I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
Release Date: 4th August 2022
Genre: Young Adult, Historical
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

I always love reading Ruta Sepetys’ books because they manage to teach me something new. I had no idea Romania was living through a communist regime so close to the time I was born. It’s not something we covered in school. So I really appreciate that Sepetys tackles lesser known (to us in the UK or US) events in European history. 

I don’t feel as though I Must Betray You had the same heart as Sepetys’ WW2 books. I really feel like her passion truly lies with those. Otherwise, I thought this was an excellent book. It was just lacking a certain something. 

As I didn’t know anything about the history behind this novel, I felt this was a great way to introduce me to Romania’s struggle against a dictator in the 80’s. I enjoyed learning about it through Cristian’s eyes, who was someone who had grown up in this environment but didn’t necessarily agree with it – but he didn’t realise that he could not agree with it. That that was even an option. 

I felt the ending to this book was a bit rushed. I would have liked to have spent another 40 or so pages with Cristian and in the midst of the revolution, rather than jumping from place to place. After spending so much time following Cristian and his family, I felt like I needed more time to let what was happening to them and their country properly sink in.

This was another impressive read by Ruta Sepetys, and I can’t wait to see what she decides to tackle next!

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
Release Date: 19th January 2023
Genre: Adult, Mystery
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★

Open the safe deposit box. Inside you will find research material for a true crime book. You must read the documents, then make a decision. Will you destroy them? Or will you take them to the police?

Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult-like group who were convinced one of their member’s babies was the anti-Christ, and they had a divine mission to kill it – until the baby’s mother, Holly, came to her senses and called the police. The Angels committed suicide rather than go to prison, and Holly – and the baby – disappeared into the care system.

Nearly two decades later, true-crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the Angels. The Alperton baby has turned eighteen and can finally be interviewed – if Amanda can find them, it will be the true-crime scoop of the year, and will save her flagging career. But rival author Oliver Menzies is just as smart, better connected, and is also on the baby’s trail.

As Amanda and Oliver are forced to collaborate, they realise that what everyone thinks they know about the Angels is wrong, and the truth is something much darker and stranger than they’d ever imagined.

This story is far from over – and it won’t have a happy ending.

I loved The Appeal and didn’t care much for The Twyford Code, so Hallett’s books have been very hit or miss for me. I’m a massive fan of the format for her books, though, which is why I was keen to give The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels a go.

The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao
Release Date: 17th January 2023
Genre: Adult, Contemporary
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
Rating: ★★★

A working-class woman who infiltrates Singapore’s high society to fulfill her dreams risks losing everything in the process—including herself—in this propulsive novel by debut author Kyla Zhao.

For as long as she can remember, Samantha Song has dreamed of writing for a high-society magazine—and she’d do anything to get there. But the constant struggle to help her mom make ends meet and her low social status cause her dream to feel like a distant fantasy.

Now Samantha finds herself working at a drab PR firm. Living vicariously through her wealthy coworker and friend, Anya Chen, is the closest she’ll get to her ideal life. Until she meets Timothy Kingston: the disillusioned son of one of Singapore’s elite families—and Samantha’s one chance at infiltrating the high-society world to which she desperately wants to belong.

To Samantha’s surprise, Timothy and Anya both agree to help her make a name for herself on Singapore’s socialite scene. But the borrowed designer clothes and plus-ones to every glamorous event can only get her so far. The rest is on Samantha, and she’s determined to impress the editor in chief of Singapore’s poshest magazine. But the deeper Samantha wades into this fraud, the more she fears being exposed—especially with a mysterious gossip columnist on the prowl for dirt—forcing her to reconcile her pretense with who she really is before she loses it all.

Whew, the beginning of this book was rough. I picked up The Fraud Squad because I love Rich People Drama. I’ve loved it ever since I was younger, because rich people get themselves into such messes. And a book about a working class woman infiltrating the ranks of the elite and potentially taking them down sounded very appealing.

I really struggled through the first quarter or so of The Fraud Squad. The writing felt very unpolished, almost juvenile, and I found myself at times wondering if this was actually a YA book that I was reading, or whether the author had dabbled in YA before. The characters just felt so young. It was a struggle to get past it.

Eventually, though, I managed it, and the book really improved in its second half. By then I was really interested in Samantha and her journey, and I liked reading about her friendships with Daisy and Anya, and also Rai of course. I didn’t feel much chemistry between Samantha and the love interest, Timothy, but they were still cute. I wish I could have seen more moments between them in the build up to their romance.

I also really enjoyed the way The Fraud Squad ended. Not to spoil anything, but often this kind of book ends in a particular way, and I enjoyed that the author did something a little different here. It was refreshing!

I would recommend The Fraud Squad to readers who are looking for a more lowkey Crazy Rich Asians. It has a lot of the glitz and the glam of Singapore, but it’s not as in-your-face and the characters aren’t quite so ridiculous.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Release Date: 3rd January 2023
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
Rating: ★★★

Bradley Graeme is pretty much perfect. He’s a star football player, manages his OCD well (enough), and comes out on top in all his classes . . . except the ones he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine.

Celine Bangura is conspiracy-theory-obsessed. Social media followers eat up her takes on everything from UFOs to holiday overconsumption–yet, she’s still not cool enough for the popular kids’ table. Which is why Brad abandoned her for the in-crowd years ago. (At least, that’s how Celine sees it.)

These days, there’s nothing between them other than petty insults and academic rivalry. So when Celine signs up for a survival course in the woods, she’s surprised to find Brad right beside her.

Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history. But has too much time passed . . . or just enough to spark a whole new kind of relationship?

Readers, I don’t think Talia Hibbert’s books are for me, and I’m SAD ABOUT IT. I tried reading Chloe Brown a couple of years ago and thought it was trash, but I thought maybe Hibbert’s YA debut might be better. And, I mean, it was, but it was still just alright.

I thought the romance was cute. I’m always here for ex-best friends to lovers, and Hibbert wrote the trope well. I liked the characters individually but I thought they both sounded pretty similar as I was reading them. I didn’t love the snark or the dialogue in this – I had the same problem with Chloe Brown so maybe my humour just doesn’t mesh with Hibbert’s?

One thing I really liked and appreciated was the portrayal of OCD. According to the author’s note, Hibbert has recently been diagnosed with this, and Bradley’s character seems to be an exploration of how Hibbert could handle her own OCD in the future. I thought it was a very thoughtful, respectful, and caring portrayal, and I really liked it.

Overall this was just okay, and I’ve probably got to give up on Hibbert’s books now because I have a feeling this it the best it’ll get.

Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan
Release Date: 2nd April 2020
Genre: Adult, Suspense
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
Rating: ★★★

You think you know her…but look a little closer.

She is a stay-at-home mother-of-three with boundless reserves of patience, energy, and love. After being friends for a decade, this is how Liz sees Jess.

Then one moment changes everything.

Dark thoughts and carefully guarded secrets surface—and Liz is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend, and about herself. The truth can’t come soon enough.

I’ve read Vaughan’s most well-known book, Anatomy of a Scandal, and very much enjoyed it. I admittedly read it quite a while ago now, but I still mostly remember the enjoyment I got from the book and the overall vibes, even if I have mostly forgotten the plot. I went into Little Disasters not knowing much about it, as I don’t typically read blurbs for thrillers, and that is what I thought this book was.

It is not a thriller. My bad! Little Disasters is more of a domestic suspense, or literary suspense… I’m not exactly sure what the genre would be! It’s a long and slow read, nothing like a thriller book, but nevertheless I enjoyed my time with it.

I didn’t find much to connect to with this one as I’m not a mother and don’t plan to be, and the entirity of this book is focused on the mums and what they were or were not hiding. That said, I still really enjoyed the mystery of the whole thing. I read this in just a few sittings because I was super curious about the outcome. I wanted to know what really happened to the baby.

I would recommend looking up trigger warnings for this book because there are a lot of them, mainly involving children and mental health. I didn’t have a tough time but I think some people might do.

Overall I think Vaughan’s previous book was stronger, but this one was still enjoyable and I’d definitely read more from this author in the future.

Gleanings by Neal Shusterman
Release Date: 8th November 2022
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
Rating: ★★★★

There are still countless tales of the Scythedom to tell. Centuries passed between the Thunderhead cradling humanity and Scythe Goddard trying to turn it upside down. For years humans lived in a world without hunger, disease, or death with Scythes as the living instruments of population control.

Neal Shusterman—along with collaborators David Yoon, Jarrod Shusterman, Sofía Lapuente, Michael H. Payne, Michelle Knowlden, and Joelle Shusterman—returns to the world throughout the timeline of the Arc of a Scythe series. Discover secrets and histories of characters you’ve followed for three volumes and meet new heroes, new foes, and some figures in between.

I should preface this review by declaring two things. First, I’m a huge fan of the Scythe trilogy. I’ve been reading Shusterman’s books since the Unwind days, and Scythe is perhaps one of my all time favourite series for the commentary and theology alone. Second, I can’t stand short story collections. I often find them difficult to read, poorly paced, and I struggle to jump in and out of each one.

So why did I request and read this book, you might ask? Because it’s a Scythe book! I love the world of the Scythe and after the explosive ending to The Toll I wanted more. I was really hoping we’d get to see more of where humans ended up after the conclusion to the original trilogy, and that’s what mostly kept me going.

What I didn’t realise, however, is this collection is written by several different authors. I feel like people (and the publisher) haven’t really been talking about this? As a self declared Massive Fan of the original trilogy and of Shusterman’s writing, I found it very jarring to read a story set in such a familiar world but written in such an unfamiliar style. I could tell these stories weren’t written by Shusterman. They had a different style and vibe.

I did enjoy some of the stories, though. Mostly the ones that Shusterman wrote himself. We got to revisit some of my favourite characters. Scythe Marie Curie got a couple of stories in here, and we also got to see Goddard’s origin story. It was wonderful! My favourite story was actually Cirri, because that’s what I’m now most interested in after finishing the series, but I also really enjoyed the three stories mentioned above.

There was a really strange story about a Scythe and his dog, which had be chuckling. Readers may feel as though that one could be left out but I honestly disagree.

I don’t think this is an anthology that everyone absolutely must read. It’s actually just one for massive Scythe fans, like myself, as it spoils all the events in the trilogy. I would recommend it if you can’t get enough of the Scythe world and the Thunderhead.