It‘s nice that Fake isn‘t totally introspective, and Wood doesn‘t only focus on Joe‘s destruction in her own life. She gives significant weight to the harm he has done to others, and looks at other similar cases of emotional manipulation and fraud from around the world. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/fake-stephanie-wood/

I sat down to read a few chapters of Cold Truth before bed, and ended up finishing the whole thing in one sitting 😳 It‘s an intriguing mystery, with incredibly evocative place writing, a combination that‘s hard to beat. My favourite character was, of course, Caesar the Pomeranian, and I can happily confirm that he comes to no harm. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/cold-truth-ashley-kalagian-blunt/

I suppose this one needs some expectations management. Don‘t come to The Orchid Thief looking for a profile of an interesting man or an account of a baffling crime. Treat it more like a memoir, the story of Orlean‘s lost year (or two) following orchid obsessives around Florida and reading the police blotter for intriguing stories about plant crimes. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-orchid-thief-susan-orlean/

From a distance, The Hook Up looks great: snarky heroine, spunky hero, lots and lots of sex… but I‘m afraid the contents don‘t quite bear up to closer scrutiny. The passionate “banter” is very forced, and the characters are beyond melodramatic. Unfortunately, the spicy bits just weren‘t enough to overcome the cringe (especially with the cheesy ending). Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-hook-up-kristen-callihan/

This is a good book - a great one even - in the sense that it‘s incredibly creative and meticulously crafted and really well-written. I found it nearly frustrating to read, though, in the sense that I could just TELL I would need to re-read it two or three times to fully appreciate it 😵‍💫 Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/a-visit-from-the-goon-squad-jennifer-egan/

A couple of elements of The Grand Scheme Of Things felt undercooked – not disastrously so, but enough to distract me from the delicious schadenfreude of the villain‘s eventual take-down. I could‘ve done without the J.K. Rowling stand-in for instance, she seemed an unnecessary addition. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-grand-scheme-of-things-warona-jay/

The Reading List is very earnest, a little saccharine, occasionally wistful, and mostly cozy – but, most importantly, it‘s a testament to the importance of libraries and access to stories. It‘s one to pick up when you want a feel-good read that won‘t challenge your mind too much. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-reading-list-sara-nisha-adams/

It‘s an intricate and well-plotted mystery that will keep you turning pages. Burke maybe tries to do a bit Too Much with it, but she‘s crafted a really fascinating character in Kelsey, the real estate heiress who is widely suspected of murdering her estranged husband. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-note-alafair-burke/

The Ex Talk is a fine novel, but not the knock-it-out-of-the-park romance I‘ve come to expect from Solomon. If you‘re just starting out with her oeuvre, this isn‘t the one I‘d recommend. In retrospect, it‘s easy to see The Ex Talk as Solomon‘s warm-up act, the gentle trot around the track before she truly got off to the races. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-ex-talk-rachel-lynn-solomon/

If you‘re into sexual power games and revealing the seedy under-belly of the upper crust, you should probably read Dangerous Liaisons – maybe just check out a few Wikipedia pages on pre-Revolution French nobility, if you‘re not already familiar ahead of time. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/dangerous-liaisons-pierre-choderlos-de-lacl...

While Sheffield doesn‘t shy away from Taylor Swift‘s failures and missteps (“when she fails, she doesn‘t do it modestly,” page 9), it‘s not a critical work or a take-down. This is a book of admiration, of curiosity and wonder, one that highlights Taylor Swift‘s commitment to creative autonomy (e.g., the phenomenon of Taylor‘s Versions). Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/heartbreak-is-the-national-anthem-rob-sheff...

I mostly enjoyed Boy Swallows Universe, more than I thought I would, but it goes a bit off the rails in the third act 😕 It‘s definitely a different perspective on Australia – less sun-kissed beaches and beautiful bushland, more suburban noir and seedy underbelly. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/boy-swallows-universe-trent-dalton/

Matt, the love interest, is just a bit too perfect – if a male main character in a romance book can even be such a thing. Bonam-Young clearly knows just how hard to push the bounds of realism for the reader. With a caveat for trigger warnings (anxiety, grief, and PTSD), I‘d happily recommend Next To You to anyone looking for a spicy read with a hot mess heroine. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/next-to-you-hannah-bonam-young/

This is a contemporary Japanese re-telling of the Faustian bargain. It‘s an interesting philosophical novella, one that falls smack bang in the middle of Paulo Coelho and Haruki Murakami. Pick it up when you‘re in a pensive mood but short on time. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/if-cats-disappeared-from-the-world-genki-ka...

Look, the conceit is a bit of a stretch (I don‘t know much about the Canadian foster care system, but I feel like two young, single, first-time guardians would have a bit more oversight than the occasional phone check-in with their social workers?), but it's delightfully easy reading all the same. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/next-of-kin-hannah-bonam-young/

Icebreaker is a completely unrealistic wish-fulfillment spicy romance novel, and I won‘t have anyone disparage it on those grounds. It does exactly what it does on the tin, and it does it well. It‘s a delightful, satisfying read – one million #Bookstagrammers can‘t be wrong! Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/icebreaker-hannah-grace/

It‘s like a biblical Slumdog Millionaire, with a more reluctant (and regretfully horny) heroine. My trust in Maguire was well placed, as I found myself fascinated and eager to read more all the way through Rapture. So, even if it doesn‘t sound like your type of book, I encourage you to give it a go regardless. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/rapture-emily-maguire/

It‘s very delicately and cleverly handled – Backman has remarkably accurate insight into the psychology and perspective of teenage girls. It‘s all too rare for a male writer, and he should be applauded for doing it and doing it well. And as much as Beartown feels like a departure from the rest of his oeuvre, there are still a few moments of classic Backman. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/beartown-fredrik-backman/

White Noise will probably be more meaningful and resonant for readers closer to the target demographic. I found some of the adolescent communication failures a bit grating, and there were a few plot threads that just didn‘t quite tie together by the end. Still, it‘s a perfectly serviceable read, and a quick one if that‘s what you‘re after. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/white-noise-raelke-grimmer/

It‘s a remarkably complex story for one so short, and you can read a lot into it. I read it as a book about isolation – physical and psychological – and cruelty. It will send shivers up your spine, and it will no doubt frustrate you at times, but it‘s still an arresting read and you‘ll struggle to look away. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/we-have-always-lived-in-the-castle-shirley-...

Here One Moment is a slower burn than some of Moriarty's other novels, and it doesn‘t land quite as firmly, but it‘s still a solid beach read – albeit one that will make you contemplate your own mortality. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/here-one-moment-liane-moriarty/

True Story traces the fallout of a high-school rumour as it reverberates throughout the lives of the subject, the perpetrators, and the onlookers. It sounds simple enough, but it‘s actually a wonderfully complex interrogation of who gets to tell stories and who gets to decide if they are true. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/true-story-kate-reed-petty/

Diving, Falling is a book set in the inconceivably large shadow cast by a volatile patriarch, even after death. It‘s an intense subject for a debut, but one that Kylie Mirmohamadi handles well, with moments of amazing pith and insight. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/diving-falling-kylie-mirmohamadi/

There‘s a lot going on in this one besides the main romance storyline. I really liked this aspect of Love In The Time Of Serial Killers, especially seeing as it gave room in the story for conflict in the relationship without the guy simply being an arsehole. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/love-in-the-time-of-serial-killers-alicia-t...

We'll Prescribe You A Cat is a cut above some of the other Japanese best-sellers that have found their way onto Anglophone shelves lately, more nuanced and layered. It‘s sweet without being cloying, and insightful without being heavy-handed. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/well-prescribe-you-a-cat-syou-ishida/

Schmidt doesn‘t style See What I Have Done as a whodunnit, though, and there‘s no neat answer to ‘solve‘ the crime by the end. Instead, she gives the reader glimpses into possibilities, what could have happened, and leaves us to drawn our own conclusions about the identity of the murderer. Really, it‘s not even her focus – the focus is the Borden family. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/see-what-i-have-done-sarah-schmidt/

Kenwood captures the disorienting feeling of overwhelming frustrated desire really well. Even though it doesn‘t follow the standard rom-com structure, it flows from the wedding to the situationship to the resolution really well. So, The Wedding Forecast is a perfectly serviceable rom-com – you just need to make sure you know what you‘re getting going in. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-wedding-forecast-nina-kenwood/

The Seven Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle, at its bones, is a great concept, but I think Turton was a bit ambitious in the execution. There‘s a LOT going on, a lot of secrets and at least three central mysteries, and most of the time the narrator is just as confused and clueless as the reader. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-seven-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle-stuar...

It‘s delicious, horny fun, with intense feelings and surprising insight – everything you‘d expect and desire from a McQuiston novel. I loved how Theo and Kit explored sex and gender, mirroring their culinary explorations in the most gorgeous settings. I‘m afraid The Pairing has only whetted my appetite for more. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-pairing-casey-mcquiston/

I didn‘t find Shrill to be a particularly funny book, despite all the blurbs and reviews calling it “hilarious”, “uproarious”, and “laugh-out-loud funny”. I did, however, find it thought-provoking, and galvanising, and insightful, and surprising, and honest. All of these are wonderful things that don‘t need to make us snort-laugh. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/shrill-lindy-west/

If you want to read a murder mystery set in regional Australia, you could hardly be in better hands than Margaret Hickey‘s. What I found most interesting about The Creeper was the perspective on policing in a small town. The young new cop is a bit “not like other girls”y at times, but she has a tough row to hoe and it‘s interesting to watch her piece it all together. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-creeper-margaret-hickey/

I read The Roommate in one sitting. It‘s exactly the kind of rom-com I love, spicy and seasoned with wish-fulfillment. It‘s definitely one for more open-minded readers, so I wouldn‘t recommend it to anyone who prefers their romances replete with chaste kisses and closed doors, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-roommate-rosie-danan/

McFarlane clearly draws inspiration from the crimes of Ivan Milat, but stops short of fictionalising real crimes or rehashing old ground. The stories of Highway 13 are more unsettling and ominous than gory or violent, so they‘re perfect for readers who look to avoid full-blown horror. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/highway-13-fiona-mcfarlane/

I guess I‘d describe Days At The Morisaki Bookshop as a mild read – a little flat, but perfectly fine for a lazy afternoon. It‘s a quiet book, one to pick up when you need a story that‘s minimally challenging and easy to digest. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/days-at-the-morisaki-bookshop-satoshi-yagis...

Home Truths is, obviously, terrifying – but not in a gory, stabby, psycho-killer way. It‘s scary in the this-could-so-easily-happen-to-my-family way. It highlights the fact that we‘re all one or two tragedies away from seeking solace in the wrong place, and we live in an online world designed to draw us to extremes. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/home-truths-charity-norman/

If you‘re looking for an accurate and appropriate Regency romance, full of long sighs and lingering glances across a ballroom, steer well clear of Reputation. If, however, you‘re up for a fun romp through the Regency party scene, something to tide you over between seasons of Bridgerton, you‘ll find this one to be a pure delight. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/reputation-lex-croucher/

In case it‘s not obvious, The Lasting Harm warrants a serious trigger warning. Still, in the tradition of She Said and other literature of the #MeToo movement, reading The Lasting Harm is bearing witness to that which has been hidden from view for too long. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-lasting-harm-lucia-osborne-crowley/

I couldn‘t help wanting more from They Both Die At The End: more detail in the world-building, more hope for the characters (I know, they‘re destined to die and that‘s The Point, but still!), and more depth to it all than just a doomed love affair. I can see why it did big numbers on #BookTok, but it left me feeling a bit bereft. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/they-both-die-at-the-end-adam-silvera/

Milk is a little uneven – some of the science can be skimmed, and I would‘ve liked to see more on the politics and economics, but that‘s just my personal preference. It‘s an interesting read, full of ‘fun facts‘ you‘ll likely be sharing with your loved ones for days. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/milk-matthew-evans/

You could pick worse from the self-help session. It‘s easy enough to read, you can knock it over in a single sitting, and it‘s ultimately a positive message: find out what you care about, care about it a lot, and disregard the stuff that doesn‘t serve you. We could all benefit from doing that a bit more, probably. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-subtle-art-of-not-giving-a-fuck-mark-ma...

I won‘t lie, I have mixed feelings about The Borrowed Life Of Frederick Fife. I really wanted to love it, but I found it danced too close to the line between delightful and depressing for me to truly enjoy it. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-borrowed-life-of-frederick-fife-anna-jo...

If you pick up Reckoning expecting your standard, light-hearted, comedian memoir… yeah, you‘re in for a rude shock. It‘s a pensive, penetrating story, told without pretension and with radical vulnerability. Szubanski doesn‘t shy away from sharing the least flattering aspects of her own past, personality or behaviour, nor does she redact her father‘s historical violence. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/reckoning-magda-szubanski/

Return To Sender starts off strong, then flatlines a little – it takes a while for Draper to find the rhythm of the story. I was expecting something Veronica Mars-y, with a hard-boiled troublemaking teen doggedly pursuing the truth, but it‘s a lot softer and more wistful than that. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/return-to-sender-lauren-draper/

I Am, I Am, I Am is a riveting read penned by a practice hand. O‘Farrell‘s extensive experience writing acclaimed fiction has clearly served her well in finally sharing her own stories. Sure, some parts might‘ve been better left out, but that‘s just my opinion and I‘m happy to defer to O‘Farrell‘s expertise and wisdom here. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/i-am-i-am-i-am-maggie-ofarrell/

The characterisation was pretty good, the timelines were clear, the pacing was a little uneven but mostly okay… 17 Years Later is fine, an adequate choice for a flight or a quiet afternoon on holiday, but it‘s far from Pomare‘s best. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/17-years-later-j-p-pomare/

Rice is wordy, and she loves an ellipsis, which gives you the feeling of reading extended texts from a baby boomer. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/interview-with-the-vampire-anne-rice/

The character of Mrs Hopkins should have been what carried this novel. Unfortunately, her characterisation was spotty, as though Barrett couldn‘t quite decide who she should be. Mrs Hopkins veered wildly from a Mary Poppins-type to a Dickensian hypocritical hard-arse, and back again with a few stops in Jane Eyre territory along the way. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/mrs-hopkins-shirley-barrett/

The title might mislead some readers (it misled me, I‘m not too proud to admit it) into thinking this is purely a comedic novel, an older-women-behaving-badly romp with lots of literal lols. It‘s definitely entertaining, but it‘s also meaningful, and there‘s a lot of depth to it if you‘re reading it as a feminist text. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/erotic-stories-for-punjabi-widows-balli-kau...

It‘s forbidden love! It‘s super steamy! And Eli has a huge dog named Tiny! Not In Love checked all the boxes, even the ones I didn‘t know I had, for a romance novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would highly recommend it – even to a romance reader novice, or an Ali Hazelwood first-timer. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/not-in-love-ali-hazelwood/

Every David Sedaris book is like a treat for me. I hoard them like chocolates in a secret corner of the fridge, and pull them out when I need something sinful and delicious. Reading Let‘s Explore Diabetes With Owls was another wicked delight, and I‘m already eagerly anticipating my next treat from Sedaris. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/lets-explore-diabetes-with-owls-david-sedar...