea by Sue Teddern Mantle | Pan Macmillan July 2021 Paperback $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / General Fiction 70% Rocking Before we leave, I go to the loo. Before I go to the loo, I go to the dresser, take the urn of Dad’s ashes and cram […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Clergyman’s Wife by Molly Greeley Allen & Unwin December 2019 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction Books / Modern & Contemporary Fiction 75% Rocking The world doesn’t really need another novel inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. But Molly Greeley does such a good job of staying true to […]
BOOK REVIEW: Ghost Species by James Bradley Penguin | Hamish Hamilton April 2020 Paperback $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Speculative Fiction / Climate Fiction 80% Rocking An exquisitely beautiful and deeply affecting exploration of connection and loss in an age of planetary trauma. In the night, she wakes. Something has woken her but […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Last by Hanna Jameson Penguin | Viking February 2019 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Mystery / Dystopia 65% Rocking For fans of high-concept thrillers such as Annihilation and The Girl with All the Gifts, this breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an American academic stranded at a Swiss hotel as the world descends […]
BOOK REVIEW: Emily Eternal by M.G. Wheaton Hodder & Stoughton April 2019 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Science Fiction / Artificial Intelligence / Oncoming Apocalypse 80% Rocking Meet Emily – she can solve advanced mathematical problems, unlock the mind’s deepest secrets and even fix your truck’s air con, but unfortunately, she can’t restart the […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Need by Helen Phillips Penguin | Viking July 2019 Paperback, $29.99 AUD Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Thriller / Speculative 80% Rocking Molly is exhausted, anxious, losing her grip on reality. Her husband is away and she is running between her children and her job, where things are unravelling. She’s a […]
BOOK REVIEW: A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews Orchard June 2018 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Contemporary 90% Rocking An emotionally charged story of music, abuse and, ultimately, hope. Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that […]
BOOK REVIEW: Exhalation by Ted Chiang Picador May 2019 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Science Fiction / Short Stories / Novellas 84% Rocking From the award-winning science fiction writer (whose short story “The Story of Your Life” was the basis for the Academy Award-nominated movie Arrival), the long-awaited new collection of stunningly original, […]
My 2018 in books was the year I discovered how much I love and appreciate a well-constructed and gripping thriller. This was the first year I read more from this particular genre and it’s certainly reflected in my top fiction picks for this year. It was nice to discover a new love and something I […]
