Wendy: 

LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO BY

john Lanchester

 

 

This is the ultimate tale of revenge and I couldn't put it down. A black comedy that uncurls a marriage betrayal from beyond the grave. 

jenna:

This is where the Serpent Lives  

 

I picked this up after reading an adoring Guardian review. 

 

Set in Pakistan over 50 years, This is Where the Serpent Lives follows four interlinked stories. A wide cast of characters demonstrate a deeply ingrained class structure that cannot be shaken. Vividly told, expertly weaved and culturally rich. 

Rhi: 

Is This a cry for help? by emily austin

 

As a queer (former) librarian, Emily Austin's Is This a Cry for Help? hit home in a very tender way. This gentle slice-of-life story follows Darcy, a librarian living with her wife and their cats in a lake house. Darcy is contending with the recent death of her ex-boyfriend, and her subsequent mental health struggles as she reflects on their time together. At work, she faces right-wing criticism of library policies - alongside trying to support unhoused patrons and organise community events. Austin having been a librarian herself makes complete sense, as her depiction of working in this space is incredibly accurate and validating!

katie:

Hooked by asako Yuzuki

 

Asako Yuzuki's Hooked takes you under the surface of two women's seemingly perfect lives to reveal depths filled with loneliness, obsession and self doubt. Sharp and wryly funny, Hooked will keep you - well, hooked - as Shoko and Eriko's lives unravel. 

Pip:

A Long winter by Colm Tóibín

 

I hesitate to write too much about A Long Winter in fear of my thoughts on it ending up longer than the novella itself. At just under 150 pages, this is a short and somber story that I roared through in one sitting - completely immersed, as always, by Tóibín's trademark style. A story that is devastating, uplifting, and psychologically intricate all at once, this was a truly beautiful reading experience that has already become one of my top 2026 titles.

Nate: 

Whidbey by 

 

Madden's prose, characterisation and plotting are so self assured in Whidbey that I was shocked to see it was her debut novel. It opens with the death of a sex offender and the ripples that causes among the community, along with a central question- who killed him? While this mystery runs through Whidbey, Madden centers the book, to its advantage, on the survivors. In doing so, she builds a complex and sensitive portrait of living with trauma, constructing characters so real they sometimes threaten to step out of the page. A read that, while dark, will be one of the most talked about debuts of 2026.

RACHEL:

Endling by Maria reva

 

Endling is unlike anything I have read before. From the rag-tag cast of characters (including last of their kind snails) to the bizarre and twisty storyline - and of course the invasion that breaks the world of the novel (and the novelistic form itself!!) wide open - Endling continued to surprise and amuse me. I'm amazed that this is Maria Reva's debut novel and I look forward to the conversations this debut will open up.

Amelie: The loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

 

Despite The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny being 670 pages long I was still wishing for more. It's difficult to summarise because there are truly so many ideas being explored. Kiran Desai's prose is a pleasure to read, she beautifully describes the many settings, while reading it feels like you can be transported straight from Vermont to Delhi. Her characterisation is vivid and the reader doesn't only get to meet Sonia and Sunny, but members of their extended families, staff, and friends. It is a gorgeous exploration of loneliness, colonialism, family, and identity. Even into the last few chapters it was a page turner, and I would love to get a chance to immerse myself in the world again. 

Frances:

The work of angels by

anisha sankar

 

An erudite, tender and timeless debut collection from one of Aotearoa's brightest political thinkers who is also, as it turns out, one of our best poets. Clear-eyed, curious and utterly exacting in execution, Sankar goes straight to my top shelf.