Romance readers! You’ve had chemistry with STEMinist romance, you’ve raced through sports romance. Now get ready for the ultimate crossover… Biochemistry major Keely has the next five years of her life down to a science. But when her grad school loan application is inexplicably rejected, her carefully calculated future spontaneously combusts. Her college’s Pursue Your Passions scholarship could be the answer. The problem? There’s one place left, and she’s not the only student in the running. Enter Max: a state champion sprinter who sets hearts racing on and off the track – and the one thing standing between Keely and her dreams. Keely knows the key to winning is keeping her head in the game. But when your opponent is Lycra-clad and… rippling?! Well, it’s hard to keep the chemistry to the lab. Experimenting with her heart could cost Keely everything she’s worked for. But staying away from Max might be a race she’s destined to lose…The Love Hypothesis meets Heated Rivalry in this spicy, dual-POV, academic rivals rom com – as nerdy as it is sure to raise your pulse.
A mother’s worst fear, a killer on the loose, a darkness visible… A gripping page-turner for readers of Candice Fox and Karen Slaughter from an award-winning author. Sergeant ‘Hex’ Rexford is the detective who caught the infamous serial killer Dr. Witcherton. Now, with a series of gruesome murders unfolding inside Coast Sanctuary – a hospital for the criminally insane – Witcherton claims to know who’s behind them. Hex takes the case, determined to uncover the truth, even as his own body is failing him. Beth Thompson is desperate to keep her children safe. Her violent ex is stalking her, her son’s behaviour is growing strange, and his beloved teddy bear, Theo, might be more than just a toy. When an elderly woman offers Beth a remote cottage, it feels like a chance to breathe – but safety is an illusion. Meanwhile, true crime podcasters Eve and Zane are chasing the story of the murders. But as Eve edges closer to the truth, the danger closes in. As past and present collide, and the body count rises, the threads connecting them all begin to tighten – and something terrifying is watching from the dark.
From the bestselling author of The Radio Hour comes this charming but pointed look at the tumultuous extraordinary decade of the 1960s, and the effects of the pill, rebellion and new ideas on ordinary Australian women as alongside shorter skirts and the Beatles, they embrace freedom… 1960s The Langley family – Olive, Len and their two daughters, twenty-year-old Cathy and ten-year-old Evelyn – live a peaceful suburban life, although Grandma Langley turns up each Sunday lunch like a bad fairy to castigate them for their dubious morals. Cathy, training to be a teacher, thinks women have it tough. No sex until marriage, then no work, child after child and the sacrifice of their desires to church, husband and family. Cathy is determined not to marry right away. Once married, it’s all over. A life no longer her own. Young Evelyn wants to be a fairy princess … until she sees for herself the price women pay for such dreams. When the new contraceptive pill arrives women can suddenly sense freedom. But powerful forces are aligned against women’s reproductive choice and a fight begins. A fight that takes on their own doctors, the might of the Catholic church, and the outdated morality of previous generations.
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR @bookdatereads #SundayPost @caffienatedreviewer #SundaySalon @debnance I’m #reading #HeartRacer #DarkSanctuary #TheMarriageTrap
It is a sad truth that I have a finite lifespan (and budget) yet a desire to read all the books. The books on my Reading Schedule (click the link to view) largely represent those I’ve been privileged to select from offerings by a range of generous publishers, and therefore are my priority, but they don’t embody my every bookish desire or interest.
I’ve noticed a trend for limiting to-be-read (TBR) and/or want-to-read (WTR) lists (the distinction for me being those already on my physical or digital shelves vs those that aren’t), but I’ve never felt the need to temper my book lust. If I see a book that interests me, I add it to my WTR without a skerrick of guilt, at the moment my WTR shelf at Goodreads has over four thousand books on it.
As I currently feature my TBR in my monthly Bookshelf Bounty post, Book Lust will be a monthly post featuring a handful of already published books I’ve recently added to my WTR.
What books are you lusting after? Do you have any of these on your TBR/WTR list? And please feel free to share your links in the comments if you have reviewed them.
(Covers are linked to Goodreads)
WHY?: The title caught my attention
‘For so long we’d been on the same path together. But somehow, along the way, I turned around and Genevieve kept going.’ Charlie, a prime-time radio producer in her early thirties, has always had a big group of friends – until she left her husband, and they all sided with him. Now she finds herself floundering in a sea of awkward run-ins and silent group chats. When her best friend Genevieve starts moving on with her life, too, Charlie realises how few significant people she has around her, and what a lonely place that can be. Dreading the prospect of returning to her childhood home for the anniversary of her father’s death, she busies herself by seeking new friendships – book clubs, pub crawls, team sports, the works. But Charlie’s determination to surround herself with unfamiliar people forces her to confront her insecurities. What kind of life does she want? And who does she really want to spend it with?
WHY?: The central characters are the children of Jane Austen’s famous couples, a fresh twist on the plethora of retellings and variations.
A summer house party turns into a whodunit when Mr. Wickham, one of literature’s most notorious villains, meets a sudden and suspicious end in this mystery featuring Jane Austen’s leading literary characters. The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new acquaintances—characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. Definitely not invited is Mr. Wickham, whose latest financial scheme has netted him an even broader array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered—except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst. Nearly everyone at the house party is a suspect, so it falls to the party’s two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, eager for adventure beyond Northanger Abbey; and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son, whose adherence to propriety makes his father seem almost relaxed. The unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is sentenced to hang.
WHY?: The premise is intriguing
The average restless American will move 11.7 times in a lifetime. For Melody Warnick, it was move #6, from Austin, Texas, to Blacksburg, Virginia, that threatened to unhinge her. In the lonely aftermath of unpacking, she began to wonder. Aren’t we supposed to put down roots at some point? How does the place we live become the place we want to stay? This time, she had an epiphany. Rather than hold her breath and hope this new town would be her family’s perfect fit, she would figure out how to fall in love with it—no matter what. How we come to feel at home in our towns and cities is what Warnick sets out to discover in This Is Where You Belong. She dives into the body of research around place attachment—the deep sense of connection that binds some of us to our cities and increases our physical and emotional well-being—then travels to towns across America to see it in action. Inspired by a growing movement of placemaking, she examines what its practitioners are doing to create likeable locales. She also speaks with frequent movers and loyal stayers around the country to learn what draws highly mobile Americans to a new city, and what makes us stay. The best ideas she imports to her adopted hometown of Blacksburg for a series of Love Where You Live experiments designed to make her feel more locally connected. Dining with her neighbors. Shopping Small Business Saturday. Marching in the town Christmas parade. Can these efforts make a halfhearted resident happier? Will Blacksburg be the place she finally stays? What Warnick learns will inspire you to embrace your own community—and perhaps discover that the place where you live right now . . . is home.
WHY?:Who can resist a sentient Roomba?
In a near future, where even the smallest of appliances are sentient, a young Roomba vacuum sets out to save the humans of her house from a rising technological power in this compelling, original novel. In a self-running, smart house, a young and sentient Roomba listens as her owner, Harold, reads aloud to his dying wife, Edie. Mesmerized by To Kill a Mockingbird and craving the human connection she witnesses in Harold’s stories, the little vacuum renames herself Scout and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. But when Edie passes away, Scout and her fellow sentient appliances discover that there are sinister forces in their midst. The omnipresent Grid, which monitors every household in the City, seeks to remove Harold from his home, a place he’s lived in for fifty years. With the help of Adrian, a neighborhood boy who grows close to Scout and Harold, as well as Kate, Harold and Edie’s formerly estranged daughter, the humans and the appliances must come together to outwit the all-controlling Grid lest they risk losing everything they hold dear.
WHY?: This is the first in a fun sounding series which features a bookstore owner who hunts various cryptids
A Wisconsin bookstore owner and cryptozoologist is asked to investigate a series of deaths that just might be proof of a fabled lake monster in this first installment of a new mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Annelise Ryan. Morgan Carter, owner of the Odds and Ends bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin, has a hobby. When she’s not tending the store, she’s hunting cryptids—creatures whose existence is rumored, but never proven to be real. It’s a hobby that cost her parents their lives, but one she’ll never give up on. So when a number of bodies turn up on the shores of Lake Michigan with injuries that look like bites from a giant unknown animal, police chief Jon Flanders turns to Morgan for help. A skeptic at heart, Morgan can’t turn down the opportunity to find proof of an entity whose existence she can’t definitively rule out. She and her beloved rescue dog, Newt, journey to the Death’s Door strait to hunt for a homicidal monster in the lake—but if they’re not careful, they just might be its next victims.
WHY?: I’m interested inthe insight into an unfamiliar culture
In 2023, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing became the literary sensation of the year in China. Hu Anyan’s story, about short-term jobs in various anonymous megacities, hit a nerve with a generation of young people who feel at odds with an ever-growing pressure to perform and succeed. Hu started posting essays about his experiences online during COVID lockdowns. His recollection of night shifts in a huge logistics center in the south of China went his nights were so hot that he could drink three liters of water without taking a toilet break; his days were spent searching for affordable rooms with proper air-conditioning; and his few moments of leisure were consumed by calculations of the amount of alcohol needed to sleep but not feel drowsy a few hours later. Hu Anyan tells us about brutal work, where there is no real future in sight. But Hu is armed with deadpan humor and a strong idea of self. He moves on when he feels stuck—from logistics in the south, to parcel delivery in Beijing, to other impossible jobs. Along the way, he turns to reading and writing for strength and companionship. I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is an honest and startling first-person portrait of Hu Anyan’s struggle against the dehumanizing nature of our contemporary global work system—and his discovery of the power of sharing a story.
Book Lust is a monthly post featuring a handful of published books I’ve recently added to my WTR #read #books #BookLust #TBR #WTR #lovereading #bibliophile #fiction #Nonfiction
Though I prefer to avoid the horror genre I was willing to take a risk with Femme Feral, in part because of my empathy for anyone suffering perimenopause, but also to take a step out of my comfort zone in honour of the Speccy Fiction Challenge.
To be honest I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it. The social commentary is on point, not only as Ellie struggles to balance the demands of work and family while overlooking her own needs; but with regards to the medical misogyny, attitudes to ageing, and the entitlement of so many of the men in the story. The none too subtle analogy between the symptoms of perimenopause and ‘the beast’ is in some ways all too relatable (The insomnia! The brain fog! The hair!); and there’s some satisfaction in Ellie’s revenge.
At times Femme Feral made me snigger, but it’s also not unexpectedly, very dark. Quite apart from multiple gruesomely described pet and people deaths, Beckbessinger explores serious topics including eating disorders, domestic violence, stalking, and suicidal ideation.
While the horror elements didn’t bother me and I appreciated Femme Feral’s sharp commentary and fearless exploration of feminine rage, I’m left feeling rather ambivalent about the story as a whole. Ultimately Femme Feral is a book I admired rather than enjoyed.
#bookreview Femme Feral by Sam Beckbessinger @Bloomsburypublishing #read #book #review #fiction #horror #SpeccyFicChal #2026NewReleaseChallenge #FemmeFeral Learn more at Book’d Out
Mystery, magic, romance, The Alchemary, a captivating new fantasy series by Rachel Vincent, has it all.
When Amber Fallbrook, a star student on the cusp of graduation from The Alchemary, wakes to realise she has no memory of the past three years she is bewildered and anxious. With the deadly Mastery Trials that will determine her future just weeks away, if Amber can’t reverse the amnesia she has only two choices; to drop out and forfeit her dreams; or relearn everything she has forgotten, and risk catastrophic failure.
The looming deadline of the Trials lends a strong sense of urgency as Amber endeavours to understand what has happened to her. I was invested in her mission to uncover the cause of her amnesia and unravel the meaning of the hidden symbols scattered across campus, though I do feel the former deserved slightly more narrative focus than the latter.
Vincent establishes the world of the Alchemary with satisfying detail, weaving in elements of its history, politics, and people. The setting of the University evokes something like Oxford, prestigious and majestic. The magic system, rooted in alchemy and the crafting of potions, is particularly interesting. At its heart lies the ultimate ambition of any alchemist – the creation of the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, capable of transforming metal into gold, curing illness, and extending life.
Amber is surprised when she learns that she has spent her time at university ruthlessly focused on creating the mythical Stone. With no recollection of making that choice, or of who she became because of it, Amber is forced to confront a version of herself that feels like a stranger. Post-amnesia Amber is far more likeable, and internal conflict adds to the appeal of her character.
While there are hints of a love triangle, the dynamic between Amber and brothers Desmond and Wilder is more nuanced than expected. Both characters are distinct and compelling in their own ways, and I appreciated how the romantic thread developed without overshadowing the central mystery.
Offering plenty of tension, intriguing mysteries, and a richly imagined magical world, The Alchemary is a strong start to the Alchemy Trials series and I’m looking forward to reading more.
#bookreview The Alchemary by Rachel Vincent @DisneyBooks #read #book #review #fiction #fantasy #readingchallenge #SpeccyFicChal #2026NewReleaseChallenge #TheAlchemary Learn more at Book’d Out
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
This week’s theme is “Books Set in Places on My Bucket List’. I had a vague desire to travel when I was younger but it was never a priority and these days I’m happy to stay close to home. That said there are places around the world that intrigue me for one reason or another and I’ve used those to create this list. I don’t really keep track of where the books I read are set (unless they are Australian) so I decided it was easier to pull from my TBR.
Click on the cover to learn more at Goodreads
Canada
Scotland
Ireland
Norway
Prague
Turkey
Greece
Egypt
Croatia
Portugal
Have a terrific Tuesday!
Today is Top Ten Tuesday #TTT hosted by @artsyreadergirl #books #bookblogger This week I’m sharing books set in places on my bucket list. Learn more at Book’d Out
I hope you are having a lovely weekend. Easter provides a four day weekend in Australia, and because my husband’s boss is off surfing in Bali again, Ron has been given Thursday and Tuesday off as well. Since we had to cancel our trip, we had planned to finish off the garage repair but it’s been raining every day so far!
I made chocolate bark in lieu of buying Easter eggs this year
My mother has given me a task though which is likely to take me a while. Tragically my aunt passed away in car accident when she was sixteen. A few months later my mum (who was five years older) and my grandmother took a trip abroad. My grandmother kept a record in an exercise book of that trip in her lovely copperplate script that my mum rediscovered recently and has asked me to create a typed copy.
A warm, witty and uplifting coming of middle-age novel set in 1930s Australia about shaking off the dust and making a new start. When her husband departs, her adventure begins… 1933. In the tiny outback town of Bittamilla, Winifred Peters is burying her husband after decades of silent submission, surrounded by her ungrateful collection of children and their grasping partners. On discovering a surprise inheritance, Winifred makes a sudden decision to flee the town, and when she encounters a young wife taking refuge from her abusive husband, the two women head for bustling Sydney. There will be bumps on the road, but the city brings unexpected adventures, new friends and the chance to finally find their voices. But when the past catches up with them, will they be able to hold on to their hard-won freedom?
Everybody knows that Cherry’s husband, Tom, is in Hollywood making a movie… Almost nobody knows that he isn’t coming home. Tom is the creator of Thursday–a semi-autobiographical webcomic, turned bestselling graphic novel, turned international phenomenon. Semi-autobiographical. That means there’s a character in this movie based on Cherry… “Baby.” Wide-hipped, heavy-chested, double-chinned Baby. Cherry never wanted this. No fat girl wants to see herself caricatured on the page–let alone on the big screen. But there’s no getting away from it. Baby looks so much like Cherry that strangers recognize her at the grocery store. While her soon-to-be ex-husband is in Los Angeles getting rich and famous and being the Internet’s latest boyfriend, Cherry is stuck in Omaha taking care of the dog he always wanted and the house they were going to raise a family in…and wondering who she’s supposed to be without him. Cherry had promised to love Tom through thick and thin. She’d meant it. One night, Cherry decides to leave all her problems, including Tom’s overgrown puppy, at home. She ventures out to see her favorite band play her favorite album…and someone recognizes her from across the room. Russ Sutton knew Cherry when she was a young art student with a fondness for pin-up dresses and patent leather heels. Before Tom. Russ knows Cherry. He likes Cherry. And best of all…he’s never heard of Thursday.
It’s been 25 years since they graduated…but revenge never gets old. When murder strikes at Bathory College’s 25-year reunion, the clues to the killing can be found a quarter of a century ago on Graduation Day 2000. As the secrets, tragedies and betrayals from twenty-five years before played out at the reunion, someone from the Class of 2000 was taught a deadly lesson. Twelve witnesses – or are they suspects? – from the Bathory students and staff recount events in the years 2000 and 2025 while the murder trial unfolds before us. But who is the victim? Who is accused of being the killer? And is the right person even on trial? The truth will be uncovered… but only by degrees.
After a devastating heartbreak, a teen girl decides to spend her summer helping her eccentric great aunt manage her quaint Vermont inn–but this fixer-upper is hiding a magical secret–in this cozy and irresistable new fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop. Sixteen-year-old Calisa is desperate for a change of scenery after her lying ex ruins her perfect Brooklyn summer. When her parents suggest she head to rural Vermont to help her great-aunt run her cozy bed and breakfast for a few months, she jumps at the chance. But when Calisa arrives at the B&B, she’s shocked to find a rundown inn with only a handful of guests. And to make matters worse, upon meeting with her great-aunt it quickly becomes clear that Calisa was not invited. Auntie Zee is determined to keep anyone from messing with her beloved inn…even if it is clear she needs the help. To earn her keep, Calisa sets to work fixing up the inn, enlisting extra help from the groundskeeper’s (handsome) son. But the longer she stays, the more it becomes evident that there is something strange about the B&B—and its residents. Something almost…otherworldly. The inn is keeping a magical secret—but to protect the place she’s come to love, Calisa must unravel the truth of it, and her aunt, before it’s too late.
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR @bookdatereads #SundayPost @caffienatedreviewer #SundaySalon @debnance I’m #reading #CherryBaby #ADegreeofMurder #TheFarawayInn #WinifredPetersIsNotSorryForHerLoss
Each month I highlight some of the reviews shared for the challenge in the LINKY
Don’t forget to link each book you read as you read during the year!
I encourage you to support all participants who have shared what they are reading for the challenge. Give them a like, leave them a comment, share their posts on your social media channels using #ReadNonFicChal
[SCIENCE]
Exploring geography, ecology, climate change, natural history and social history, Rutt’s graceful writing makes chemistry and physics compelling. It’s a book to dip in and out of, a restful place to savour when the demands and ugliness of our world gets too much.
Despite being reasonably familiar with the history of Pompeii, I felt that the immediacy of The Lost Voices of Pompeii gave me more insight into the tragedy, and I found the virtual experience of walking alongside Venner’s characters to be fascinating.
I loved this book. It is an uplifting story of the brave women of Afghanistan who eked out a life under the most horrific circumstances. It gives me hope that I can handle anything that life throws my way.
It’s an addictive collection. One of the reasons that I enjoy reading non fiction is because, it’s generally easier to put down – chapters are often self-contained and I don’t have the pressure of having to find out what happens next. I assumed that as these were all separate entries, it would be easy to just read a couple at a time. However, I found so many of the chosen extracts so interesting that I kept wanting to read just one more.
2026 Nonfiction Reader Challenge Monthly Spotlight for MARCH #readnonficchal #readingchallenge #nonfiction #bookblogger #books #read #join See what people have been reading at Book’d Out
Your Behaviour Will Be Monitored is a sharp and compelling novel that explores AI sentience, self interest, and a disquieting near future.
Already responsible for some of the biggest innovations in Artificial Intelligence megacorporation UniView is working feverishly on the development of a new generation of AI which will revolutionise advertising. While the engineers work tirelessly to ensure Quinn, the AI bot, has the data it needs to be successful, Noah a disgraced advertising executive, is brought on to train Quinn in the finer points of creating ad copy. Barely computer literate, Noah is initially bemused by his task, but he becomes increasingly unnerved as the line between programmed intelligence and true sentience becomes less clear.
Feinstein builds the tension as Noah, head engineer Simon, and Ethics programmer Haley begin to suspect that the UniView AI may be evading their controls. CEO Ian’s interest is only in the potential of personal profit, not the consequences of his creation. The well paced plot develops smoothly, both leaning into and veering from expectation.
Cleverly told through surveillance logs, chat transcripts, texts, and emails, the epistolary format works perfectly to vividly communicate character and setting.
The main characters are archetypical in a way, but not without purpose. Noah offers the perspective of an outsider who sees the online and physical realms as distinct spaces, while Simon has all but lost that ability. Haley and Ian are two extremes of the self interest that plagues humans. The AI bots, Sam, Lex and Quinn also have distinct personalities which read as remarkably human.
Delivered with unexpected wit, Feinstein uses his experience of corporate culture, and advertising specifically, to great effect. There’s an authenticity that will resonate with anyone who has worked in a modern day office, or experienced the eerie effect of targeted advertising after a casual conversation within earshot of your phone.
Timely and thought-provoking Your Behaviour Will Be Monitored is an engaging exploration of AI, humanity and the precipice on which we stand
#bookreview Your Behaviour Will Be Monitored by Justin Feinstein @TachyonPub #read #book #review #fiction #SpeccyFicChal #ScienceFiction #SciFi #hopepunk #2026NewReleaseChallenge #readingchallenge #YourBehaviourWillBeMonitored Learn more at Book’d Out
A Widow’s Charm is an enchanting historical cozy fantasy romance by debut author Caitlin Paxson.
In the Far Reach of the King’s Gaze Lady Hildegarde is horrified to discover her husband of fifteen years, Thorgoode, Lord of Croftholde, has succumbed to a heart attack. It’s less grief that prompts Hilde to hide his body, and use her forbidden magical Charm to sustain the freshness of his flesh, than fear. Without her husband’s protection, the holdings and its people, will be at the mercy of Thorgoode’s cruel brother, Harrier. In desperation, Hilde pins her hopes on the assistance of Lord Elmwood, currently hiding out on a neighbouring estate having fled charges of heresy, among others, after the use of his taboo resurrection Charm on the battlefield.
Having been discharged in disgrace from the Queen’s service, stripped of his estate and holdings, and left with less status than his late father’s favourite hunting dog, Lord Erol Elmwood is wallowing in self-pity while nursing an injury in the only refuge remaining to him in Eldmere. The arrival of Lady Hilde at his door raises Elmwood’s hope for a charming distraction from his misery, until she asks him for the one thing he’s sworn he’ll never do again, no matter the consequences.
What follows is a delightfully chaotic battle of wills as Hilde’s desperation intensifies and Elmwood stubbornly refuses to yield. I particularly enjoyed the development of their relationship as they navigated this conflict. Told from a dual perspective, the pair share excellent chemistry, with plenty of banter, innuendo, and a satisfying undercurrent of yearning as their feelings deepen.
The supporting cast adds further appeal to the story. Rollo the hound is certain to be a reader favourite, while Hilde’s taciturn sister Han, Elmwood’s loyal lawyer and friend Winthrop, and the sweet but clueless Isolde all play their parts well. I couldn’t bear (that’s an inside joke) Harrier, he’s a thoroughly irredeemable villain.
Though A Widow’s Charm both begins and ends with death and touches on themes such as PTSD, it remains, at its heart, a lighthearted and cozy read. I enjoyed the magic system and the medieval-inspired setting, which provides an appealing backdrop for the story’s romance and intrigue.
Charming, witty, and full of heart, A Widow’s Charm was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
#bookreview A Widow’s Charm by Caitlin Paxson @HachetteUK #read #book #review #fiction #historical #fantasy #cozyfantasy #romantasy #debut #SpeccyFicChal #2026GreatCanadianReadingChallenge #histficreadingchallenge #2026NewReleaseChallenge #AWidowsCharm Learn more at Book’d Out
“It all started at that bloody gym. To be honest I didn’t realise she’d been going for as long as she had. You know how it is, they tell you something but you don’t always listen. She started going to that gym, and she met those women and she lost her bloody mind.’
Three very different women find the courage to reclaim their lives in The Angry Wives Club, a witty and subversive novel from Australian author Gabbie Stroud.
Joany, Heather and Steph are women who have had enough. Enough of casual disrespect and being taken for granted, enough of mansplainers and womanisers, and enough of bearing the shame that belongs to the men who hurt women. After a successful, if clandestine (and not quite legal), protest against the gym where the women first met, the three are inspired to continue their secret rebellion as an outlet for their simmering rage.
They are a delightful trio who find much needed support and validation in their new friendship. Heather is the instigator, reeling after her husband of 26 years casually admits to an affair and demands a divorce; Steph is the cheerleader, weighed down by the demands of three young children, and a husband that takes her for granted; while 72 year old Joany, who has always done what is expected of her, is ready to break all the rules. I enjoyed the women’s antics, even when they veered toward the outrageous, and was firmly on their side every step of the way.
While there is plenty of humour, The Angry Wives Club also offers real emotional depth. Stroud tackles challenging issues including domestic violence, SIDS, and historical sexual assault with sensitivity and care, writing with empathy for both her characters and the circumstances they navigate.
Funny, bold, and provocative, The Angry Wives Club is a cathartic and entertaining exploration of female friendship, righteous anger, and the power of women who decide they’ve had enough.
#bookreview The Angry Wives Club by Gabbie Stroud @AllenandUnwin #read #book #review #fiction #contemporary #2026NewReleaseChallenge #AussieAuthor #TheAngryWivesClub Learn more at Book’d Out
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