Book Synopsis:

Sophie Drear never expected to fall in love. But over a summer in Maine, she does: with the dazzling flowers and the towering hedge maze of Lilymoor House.

But then, a door appears. Never in the same place twice. Leading only to a dishevelled garden, and a beguiling thundercloud of a man, confined inside.

Battling with the vines – just as much as she is with Lilymoor’s owner’s two inconveniently handsome nephews – Sophie knows that she is the only person who can help Lilymoor bloom again. But when you’re stuck between the men on the outside, and the one trapped within, can the seeds of romance bloom into something more…?

My Review:

The Someday Garden is a beautiful, magical and heartwarming read that I absolutely loved.

In The Someday Garden we follow Sophie as she works as the head gardener of a fabulous garden that she’s loved since childhood. One day she discovers an old blue door that keeps moving location and leads to a secret garden with a handsome man who appears to be trapped in it.

I absolutely love this book and flew through it in a couple of days. Filled with vivid descriptions of a beautiful garden and an amazing group of people who work there, including a mad goose called Damit this is truly an absorbing book worth savouring. The mystery of the blue door was great to follow and I enjoyed watching Sophie try to solve what was going on.

The ending was brilliant and I loved seeing how everything works out for all the characters, especially how changed Sophie is from when we first meet her.

Huge thanks to Avon for my copy of this book via Netgalley. It’s really appreciated.

About The Author:

Ashley Poston writes stories about love and friendship and ever afters. A native to South Carolina, she now lives in a small grey house with her sassy cat and too many books. You can find her on the internet, somewhere, watching cat videos and reading fan-fiction.

Tweet her at @ashposton and find out more about her at http://www.ashposton.com.

Good morning everyone and happy Friday. Here is some of the non fiction that is on my tbr pile!

❤️Year Of The Rat by Harry Shukman
🧡 Nation Of Strangers by Ece Temelkuran
💛The Hiroshima Boy by Akiko Mikamo
💚 Hotel Exile by Jane Rogoyska
🩵 Mother Mary Come To Me by Arundhati Roy
💙 London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
💜The Finest Hotel In Kabul by Lyse Doucet
🩷 Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen

I’m still fairly new to non fiction reading but I love reading it as I learn lots of fascinating things. I actually chose a non fiction book for the book club this month and, despite some initial trepidation, everyone ended up loving it. I’m really looking forward to reading these soon, especially London Falling as I’ve heard lots of good things.

I’m off today which is needed as I appear to have hurt my foot. I’m meeting a friend for coffee first thing and my mum for lunch but then I’m hoping to just read before the chaos of clubs tonight.

Do you read non fiction? Any recommendations?

Book Synopsis:

Stutley Tillinghast lives a solitary life, ostensibly as the minister of a remote rural parish in Rhode Island. For many decades now, what little human contact he allows himself has been brief, frenzied and bloody, and always ends in a shallow grave in his cellar.

You and I would have a name for what he is, but he prefers not to use it – he has needs, and when they become unbearable, he fulfils them.

Then the girl arrives – 19 years old, she has travelled from the UK to find him. She seems to have his surname, and her resemblance to him is uncanny. She is sick – very sick – and Tillinghast recognises her symptoms all too well. Which means he also knows what she needs…

My Review:

Tillinghust is a dark, unsettling and quietly gripping read.

 In Tillinghust we meet the mysterious Stutley Tillinghust.  While it is not explicitly mentioned what he is, it’s easy to guess.  He’s disgusted with himself and what has done so he has detailed plans on how to make amends.  These are derailed by the arrival of Sarah, a lady who had his surname and a mysterious illness that seems familiar to him…

 Despite everything he’s done I actually really liked Tillinghast and felt a lot of sympathy for him.  He’s obviously not all bad as his care towards Sarah when she’s ill was actually very sweet to witness.  Throughout the story we get glimpses into his past which tells the reader how he got to be in the situation he’s in now .  This is a book that slowly creeps up on you and before you know it you’re hooked into the story.  There are times when not a lot happens but there was enough intrigue to ensure I kept reading.  I found myself cheering for Tillinghust and I grew very fond of him throughout the book.  I had to keep reading to find out what will happen to him and to discover the truth about Sarah.

The story is mixed with actual historical events that I hadn’t heard of before so I always enjoy learning more about, and some local folk lore which I found really fascinating.  Tillinghast is definitely an intriguing, eerie story and one that I won’t forget anytime soon. 

Huge thanks to @boroughpress for sending me a copy of this book it’s really appreciated.

About The Author:

Clare Cavenagh spent her childhood in Erica, Australia, and her adolescence in Fribourg, Switzerland. She read English and then renaissance literature at the University of Cambridge, and now lives in London where she works as a copywriter. Her short fiction and criticism have been published in Editions L’Hèbe, Cambridge Quarterly and Eucalyptus Lit. Her first novel, TILLINGHAST, will be published in June 2026. She is currently working on her second novel.

Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. I can’t believe it’s the last day of May. This month has gone too fast!

I actually had a great reading month in May so I thought I’d do a wrap up for once to celebrate.

🌺Books Read

• Dissection Of A Murder by Jo Murray
  -The Burial Witch by Cari Thomas
  -138 Main Street by Gavin Bell
  -Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
  -Hunger And Thirst by Claire Fuller
  -Last One Out by Jane Harper

🌼 Books I’m Still Reading
-Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh
-The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson
-Famesick by Lena Dunham (audiobook)

My reading fell off last week as it was half term so I was hoping to finish Tillinghast before the end of the week but wasn’t able to. I’ve actually read four books from my May potential stack which is unheard of for me.

Out of these my favourite books were Dissection Of A Murder or 138 Main Street. I’m very firmly in my thriller era it would seem.

What was your favourite book this month?

Good morning everyone and happy Saturday. I saw someone else share a sunrise & sunset stack and I knew I had to join in!

💜My Sister’s Secret by Jane Corry
🧡 Innocent Guilt by Remi Kone *
🩵 When You Looked Away by SM Govett
🩷The Tiny Magic Bookshop by August Bloom
💙Liar Liar by Luca Veste
🧡The Night Lagoon by Jo Morey
💜Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune *

All of these are tbr but I’m hoping to read some of them soon. Especially My Sister’s Secret and The Night Lagoon as I seem to be enjoying thrillers ATM.

It’s the last day of my week off today and I’m hoping for a quiet one as the kids drive me a bit mad yesterday. My husband is taking them to clubs this morning so I’ve got a few hours free which I’m hoping to use to read. I’m currently reading Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh and I’m really enjoying it so far. Not a fast paced book but very intriguing. I’ve then got to drive my daughter to a sleepover and then we’re off to my mum’s for some drinks on her garden which should be nice.

What are your Saturday plans?

Good morning everyone and happy Thursday.  I was lucky enough to receive a copy of The Body In The Bath by Ragnar Jonasson earlier this week.

I’ve been a huge fan of this author since his first few books so you can imagine my excitement when I opened the package.  His books are always really gripping and dark thrillers so I’m really excited to read this soon.

The Body In The Bath is out 12th November 2026 and you can find out more about the book below ⬇️

Huge thanks to Jack from Michael Joseph for sending this to me it’s really appreciated.

Is this one on your radar?

Book Synopsis:

As snow blankets Reykjavík and Christmas approaches, young detective Helgi is looking forward to a quiet holiday – until those plans are torn away in a flash. One month after his girlfriend Aníta is killed in a car accident, he returns to work in Reykjavík, haunted by loss and rage. The driver – Helgi’s ex-girlfriend Bergþóra, a violent alcoholic whose abuse he kept secret – insists Aníta’s death was an accident and walks free.

To escape his mounting despair, Helgi throws himself into the unsolved disappearance of his predecessor, Hulda, a retired officer long presumed dead. But as he follows the traces she left behind, the lines between her past and his present begin to blur . . .

When Bergþóra is later found lifeless in her bath, suspicion falls squarely on Helgi. With his own colleagues turning against him, can he uncover the truth in time to clear his name, make it home for Christmas, and finally turn the page to begin again?

About The Author:

Ragnar Jónasson is the award-winning Icelandic author of the international bestselling Hulda series, the Dark Iceland series, and standalone crime fiction, with five million copies sold across 36 territories. Ragnar was also an executive producer of the CBS Studios TV series The Darkness, based on the first novel in his Hulda series, starring Lena Olin and directed by Lasse Hallström. His novel Outside is being developed for the screen by Ridley Scott.

Good morning everyone and happy Wednesday. I’m sharing my May Stack before the end of the month for once!

M- MRS Dickens by Emily Howes

A- AVIARY by Maria Dong

Y- YEAR Of The Rat by Harry Shukman

All of these are tbr but I’m hoping to read some of them soon as I’ve heard great things about all of them.

I’m off this half-term and we’re going to our local National Trust today. I’ve booked for my youngest two to make tie dye bags there and the plan was to go for a walk but it depends on how hot it is. We’re then coming back and chilling for a bit before going to my mum’s to use her paddling pool again which is much needed in this heat. I may even be tempted to go in!

Have you got anything nice planned today?

Good morning everyone I hope you had a good bank holiday. Today on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring two books by GM Govett.

💛 Believe
💙 When You Looked Away

I was a huge fan of Believe so I was very excited to receive a copy of her next book, When You Look Away, this week. It sounds absolutely fantastic, though as a mum of three losing one of my kids is one of my worst nightmares!

When You Looked Away is out on the 9th July 2026 and you can find out more about the book below ⬇️

Huge thanks to @michaeljbooks for sending me a copy of this book. I can’t wait to read it soon!

Is this book on your radar?

When You Looked Away

It’s every mother’s worst nightmare.
Your son is gone.
And everyone’s a suspect…
Laura’s a good mother.

Between her messy divorce with her ex-husband, and moving in with her new fiancé, her son Benjy has been her constant.

But now that they’re settled, Laura is excited to throw herself back into work.

Being a mother is fulfilling, but Laura has always felt that writing is her true calling. Her ultimate escape.

Until that fateful day. The afternoon starts like any other. Laura picks Benjy up from school, then heads upstairs to write.

It’s not until the sun is setting that she realises the house is quiet. Too quiet.

It’s not until she sees the footprints in the garden that she knows something is terribly wrong.

One set is undeniably Benjy’s. It’s the other set that strikes fear in her heart – those of an adult.

Someone who took her son, right from under her nose…

Believe

Natalie has spent ten years trying to get over the twin set of events which changed her life forever.

The first: the moment her boss assaulted her. The second: the moment the jury declared him innocent – and her, a liar.

The memories continue to haunt Natalie, and in her attempts to block out the past, she often wakes up with no memory of where she’s been – or what she’s done.
So when her husband, Ryan, gets accused of the same crime, Natalie comes perilously close to the edge.

Natalie wants to believe him. But when the body of the young woman who made the accusation is found in the woods near their house, Ryan becomes a prime suspect, and Natalie realises she can’t trust anyone – herself included…

About The Author:

S.M. Govett read Law at Trinity College, Oxford, before qualifying as a solicitor in the City. After realising that didn’t suit her, she started tutoring before turning her hand to writing, which she discovered was her true calling. She has since authored several bestselling YA novels, including The Territory trilogy and We Go On Forever. She also co-wrote the screenplay for the feature film, T.I.M., which was the no. 1 film on Netflix upon release. Believe is her debut adult thriller.

Book Synopsis:

An enchanting new novella set in the magical world of Sunday Times bestseller Threadneedle and The Times bestseller Shadowstitch

At home one memorable summer, Miranda unearths a mysterious suitcase in her attic that once belonged to her late grandmother. Inside, she finds a strange and unopenable wooden box.

Determined to discover what’s inside, she ends up enlisting the help of Maya, the owner of a local spiritualist shop, and is drawn into a world of witchcraft, magic and temptation.

As she tries to keep up appearances as the perfect daughter, her discovery threatens to tear everything apart, putting everyone around her in danger.

Can she find a way to stay in control or would the box have been better left buried?

Taking place before events in Threadneedle and Shadowstitch, this is a perfect read for not just fans of the series, but for anyone who loves to be transported by magical fantasy.

My Review:

The Burial Witch is an absorbing, magical novella set in the world from the Thread Needle series.

In the Burial Witch we follow Miranda as she tries to survive in her perfect, ultra religious family who expect perfection at every turn. Her perfectly planned out summer comes unstuck when she accidentally finds a mysterious box in her parents attic and accidentally unlocks a hidden part of her family’s history.

I really enjoyed this book and read it over a couple of days. Miranda is an interesting character who I felt equal sympathetic to and frustrated with. She’s been having a hard time of late as she tries to keep up with her siblings and pushing herself too much so it was great to see her let herself go a bit. The descriptions of the Yoruba religion were very interesting to read about as I hadn’t known anything about it before so it was fascinating to learn more about it.

I thought this book had a great pace to it and I soon found the book very hard to put down. It was fun following Miranda on her journey and seeing her become more hopeful about her future.

The ending was interesting and while I wished it had ended in a slightly different way it was in keeping with Miranda’s character. I definitely want to go back and re-read Thread Needle.

Huge thanks to @harpervoyager_uk @harperfictionpr for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

About The Author:

Cari Thomas is author of the Sunday Times Bestseller, Threadneedle – her debut novel and the first in her Language of Magic series.

Cari grew up in the Wye Valley area of Wales and, after studying English Literature & Creative Writing at Warwick University and Magazine Journalism at the Cardiff School of Journalism, moved to London. She worked as a journalist and at a creative agency, before finally doing what she’d always wanted to do: quit her job and write a book about magic.

The result was Threadneedle. Be introduced to a world of wild, ancient witchcraft hidden within today’s London; where libraries made of books breathe dusty pages beneath the city, where witch clubs serve up magical cocktails and vintage shops sell memories. A world where magic gleams light and very, very dark.

Cari now lives in Wales with her husband and son. Discover more on her website: CariThomas.com

Good morning everyone and happy Bank Holiday Monday. Here are some of the books I’m currently reading or hoping to read this bank holiday and half term.

❤️ Dissection Of A Murder by Jo Murray*
🧡The Artist by Lucy Steeds
💚The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh
💚The Repentants by Kate Foster
🩵The Trouble With Sister Francis

I also have two books on my kindle I’m currently reading too:

💙The Burial Witch by Cari Thomas*
💜The Edge Of Always by Rebecca Ryan *

I’m actually half way through the books with stars next to them so I’m hoping to finish them and maybe get a start on one of the other books. The Burial Witch is actually a Novella so I’m hoping to finish that today and possibly post my review later. I think I always overestimate how much time I’ll have for reading with the kids around.

Today my husband is taking our two youngest to the local splash pad which they’re looking forward to. I don’t do well in the heat so I’m hoping to stay home. We’re then going to my mum’s to try out our new BBQ (if it arrives in time).

What are your bank holiday plans?