Book Reviews
There are a lot of books out there, and sometimes choosing your next read can be the hardest part. We are pretty passionate about finding the books that stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page. The team reads widely, from gripping mysteries to thought-provoking non-fiction. Here you’ll find our honest review - books we’ve loved, books that surprised us, and the ones we simply couldn’t put down. So grab a cuppa, settle in, and let us help you find your next great read.
The Starving Bride
As booksellers, there are certain authors whose new releases immediately get our attention. Catherine Chidgey is one of them. When we hear that she has a new novel coming, there is a sense of anticipation (and,...
The Unlikely Doctor
Every second month, our Reality Readers Book Club meets at Petronella’s Bookstore to discuss a work of non-fiction. This month’s selection was The Unlikely Doctor by Dr. Timoti...
The Gloam
We love it when we find a great young readers novel. This is a brilliant debut for UK author, Jack Mackay, who is a self-proclaimed horror enthusiast. About...
Lessons on Living
In September 2025, Nigel Latta passed away from gastric cancer, one year after his diagnosis, when doctors had given him just six to twelve months to live. On...
He Told Us
He Told Us is one of those books you almost don't want to pick up. Not because it isn't well written, but because you know the story it...
The Nowhere Boy
Every parent's worst nightmare becomes reality in this novel, when three-year-old Oliver disappears from a remote beach car park. His young father, Scott, leaves him sleeping in the...
The Midnight Train
If you’ve ever read The Midnight Library, you’ll already know how brilliantly Matt Haig takes the simplest of situations and turns them into something unexpectedly powerful. He has...
The End and The Beginning
It takes something truly special for a book to move a reader to tears, and it’s only in the final pages that the full weight of this story...
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