READALONG: The It Girl by Ruth Ware

“Everyone wanted her life. Someone wanted her dead.”

Due to be published on 8th August, The It Girl by Ruth Ware follows Hannah and Will who, relieved to put their past behind them, are expecting their first child. But when Hannah finds out that the man convicted of killing her best friend from university over ten years ago has died, Hannah’s world is rocked. April was vivacious, bright, and the ultimate It girl. But by the end of the second year, she was dead. Now, Hannah’s recollection of the night is brought into question, when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that he may have been innocent all along. But if it wasn’t him, who did kill April?

READALONG: Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

“If you’re on the list you’re marked for death. But why?”

Published in March 2022, Nine Lives by Peter Swanson sees nine strangers each receive an envelope, dropped through their letterbox like any other piece of post. The envelope is unremarkable. There is no return address. It contains a single, folded, sheet of white paper. But for these nine complete strangers, each of them recognising just one name, their own, on the enclosed list. It will be the most life-altering letter they have ever received. It could also be the last, as one by one, they start to meet their end.

READALONG: Do No Harm by Jack Jordan

“I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES. WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?”

Set to be released in May 2022, Do No Harm by Jack Jordan follows surgeon Anna Jones whose son has been kidnapped. To save his life, she has been given a choice. Kill a patient on the operating table, or never see him again.

READALONG: The Dark by Emma Haughton

“ONE DEAD BODY. TWELVE SUSPECTS. TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR DARKNESS.”

The Dark by Emma Haughton is set in the most inhospitable environment – cut off from the rest of the world – where a killer is on the loose. A&E doctor Kate North has been knocked out of her orbit by a personal tragedy. So when she’s offered the chance to be an emergency replacement at the UN research station in Antarctica, she jumps at the chance. The move seems an ideal solution for Kate: no one knows about her past; no one is checking up on her. But when she finds out that the previous doctor, Jean-Luc, died in a tragic accident while out on the ice, she begins to suspect that Jean-Luc’s death wasn’t accidental at all. And the more questions she asks, the more dangerous it becomes for them all…

READALONG: Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder #2) by Holly Jackson

“But justice doesn’t exist, and the truth doesn’t matter, not in the real world.”

The second book in the A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series, Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson picks up with Pip who is releasing the first series of her true-crime podcast about the murder case she solved last year with the help of her now-boyfriend, Ravi. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her. She is not a detective anymore. But then someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, and the police won’t do anything about it. So if they won’t look for Jamie, Pip will. And this time, everyone is listening.

READALONG: People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd

“She has an easy life – but makes a living from pretending otherwise. She has a husband who hates the spotlight – but can’t step away. She has a million followers who adore her – but one who wants her to suffer. She hasn’t realised her family is in danger yet – but she will.”

People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd follows Instagram sensation, Emmy Jackson, known by her fans as Mamabare. People have always liked Emmy, especially online where she is famous for always telling the unvarnished truth about modern parenthood. But Emmy isn’t as honest as she’d like the fans to believe. She may think she has her followers fooled, but someone out there knows the truth and plans to make her pay. Because people like her have no idea what pain careless words can cause. Because people like her need to learn what it feels like to lose everything…

READALONG: The Forevers by Chris Whitaker

“What would you do if you knew the world was going to be destroyed by a huge asteroid in one month?”

The Forevers by Chris Whitaker follows Mae and her friends who know that the end is coming. They saw it ten years back, when it was far enough away in space and time and meaning. The changes were gradual, and then sudden. Now, they must navigate a life where action and consequence are no longer related. Where the popular are both trophies and targets. And where petty grudges turn deadlier with each passing day. With teachers losing control of their students and themselves, and the end rushing toward all of them, it leaves everyone facing the answer to one, simple question: What would you do if you could get away with anything?

READALONG: The End Of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

“Only men are affected by the virus; only women have the power to save us all.”

Released in April 2021, The End Of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird is set in the year 2025 in a world where a mysterious virus has broken out in Scotland, a lethal illness that seems to affect only men. When Dr Amanda MacLean reports this phenomenon, she is dismissed as hysterical. By the time her warning is heeded, it is too late. The virus becomes a global pandemic, and the victims are all men.

READALONG: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

“So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s going to be really hard; we’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, every day. You and me… every day.”

Nicholas Sparks‘ first novel, originally published in 1996, The Notebook tells a story in an old notebook, which is read to an elderly woman by a sad stranger. It is the story of Noah and Allie, who fell in love but were kept apart for many years. When Allie shows up on his doorstep, exactly as he has held her in his memory for all these years, Noah has one last chance to win her back. Only this time, it’s not just her parents in the way – Allie is engaged and she’s not a woman to go back on her promises. But she cannot stop thinking about the boy who stole her heart years ago. And so begins an extraordinary tale of a love so strong it turns tragedy into strength and endures everything . . .

READALONG: The Shadow Friend by Alex North

“There were good memories here too. Moments that, looking back on them objectively, had been filled with light. The problem was that what happened later cast such a shadow they were hard to see.”

Originally published in 2020, The Shadow Friend by Alex North follows lecturer Paul who has never forgiven himself for his part in what happened twenty-five years ago. During their school years, Paul’s friend Charlie Crabtree brutally killed their classmate – and then vanished without a trace. Paul hasn’t been back home since. But when his elderly mother has a fall, it’s finally time for him to stop running. It’s not long before things start to go wrong, though. His mother claims there’s someone in the house, and Paul soon realises someone is following him, too. And, in a town many miles away, a copycat killer has struck. Which makes him wonder – what really happened to Charlie the day of the murder? And can anyone stop it from happening again?

READALONG: Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid

“I don’t need you to be mad that it happened. I need you to be mad that it just like… happens.”

The 2020 book Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid follows a young black babysitter, Emira Tucker, who is confronted while watching two-year-old Briar one night, when a security guard at their local high-end supermarket accuses Emira of kidnapping. A small crowd gathers, and a bystander films everything. Her boss, Alix Chamberlain, resolves to make it right. But Emira is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix’s desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix’s past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other.

READALONG: The Appeal by Janice Hallett

“Will you accept the challenge? Can you uncover the truth? Do you dare?”

Set to be released on 14th January 2021, The Appeal by Janice Hallett tells a story through a series of documents – including emails, texts, and letters – relating to the events surrounding the Fairway Players’ staging of All My Sons, and the tragic death of one of its members. Another member is currently in prison for the crime. As the reader, it is your job to read through these documents to see if the killer has given themselves away. Will you accept the challenge? Can you predict correctly and save someone for being wrongly imprisoned?

READALONG: The Twelve Dates Of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss

“People confused nostalgia with love and end up getting divorces or having affairs and all sorts. No, I think if you haven’t kept in touch for twenty years, there’s probably a good reason.”

The 2020 festive book by Jenny Bayliss, The Twelve Dates Of Christmas sees happily single Kate Turner take a chance on an organised event hosted by a brand new dating app service. But this event won’t see Kate on a single date. Over the month of December, she will be set up on twelve dates, each tailored to help her find perfect harmony. Between catching up with her oldest friend Laura, baking for her friend Matt’s cafe, holding down a flourishing career as a fabric designer, and taking care of her beloved dad, love hasn’t had a look in on Kate’s life recently. But Kate does love Christmas, so when Laura insists she signs up to the Twelve Dates of Christmas, she doesn’t need too much persuading. Twelve perfect festive dates with the area’s most eligible men – she’s bound to like one of them, right?