Welcome to my book reviews. This is where every book I’ve read and had something to say about ends up, gathered in one place and added to as I go.
I read widely, but I keep circling back to literary and speculative fiction: dystopian, sci-fi, new adult, and the quietly literary novels that stay with you long after the last page. I review books from everywhere, not only Australian ones, though I’ll always point you to where you can find a copy here at home.
What I can promise is honesty. I’m a writer myself, so I read with a critical eye, and I won’t tell you I loved something I didn’t. Every review covers the same ground: what the book is about, what worked and what didn’t, a rating out of five, and where to read or listen to it in Australia. Newest reviews sit up top. Have a scroll, and if one helps you find your next read or saves you from a dud, that’s the job done.
Latest Reviews
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A book I admired more than I enjoyed. The writing is exceptional. The plot is almost nothing. Both of those things are true, and it’s still worth reading.
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I read this for book club. I made it to page 109 before putting it down and accepting that life is too short and my to-read list is too long.
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I watched the first episode of the HBO series and wasn’t sure it was for me. Three days and 337 pages later, I was very glad I’d given it another chance.
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Buckeye is immersive, beautifully researched, and written by someone who clearly knows how to construct a sentence. It also kept me at arm’s length for most of its 448 pages. Both of those things are true.
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Teenage me would have made this book my entire personality. Adult me finished it in nine days and felt every single one of them.
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At a glance The Poet Michael Connelly Genre Crime Fiction / Thriller Format Paperback (1996 edition) Source Gifted Did I finish it? Yes My rating 3 / 5 Read if …
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The writing is lovely. The story has been told before. Weyward is three stars of a very specific kind; the kind where the craft outpaces the originality.
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A Romantasy sceptic’s honest take on Devney Perry’s Shield of Sparrows. Four stars, a bobbing throat, and a genuine recommendation — with where to find it in Australia.
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Ninety new library copies appeared overnight and I jumped to the front of the queue. That kind of thing feels like a sign. It wasn’t — at least not for me.
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A green notebook. A café in London. Six strangers who all, apparently, stop to read it and pour their hearts onto the page. It is giving airport table impulse purchase — and not in a good way.
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A 17-year-old girl. Her 40-year-old teacher. Thinning hair, a growing paunch, and a life that has quietly curdled around him. Half His Age is not a romance — and that’s exactly the point.