Category: Messy People & Complicated Women
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Tart by Slutty Cheff: Raw, Unfiltered and Deliciously Fun
I picked up Tart by Slutty Cheff without knowing much about it (aside from some buzz and those cheeky cover quotes from Lena Dunham and Dolly Alderton), and I’m so glad I did. This memoir is an absolute riot – a no-holds-barred through the life of an anonymous young chef in London’s restaurant underbelly. It…
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All Fours by Miranda July: Wild, Weird and Unapologetically Honest
You know when you finish a book and just sit there like…huh. That was a lot. That was me with All Fours. It’s sharp, messy, clever, and undeniably Miranda July – which is to say, it will either completely click with you or leave you frustrated. For me, it was both. I gave it four…
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The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden: Sensual, Suspenseful and Simmering with Secrets
I finally picked up The Safekeep after seeing it buzz around the Women’s Prize shortlist – and I’m so glad I did. This one’s not just a historical novel, or a slow-burn romance, or a psychological character study. It’s all three – and then some. We follow Isabel, who lives alone in her dead mother’s…
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The Seven O’Clock Club: A Gripping Tale of Grief and Healing
Every so often a book sneaks up on you in the best possible way – and The Seven O’Clock Club absolutely did that for me. I went in expecting something soft and comforting, maybe even a cosy tale of community and healing. What I got was a story that’s layered and emotional. And no, I…
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Good Girl by Aria Aber: What it Means to Be Seen
Let me start by saying Good Girl absolutely wrecked me. Not in a sobbing-on-the-floor kind of way, but in that deep, disorienting, quietly-knocks-the-air-out-of-you way. I picked this up because it was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize and I was intrigued, given how much I loved the other longlisted and shortlisted books that I’d read. Aber…
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Counterattacks at Thirty by Sohn Won-pyung: Eggs, Invented Boyfriends & Quiet Rage
I went into Counterattacks at Thirty with pretty high hopes. I haven’t actually read Almond, Sohn Won-pyung’s breakout novel, but I’ve heard amazing things, so when I spotted this coming out, I figured it would be right up my street. A story about a woman at a dead-end job who starts fighting back in small,…
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Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall: Tears, Trials and Tangled Hearts
I can’t stop thinking about Broken Country. I was completely obsessed with this book – so much so that I found myself pausing at certain moments to take it all in. I’ve never teared up reading a book before, but when I reached those final few pages, I realised I had tears in my eyes.…
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Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis: Bold, Thought-Provoking and Surprisingly Sharp
If you told me a few months ago that I’d be reading a novel set in Baghdad’s Green Zone, exploring radicalisation, family fractures, and political gamesmanship, I would have been surprised. But, as soon as I saw Fundamentally being released on Goldsboro’s website, I knew I had to pre-order it. It’s also now been longlisted…
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Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell – A Surprising Gem That Stole My Heart
I have to admit I wasn’t expecting to love Nesting as much as I did. It was delivered as part of my Goldsboro Premier subscription, and while I thought it would be a pleasant enough read, Goldsboro hit it spot on with this one. Roisin O’Donnell’s writing has this wonderfully warm yet haunting quality that…
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The Favourites by Layne Fargo: Betrayal, and Skating Drama You Can’t Look Away From
I went into The Favourites not knowing what to expect. Maybe it wouldn’t be my cup of tea but it was my December Goldsboro Premier pick so I put my trust in the team at Goldsboro and settled in. I was perhaps expecting some ice-skating drama, but what I got was so much more –…
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