Smart, chatty reviews for readers who love books that demand to be discussed.
Crime, thrillers, feminist non-fiction, gothic reads, myth retellings and big-idea books that make you underline aggressively.
W H Y T H I S B L O G E X I S T S
” I want honest, chatty reviews – the books I loved, the ones that surprised me, and the ones I recommend to everyone I meet.”
– Megan, aka Megz
Start here
Pick your reading mood and find your next read.
Messy people & complicated women
Sharp observations, questionable decisions, books made for dramatic book club discussions.
Ideas & politicsSharp & thought-provoking
Feminism, society and big ideas — the kind of books that make you underline aggressively.
Gothic & horrorDark & atmospheric
Gothic reads, haunted places, and books with a general sense that something is very wrong.
Crime & thrillerSomething twisty
Secrets, suspicious spouses and books that make you trust absolutely no one.
Fantasy & mythMyth, magic & sweeping epics
Myth retellings, fantasy worlds, historical drama and women causing problems across the centuries.
Non-fictionFeel clever
Science, medicine, money, psychology and big ideas explained without making your brain quietly leave.
Latest reads and bookish thoughts
Fresh reviews, recent reads and the books I cannot stop talking about – for better or for worse.
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Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks: Messy Families and Buried Secrets
This was my first Adele Parks book (a Goldsboro Books Crime Collective pick for me), and it definitely won’t be my last. Our Beautiful Mess centres on Connie and her family over Christmas – a time that should feel warm and familiar, but very quickly spirals into something far more complicated. Her daughter Fran returns…
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The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami: A Chilling, Clever Look at Surveillance, Freedom and the Data We Give Away
A clever, unsettling speculative novel about surveillance, freedom and the data we give away. A thoughtful 3.5-star read from the Women’s Prize 2025 longlist.
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The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet: A Moving People’s History of Afghanistan Through the Doors of One Hotel
A sweeping, humane and deeply informative history of modern Afghanistan, told through the remarkable story of the Kabul Inter-Continental Hotel.
The reading list
Monthly reviews, recommendations and the occasional chaotic TBR confession – straight to your inbox.

