A Cork Fairytale by Amy Louise O'Callaghan

The Three Bears can't agree on the perfect presents for a special friend. Can Goldilocks help them find gifts that are JUST RIGHT?

Join them on a fun-filled trip around Cork’s best-loved locations.

Shandon Tower – Fitzgerald’s Park – English Market – Everyman theatre

Blarney – Cobh – Blackrock Castle

A Blooming Great Day by Úna Woods

We go down the steps and ... What’s happening here?

Why’s everyone wearing this old-fashioned gear?

Eccles Street looks like it did years ago.

A lady in a big poofy dress says hello.

It seems like just another ordinary day for Rosie and her grandad. But as soon as they step outside, they find themselves on a blooming great adventure around Dublin on the 16th of June, 1904!

Happy #BookBirthday! 11th April 2024

Happy Thursday! This week there are  books on our lists publishing!

Loyally, Luke by Pepper Basham

A flannel-wearing man’s man inexplicably finds himself living out all the rom-com movie tropes as he falls in love with a true-blue princess. 

Luke Edgewood isn’t a romantic. Or, at least, he’s always felt certain things like rom-coms were invented as punishment for average guys. Besides, he’s always preferred to be a behind-the-scenes guy who lives a quiet life being a good friend, neighbor, and brother. So when he travels to the island of Skymar to work a few months on restoring abandoned buildings, he never expects to find himself directly in the middle of a romantic, trope-filled story. From a meet-cute that was anything but cute and an aging orphanage in need of as much tender care as the children it houses, Luke begins to wonder if he and his heart may be victims of some sort of hidden-camera movie moment. 

Only a few years out of university and attempting to find her feet in royal adult life, Aliana Roselynn St. Claire, youngest daughter of the king and queen of the Skymarian Islands, pours her energies and talents into charities and art throughout her beloved Skymar. Her parents do not seem very interested in her love of interior design but lavish her with praise over her support of Skymar’s largest orphanage and place her in charge of the renovations of the dilapidated building. Happy to escape her mother’s strong encouragement of building a romantic relationship with Ally’s lifelong acquaintance, the earl of South Waithe, she escapes to the secluded mountains to take charge of the orphanage’s renovations. 

When Ally learns the man she’d literally run into at the coffee shop is the one who has been hired to help with the orphanage’s repairs, she’s determined to keep her royal status as secret as possible. From fundraisers to fake dates to sleigh rides and snowball fights, Ally and Luke begin to discover that the wrong first impressions may lead to a romantic possibility with rom-com flavored magic included. But when Ally’s true identity is revealed and royal expectations bring Luke out of his preferred anonymity into the spotlight of the royal life, will their budding relationship fall prey to a very unhappily-ever-after ending?

Please note this summary comes from Goodreads, but the female character is Elliana, Ellie, not Ally in the novel.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Me and my Cat

Be prepared to fall in love with your cat all over again as you read these heartwarming stories of pet parenthood, and the unconditional love, companionship and amusement our cats provide.

We're all crazy about our cats. We can't get enough of them, and we can’t read enough about them. This book contains 101 of our very best cat stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul’s extensive library. Get cozy, cuddle with your cat and immerse yourself in these heartwarming, amusing, inspirational, and occasionally tearful stories about our favorite furry friends.

Dinosaur Pie by Jen Wallace

Rory is having a weird week. A really weird week.

He has been turned into a ridiculous, small, feathered dinosaur. Pretty awkward.

Rory can’t use a human toilet. He can’t hold a video game controller in his little dino claws. His breath smells really bad. And his new carnivore body can’t stop craving sausages.

Rory finally gets his friends to take his embarrassing situation seriously, and together they embark on Operation Make Rory Human Again. But it's not easy.

Will Rory be stuck as a dinosaur forever?

Zero Stars, do not Recommend by MJ Wassmer

Vacation Checklist:

Pack swim trunks.

Apply sunscreen.

Survive the apocalypse?

Professional underachiever Dan Foster is finally taking a vacation. Sure, his life has been average at best, and yeah, he’s never quite lived up to his potential. But after a few Miller Lites in paradise with his girlfriend, Mara, things are starting to look up.

Then the sun explodes.

With the island resort suddenly plunged into darkness (he really should’ve sprung for the travel insurance), Dan’s holiday goes from bad to worse when elite guests stage a coup and commandeer supplies. As temperatures drop and class tensions rise, revolution begins to brew on the island, and Dan accidentally becomes a beacon of hope for the surviving vacationers. But when one six-person plane is discovered that could get them back to the mainland, Dan realizes he has a choice to make.

Does he escape the island with Mara? Or does he stay and fight to become the most unlikely hero of the end of the world?

Happy #BookBirthday! 4th April 2024

Happy Thursday! This week there are THREE books on our lists publishing!

The Cheat Book by Ramzee

Forgotten your homework and need to WING it?

Wish you could talk your way out of DETENTION?

Want to SQUASH your bullies and RISE to the top?

Join Kamal as he attempts to go from PUKE BOY to POPULAR!

Kamal is better than anyone else in his school at fading into the background. When you're a refugee and you've started a new school three times in as many years, you learn to keep your head down.

But, after a major puke incident in front of the whole school, being invisible is no longer an option. And when Kamal finds a mysterious CHEAT BOOK in the library that promises to help him gain popularity, he sees a chance to finally make his mark . . .

Ghost Station by S. A. Barnes

Space exploration can be lonely and isolating.

Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she's assigned to a small exploration crew, she's eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something.

While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer's hasty departure than opening up to her.

That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia’s worst nightmare starting—a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something more sinister?

Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what’s happening. But trust is hard to come by… and the crew isn’t the only one keeping secrets.

Blog Tour: Royal Scandal by Aimée Carter

The second book in the Royal Blood series about an American girl who threatens the royal family by exposing their darkest scandals—even as they get more sinister.

American girl turned monarchy nightmare, Evan Bright, has gotten used to the press about her but the media attention has only seemed to get worse. From desperate clickbait articles about her and the President’s son to Royal Record headlines pitting her against Princess Maisie, it seems everyone is dying for Evan to return back to America for good. Meanwhile Evan is receiving mysterious threats about her real story being reveled in a tell-all biography.

When more information is leaked about Evan, she fears she will always be Britain’s media villain. But the threats escalate when there is an attempted assassination with no suspects...and Evan believes the person is in the palace’s walls.They say what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger...but what if it’s the royal family who wants you dead?

Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao

Sophie Chi is in her first year at Wellesley College (despite her parents’ wishes that she attend a “real” university, rather than a liberal arts school) and has long accepted her aromantic and asexual identities. Despite knowing she’ll never fall in love, she enjoys running an Instagram account that offers relationship advice to students at Wellesley. No one except her roommate knows that she’s behind the incredibly popular "Dear Wendy" account.

When Joanna “Jo” Ephron―also a first-year student at Wellesley―created their “Sincerely Wanda” account, it wasn't at all meant to be serious or take off like it does―not like Dear Wendy’s. But now they might have a rivalry of sorts with Dear Wendy? Oops . As if Jo’s not busy enough having existential crises over gender, the fact that she’ll never truly be loved or be enough, or her few friends finding The One and forgetting her!

While tensions are rising online, Sophie and Jo are getting closer in real life, bonding over their shared aroace identities. As their friendship develops and they work together to start a campus organization for other a-spec students, can their growing bond survive if they learn just who’s behind the Wendy and Wanda accounts?

Happy #BookBirthday! 28 Mar

Happy Thursday! This week there are  books on our lists publishing!

The Girl who Couldn't Lie by Radhika Sanghani

A fresh, funny story about white lies, brutal honesty and a bangle with special powers, from award-winning journalist and author Radhika Sanghani.

Priya Shah lies. A lot. She pretends everything in her life is perfect, so she doesn't disappoint anyone.

But when she puts on a bangle left to her by her Ba - the one person she was always honest with - she finds herself unable to tell a lie.

Priya is mortified. She tells her dad she hates his cooking, she tells Dan Zhang about her huge crush on him, she shares her best friends' secrets at school. She can't get the bangle off, and she can't stop the truths pouring out of her.

As more things go wrong, and Priya's truth-telling spirals out of control, can Priya learn to be honest without hurting the people she loves?

Blog Tour: Six Truths and a Lie by Ream Shukairy

Six Muslim teens are falsely accused of a deadly attack in this timely and harrowing examination of Americas justice system, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas and Samira Ahmed.

As fireworks pop at a rowdy Fourth of July bonfire party, an explosion off the California coast levels an oil rig and a beach town is left reeling from the aftermath of tragedy. At the center are six Muslim teens.

An old soul stuck in a modern world. An aspiring doctor caught in the wrong place. An influencer with a reputation to protect. A perfect daughter with secrets. A soccer star headed for Stanford. An immigrant in love. Six strangers with something to hide and everything to lose. Faced with accusations of terrorism, the Six are caught in a political game that will pit them against one another. As police investigate what really happened that night, which secrets will be worth the cost of freedom?

They each must decide: Betray the others to guarantee their own futures, or expose their secrets to earn justice for them all.

The Murder Plague by Scott Michael Powers (spoilers in review)

An engineered virus that attacks the brain leaks from a research lab and spreads quickly, causing infected people to go into psychotic rage. Before almost anyone knows what is happening, a well-armed America is terrorized by a pandemic of violence.

Kanetha Wilson—friend of the first victim—is first to recognize that something is not as it seems. She inspires a small cadre of scientists and others into a breakneck, lonely, and lawless mission to identify and stop the murder plague. They must rebel against scientific and political establishments and public opinion hardened against taking pandemics seriously. More importantly, they must stay alive themselves, when crazed murderers maymight appear anywhere, and when madness might be only a breath away.

Set in Orlando, Florida—where tourists from all over can quickly spread contagion—The Murder Plague is a dystopian thriller transpiring not long after the COVID crisis. Scott Michael Powers, author of the UFO-hunt thriller The Roswell Swatch, delivers a fast-paced tale full of suspense, riveting action, high stakes concerns for science and society, and heart.

Read The Murder Plague and see what the next genetic engineering accident might cause, and what it might take to stop it.

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (mild spoilers in reviews)

You wait ages for The One . . . then 203 come along at once

One night Lauren finds a strange man in her flat who claims to be her husband. All the evidence – from photos to electricity bills – suggests he’s right.

Lauren’s attic, she slowly realises, is creating an endless supply of husbands for her.

There’s the one who pretends to play music on her toes.

The one who’s too hot (there must be a catch).

The one who makes a great breakfast sandwich.

The one who turns everything into double entendres (‘I’ll weed your garden’).

And the one who can calm her unruly thoughts with a single touch.

But when you can change husbands as easily as changing a lightbulb, how do you know whether the one you have now is the good-enough one, or the wrong one, or the best one? And how long should you keep trying to find out?

Happy #BookBirthday! Mar 21

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

Legends of the Cliffs of Moher by Eithne Massey and Lisa Jackson

Meet a secret mermaid and a grumpy saint, a greedy prince and the magical foals that became a famous wave. Beware slippery, slidey monsters and lovestruck hags! In these stories, you will find adventure laced with humour and enchantment.

Perfect for reading aloud to little ones or for older children to read themselves, this beautifully illustrated book will bring you to a place where magic happens.

Stories inspired by the Cliffs of Moher from long, long ago. Legends include: The Mermaid of Moher, The Hag, The Lost City, The Magic Foals, The Giant Eel of Kilmacreehy.

The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song

Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.

The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.

The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin's relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.

Tristan and Lancelot by James Persichetti and L.S. Biehler

In this queer reimagining of an Arthurian legend, Knights of the Round Table Lancelot and Tristan set out on a quest to find the missing magician Merlin but instead discover an unexpected romance perfect for fans of The Prince and the Dressmaker and Squire.

When Merlin goes missing and Camelot falls under attack, King Arthur sends his estranged half-sister, Morgan le Fay, and esteemed Knights of the Round Table, Tristan and Lancelot, to find him. As the reluctant trio travels through Albion saving towns from treacherous foes and battling fae, their bonds deepen, and sparks fly between the two knights. Before they can sort through their complicated feelings, an unexpected dark force appears, bringing what just might be the end of Camelot.

From debut author James Persichetti and new talent L.S. Biehler, Tristan and Lancelot: A Tale of Two Knights will sweep readers away with an epic quest and a love story for the ages.

The End of Always by Rebecca Phillips

Ever since Isobel’s mom died, her dad won’t stop preparing for the rest of the world to end―attending doomsday survivalist meetings, packing bug-out bags, and drawing up plans for a secret backyard bunker. He’s methodically stacked and stored countless packs of batteries and bottles of water in the basement. And thirty-six cans of tomato soup.

But Isobel has no interest in it. She has enough to deal with between finishing high school and trying to shield her little sister April from their dad’s increasing paranoia. She’s managing to cope―until their dad decides to move them all to Endurance Ranch, a survivalist community in the middle of nowhere. When Isobel meets Dane, the son of a hardcore prepper couple, she doesn’t feel as isolated at the ranch as she first thought. But she wants to be in control of her own future. She realizes it’s going to be up to her to save her sister―and herself―from a life underground.

The Tower Ghost by Natasha Mac a'Bháird

Sycamore Hill Boarding School, Donegal

1963

Clare is excited to start her first term at Sycamore Hill. New sports, new subjects, and new friends – chatty, confident Rose and quiet, nature-loving Molly.

But something strange is going on. The girls see a face at the tower window and hear the sound of crying – could the school be haunted? And does it have anything to do with the mysterious death of a pupil years earlier?

No one seems to want to answer their questions, but Clare and her friends are determined to investigate.

Can they solve the mystery before a killer strikes again?

Happy #Bookbirthday! Mar 14

Happy Thursday! This week there are FIVE books on our lists publishing!

Bad Like Us by Gabriella Lepore (mild spoilers in review)

Spring break is a vibe—until someone gets murdered

Partying with popular classmates they barely know is not what Eva and her BFFs had in mind for their spring break. But things have been off ever since Miles' academic career took a turn for the worse (they don't talk about it), so a trip to a private beach lodge might be exactly what they need. And Eva won’t admit it, but the chance to reconnect with Colton is worth putting up with Piper’s constant livestreams to her thousands of “besties.”

At first, it’s all sand and waves, but tensions run high when an anonymous letter shakes up an already-flailing love triangle.

When someone turns up dead, Eva can’t even trust her closest friends—but she thinks she can trust Colton. As they get closer to the truth, they uncover secrets that upend everything they thought they knew about their fellow spring breakers.

How to Plot a Payback by Melissa Ferguson

He crossed an ocean, and it still wasn’t enough to escape his lifelong nemesis. Now he has to work with her.

Successful screenwriter Finn Masters just landed his dream job writing for Neighbors, one of Hollywood’s highest-rated, longest-running sitcoms. The only downside? It will put him back in proximity of the show’s universally adored, optimistic, altruistic star, Lavender Rhodes, who has been inadvertently ruining his life since they were school chums in England. But she doesn’t even know she destroyed his acting career and wrecked his relationship with the love of his life.

He’s not about to let this woman yank yet another dream out from under his feet. In fact, he realizes he’s been given the ideal opportunity to plot his payback: spinning her character in shocking new directions. What could go wrong? Only everything. As Finn’s not-so-brilliant plot backfires one scene after the next, catching him in the blasts, he’s forced to think about this impossible, infuriating…and maybe even lovable woman in an entirely new light.

Bringing Back Kay-Kay by Dev Kothari (minor spoilers in review)

Steeped in mystery and adventure, this brisk and beautifully crafted middle-grade debut set in modern-day India explores the complexities of the sibling bond.

When her older brother, Karthik—Kay-Kay, the golden child of the family—heads to camp for two weeks, Lena’s parents begin showering her with all the attention she craves. For a time, she’s the golden child and secretly wishes her brother wouldn’t come home. But when the scheduled train arrives and Karthik isn’t on it, Lena is stricken with guilt and fear for her beloved Kay-Kay. Her brother has vanished without a trace, and the police view him as a runaway. Incredulous, Lena undertakes a search of her own—reading mysterious poems left in his backpack, interrogating his fellows from the train, retracing his route, and encountering shadowy strangers along the way. 

Convinced Kay-Kay is still alive even when the rest of her family has given up, Lena steadily unearths her brother’s secrets as her determination to bring him home leads to a heart-stopping discovery. Perhaps Kay-Kay isn’t a golden child after all? Set in a vividly evoked modern-day India, this character-driven middle-grade mystery tackles rich themes—from the sibling bond to self-worth—in a taut and suspenseful adventure.

Easy Eats for Teens by Brandee Jankoski

You have what it takes to be an amazing cook... and this is the jumping point you need if you want to discover all the skills to get you there.

Fancy yourself as the next big TV chef?

Perhaps you want to prove to your parents that you can cook just as well as they can… Or maybe you just love food and want to discover the art of cooking.

Whatever the reason you’re sniffing out recipe books, there’s a reason that you haven’t found the right one yet.

You keep finding delicious-looking recipes that you’d love to be able to whip up… but there’s a problem. There are all these mysterious new words and techniques standing in your way – and probably a few strange ingredients too.

You need delicious yet simple recipes that you can be sure you’ll pull off, racking up your skills and your culinary knowledge as you go. You need something that gives you a strong foundation so that you can later access any recipe book you feel like trying – and understand what you’re meant to do with the ingredients.

Happy #Bookbirthday! Mar 7

Happy Thursday! This week there are  books on our lists publishing!

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. After being home-schooled all her life and feeling like a magnet for misfortune, she’s not sure what will happen. What she doesn’t expect though is for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Sade’s first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.

With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the most popular girls in school – collectively known as the ‘Unholy Trinity’ – and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them - especially Persephone, who Sade finds herself drawn to - playing catch-up in class, and trying to figure out what happened to Elizabeth, Sade has a lot on her plate. It doesn’t help that she’s already dealing with grief from the many tragedies in her family.

And then a student is found dead.

The more Sade investigates, the more she realizes there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she realized. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…secrets that rival even her own.

Pirates of Darksea by Catherine Doyle

Deep in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, where the full moon rests on the horizon, lies a secret kingdom called Darksea. Ruled by the Pirate King, Captain O'Malley, Darksea's tranquil waters have, of late, been haunted by an invisible and deadly monster – a monster that is eating the once-beautiful islands in gigantic bites.

On the other side of the horizon, at his home in Galway, Max Reid and his family are battling a different monster. His big brother Christopher is in hospital and getting sicker – and his parents have begun to talk of miracles.

Then one night a loud, bright red parrot taps on Max's bedroom window, carrying an invitation from the pirate king. Captain O'Malley needs a new crew member for a dangerous quest; and the reward is everything Max has been hoping for.

But in Darksea, not everyone is as they seem. When Captain O'Malley's secret threatens to upend their mission and destroy Max's chance to help his family, Max realises he's going to have to navigate much more than he bargained for…

Plot Twist by Breea Keenan

Becca Taylor is having a bad summer.

Her best friend is dead. Her good-for-nothing ex is back in her life. And her career is in freefall.

So, when fellow writer Riley O'Connell invites Becca to the charming Irish countryside, she can't pack her bags fast enough, even though they have never met.

But happily-ever-after isn't quite so simple.

And Riley is not a sensitive female romance novelist like Becca assumed. No, he is definitely a man. A hot, six-foot tall, Irish man.

But with their complicated pasts getting in the way, Becca and Riley just can't get on the same page.

So can fate give their love story a rewrite?

Blog tour: Snowglobe by Soyoung Park (some spoilers in review)

In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of the climate - controlled city of Snowglobe can escape the bitter cold — but this perfect society is hiding dark and dangerous secrets within its frozen heart. A groundbreaking Korean novel translated into English for the first time! “ The Hunger Games meets Squid Game in Soyoung Park’s dystopian thriller Snowglobe ” – Entertainment Weekly

Enclosed under a vast dome, Snowglobe is the last place on Earth that’s warm. Outside Snowglobe is a frozen wasteland, and every day, citizens face the icy world to get to their jobs at the power plant, where they produce the energy Snowglobe needs. Their only solace comes in the form of twenty - four - hour television programming streamed directly from the domed city. The residents of Snowglobe have everything: fame, fortune, and above all, safety from the desolation outside their walls. In exchange, their lives are broadcast to the less fortunate outside, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become actors themselves.

Chobahm lives for the time she spends watching the shows produced inside Snowglobe. Her favorite? Goh Around, starring Goh Haeri, Snowglobe’s biggest star — and, it turns out, the key to getting Chobahm her dream life. Because Haeri is dead, and Chobahm has been chosen to take her place. Only, life inside Snowglobe is nothing like what you see on television. Reality is a lie, and truth seems to be forever out of reach.

Translated for the first time into English from the original Korean, Snowglobe is a groundbreaking exploration of personal identity, and the future of the world as we know it. It is the winner of the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award.

Content Warning: torture, murder, forced work, socioeconomic inequality

Happy #BookBirthday! 29 Feb

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

Toxxic by Jane Hennigan

Forty-four years ago, as any schoolgirl can tell you, the moth’s eggs hatched and an army of caterpillars spread their tiny toxic threads on every breath of wind. Since then, men have been cloistered, protected from birth against the deadly poison.

But now there’s a vaccine – a way that men can leave the facility without dying or suffering from psychosis. Emerging, into their new world, eyes wide with wonder at every new experience, the truth soon becomes clear.

This world was not made for men. And they are not safe.

Moths by Jane Hennigan

Where were you at the beginning? Or at the end? And where are we all now? 

Forty years ago, the world changed. Toxic threads left behind by mutated moths infected men and boys around the globe. Some were killed quietly in their sleep, others became crazed killers, wildly dangerous and beyond help. All seemed hopeless. But humanity adapted, healed and moved on. Now matriarchs rule, and men are kept in specially treated dust-free facilities for their safety and the good of society, never able to return to the outside. 

Mary has settled into this new world and takes care of the male residents at her facility. But she still remembers how things used to be and is constantly haunted by her memories. Of her family, of her joy, of… him. 

Now the world is quiet again, but only because secrets are kept safe in whispers. And the biggest secret of all? No one wants to live inside a cage… 

Exploring male violence against women, homo-normativity, and gynocracy, Moths is a powerful assessment of life through the lens of a main character in her 70s. A remastered and revitalised version of the previously self-published, smash-hit dystopian thriller by the same name, Moths shows us a new, post-pandemic world.

Lie or Die by A J Clack (slight spoilers)

Ten strangers trapped in a television studio

Forty-two remote cameras

One rule: Trust no one

When a casting call is announced for new reality TV show Lie or Die, Kass is tricked into auditioning by her best friend. Big Brother meets Mafia, Lie or Die pits contestants against each other as they try to discover who is a murderous agent and who is an innocent player. But when contestants start to turn up dead (the real kind, not the fake kind), Kass realises that not being eliminated and winning the game is the least of her worries. No longer a game of truth and lies, Kass and her friends are in a fight for survival. ‘Reality’ just got very real.

The Haven by Fiona Neill (spoilers in review)

Sixteen year old Cass Sawyer wakes up in the woods with a head injury. She has no recollection of what happened.

But she recognises where she is. The Haven. The idyllic, off-grid retreat her parents claimed would heal their broken family.

As Cass searches the now deserted buildings, memories begin to trickle through.

Her father’s erratic behaviour. Her mother’s pleas that they go back to town. The Haven’s charismatic, free-spirited leader. The strange girls that hang on his every word.

And a nagging feeling: that Cass has done something terribly wrong.

What happened at The Haven? Where is Cass’s family?

And will they ever escape?

Nina Peanut is Amazing by Sarah Bowie

Nina Peanut – super-star in the making, frozen pizza chef, creative genius, owner of the world’s stinkiest cat. The funniest new friend for all kids, everywhere. 

Nina Peanut creates amazing videos – so why is it only her nan and best friend Brian who watch them? Surely everyone should be interested in her SERIOUS and NOT-STUPID videos about potatoes with faces? Nina dreams about being as popular as class queen bee Megan Dunne, who films NOT AMAZING AT ALL content of her pampered dog, Princess Trixie Bell. So when Nina’s stinky cat Les wanders into one of Megan’s videos by accident, and goes viral, Nina and Les are suddenly internet famous! But is overnight stardom as wonderful as Nina always imagined it would be?

Happy #BookBirthday! 22 Feb

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

The Escape Room by L D Smithson

Everything is a clue.

Bonnie arrives on a remote sea fort off the coast of England to take part in a mysterious reality TV show. Competing against seven strangers, she must solve a series of puzzles to win the prize money, but this is no game - and the consequences of failure are deadly.

No one leaves.

Under scrutiny from the watching public, the contestants quickly turn on one another. Who will sacrifice the most for wealth and fame? And why can't Bonnie shake the creeping sense that they are not alone?

The only way out is to win.

When the first contestant is found dead, Bonnie begins to understand the dark truth at the heart of this twisted competition: there's a killer inside the fort, and anyone could be next. If Bonnie wants to escape, she needs to win...

Are you ready to play?

Meet me in the Fourth Dimension by Rita Feinstein

It’s easy to believe in the apocalypse when you’re losing your religion.

NASA has assured everyone the passage of rogue planet Malachite will be safe, but Crosby's been getting other messages―from a fortune teller and Malachite truther message boards. And now she believes that Malachite will kill everyone who doesn’t ascend to the fourth dimension―a higher plane that transcends physicality.

She tries to prepare her friends and family to leave their bodies behind and raise their frequency by changing their diets, wearing the right crystals, and moving into her friend’s bunker before it’s too late. But no one is listening.

The more time she spends trying to talk her roommate and her quirky friends into her apocalypse plans, the more Crosby is forced to face the cracks in everything she believes to be true.

This novel in verse explores the danger and humanity of conspiracy in a post-truth world through empathy, friendship, and forgiveness.

Artezans: The Forgotten Magic by LD Lapinski

For the last 400 years, magic has been fading...

Edward Crane has always feared he won't have any magic at all. Sure, he's part of a powerful magic Artezan family, but he's adopted. His twin sister, Elodie, isn't so worried, but then everything always seems to work out perfectly for her.

So when Ed discovers he does have an Artezan power after all, he's relieved. And it's more than he ever could have imagined - in fact, it's a dream come true. But the problem with dreams is that sometimes they twist themselves into nightmares.

And with Ed's new abilities growing by the day, there's a chance that this nightmare will become all too real...

Happy #Bookbirthday! 15 Feb

Happy Thursday! This week there are THREE books on our lists publishing!

Trigger by C G Moore

Jay wakes in a park, beaten and bruised. He can’t remember what happened the night before. But he has suspicions.

Jay realises he has been raped — and that his ex-boyfriend may have been involved.

Counselling sessions cause Jay to question everything. His new friend Rain encourages his pursuit of justice. Jay wants answers, but his search will lead him down a perilous path.

We Got the Beat by Jenna Miller

Jordan Elliot is a fat, nerdy lesbian, and the first junior to be named editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. Okay, that last part hasn’t happened yet, but it will. It’s positive thinking that has gotten Jordan this far. Ever since Mackenzie West, her friend-turned-enemy, humiliated her at the start of freshman year, Jordan has thrown herself into journalism and kept her eyes trained on the future.

So it’s a total blow when Jordan discovers that she not only didn’t get the editor-in-chief spot, but she’s been assigned the volleyball beat instead. And who is the star and new captain of the volleyball team? Mackenzie West. But words are Jordan’s weapon, and she has some ideas about how to exact a long-awaited revenge on her nemesis.

Then things get murky when forced time together has Mack and Jordan falling back into their friendship, and into something more. And when Mack confesses the real reason she turned on Jordan freshman year, it has Jordan questioning everything—past, present, and future. If Jordan lets her guard down and Mack in, will she get everything she wants, or will she be humiliated all over again?

The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall

Hollis Beckwith isn’t trying to get a girl—she’s just trying to get by. For a fat, broke girl with anxiety, the start of senior year brings enough to worry about. And besides, she already has a boyfriend: Chris. Their relationship isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s comfortable and familiar, and Hollis wants it to survive beyond senior year. To prove she’s a girlfriend worth keeping, Hollis decides to learn Chris’s favorite tabletop roleplaying game, Secrets & Sorcery—but his unfortunate “No Girlfriends at the Table” rule means she’ll need to find her own group if she wants in.

Enter: Gloria Castañeda and her all-girls game of S&S! Crowded at the table in Gloria’s cozy Ohio apartment, the six girls battle twisted magic in-game and become fast friends outside it. With her character as armor, Hollis starts to believe that maybe she can be more than just fat, anxious, and a little lost.

But then an in-game crush develops between Hollis’s character and the bard played by charismatic Aini Amin-Shaw, whose wide, cocky grin makes Hollis’s stomach flutter. As their gentle flirting sparks into something deeper, Hollis is no longer sure what she wants…or if she’s content to just play pretend.

A Drop of Golden Sun by Kate Saunders

It’s 1973 and 12-year-old Jenny is in shock. She’s just been cast as one of the lead roles in a feature film. She’s going to be a child actor! Soon she must jet off to France, to the idyllic Château Mouchotte, where she will join her film family: three other children and two renowned actors.

The glitz and glamour of being on set is a million miles away from Jenny’s normal life, but showbiz is never straightforward and there’s one fierce and famous actor that threatens the whole shoot. It’s up to Jenny and her friends to keep the peace and save the film. Jenny is about to experience a life-changing summer in the spotlight!

Where the Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan

Ireland, 1846 Nell is working as a scullery maid in the kitchen of the Big House. Once she loved school and books and dreaming. But there's not much choice of work when the land grows food that rots in the earth. Now she is scrubbing, peeling, washing, sweeping for Sir Philip Wicken, the man who owns her home, her family's land, their crops, everything. His dogs are always well fed, even as famine sets in.

Upstairs in the Big House, where Nell is forbidden to enter, is Johnny Browning, newly arrived from England: the young nephew who will one day inherit it all. And as hunger and disease run rampant all around them, a spark of life and hope catches light when Nell and Johnny find each other.

This is a love story, and the story of a people being torn apart. This is a powerful and unforgettable novel from the phenomenally talented Sarah Crossan.

Happy #BookBirthday! 8 Feb

Happy Thursday! This week there is ONE book on our lists publishing!

The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover

Audrey St. Vrain has grown up in the shadow of someone who doesn’t actually exist. Before she was born, her mother, Camilla St. Vrain, wrote the bestselling book Letters to My Someday Daughter, a guide to self-love that advises treating yourself like you would your own hypothetical future daughter. The book made Audrey’s mother a household name, and she built an empire around it.

While the world considers Audrey lucky to have Camilla for a mother, the truth is that Audrey knows a different side of being the someday daughter. Shipped off to boarding school when she was eleven, she feels more like a promotional tool than a member of Camilla’s family. Audrey is determined to create her own identity aside from being Camilla’s daughter, and she’s looking forward to a prestigious summer premed program with her boyfriend before heading to college and finally breaking free from her mother’s world.

But when Camilla asks Audrey to go on tour with her to promote the book’s anniversary, Audrey can’t help but think that this is the last, best chance to figure out how they fit into each other’s lives—not as the someday daughter and someday mother but as themselves, just as they are. What Audrey doesn’t know is that spending the summer with Camilla and her tour staff—including the disarmingly honest, distressingly cute video intern, Silas—will upset everything she’s so carefully planned for her life.

When I Feel Red by Lily Bailey

'I feel like I'm always ... last. Like I'm running to try and keep up with everyone but it's no good.' 

April has always marched to the beat of her own drum, but would life be easier if she learned to fit in? Now that she's in Year 8, things have got even worse. She's much more likely to be trying to rescue an animal in need than worrying about who's dating who at school, which April just finds BORING. Plus, her lessons feel like they're in a foreign language, and it suddenly seems impossible to make it through the week without landing in detention. 

As family worries and classroom romances ramp up, it feels like everyone around her is pulling away - even her best friend Ben. But when the pressure's on, can she find a way to fit in and still be true to herself? 

An empowering follow up to When I See Blue about finding your place in the world from the inspiring author and mental health activist, Lily Bailey.

Blog tour: Hannah Tate, Beyond Repair by Laura Piper Lee

Hannah Tate can hardly believe her sleep - deprived eyes when she finds an engagement ring hidden in the closet. Killian, her super responsible, incredibly attractive boyfriend — and the father of her new baby, Bowie — is finally going to propose. But a romantic night out goes horribly wrong when Killian reveals he’s dumping Hannah, not proposing. 

Furious and heartbroken, Hannah takes Bowie and moves in with her mama and stepdaddy in the mountains of Blue Ridge, Georgia. Hannah realizes that her parents’ cabin has vacation property gold written all over it — and could save her mama from going broke. Again. 

Only problem? The cabin’s décor is . . . mildly terrifying and it’s in desperate need of renovation. Hannah hires the hot carpenter living in the treehouse next door to fix up the place. Not only does River respect Hannah’s business acumen, he looks at her like she’s a woman, not a hot mess. And Hannah can’t deny that River awakens something new inside her. 

Can Hannah embrace a future that looks different from the picture - perfect family she once dreamed of . . . and maybe start living life on her own terms? 

Just Happy to be Here by Naomi Kanakia

In this YA standalone perfect for fans of Tobly McSmith and Meredith Russo, the first out trans girl at an all-girls school must choose between keeping her head down or blazing a trail. Tara just wants to be treated like any other girl at Ainsley Academy. That is, judged on her merits—not on her transness. But there’s no road map for being the first trans girl at an all-girls school. And when she tries to join the Sibyls, an old-fashioned Ainsley sisterhood complete with code names and special privileges, she’s thrust into the center of a larger argument about what girlhood means and whether the club should exist at all. Being the figurehead of a movement isn’t something Tara’s interested in. She’d rather read old speeches and hang out with the Sibyls who are on her side—especially Felicity, a new friend she thinks could turn into something more. Then the club’s sponsor, a famous alumna, attacks her in the media and turns the selection process into a spectacle. Tara’s always found comfort in the power of other peoples’ words. But when it comes time to fight for herself, will she be able to find her own voice?

Into the Witchwood by Méabh McDonnell

Never, ever, set foot inside the Witchwood

Surrounding Rowan’s home is the dark, dangerous Witchwood. At the heart of it, sitting at the bottom of an ancient well, is a powerful Witch.

Six months ago, Rowan’s mother went into the woods – and never came back out. Nothing has been the same ever since. She fights with her dad and her little sister, and her Nana won’t even speak to her. There’s only one thing that can fix it; Rowan needs to bring her mum home.

There’s magic lurking in the shadows. Watching her. Can Rowan enter the Witchwood and save her mum?

After all, she’s a witch too...

Happy #BookBirthday! 1 Feb

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

My First Book of Irish Birds

Robin, magpie, swan, eagle, swallow, owl.

Introduces the youngest readers to the feathered friends they can see flying all around Ireland!

With simple text and pictures, this bright and colourful board book is perfect for children learning how to understand the world around them.

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Spoilers for The Inheritance Games series)

Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but some lessons linger. When Grayson’s half-sisters find themselves in trouble, he swoops in to do what he does best: take care of the problem—efficiently, effectively, mercilessly. And without getting bogged down in emotional entanglements.

Jameson Hawthorne is a risk-taker, a sensation-seeker, a player of games. When his mysterious father appears and asks for a favor, Jameson can’t resist the challenge. Now he must infiltrate London’s most exclusive underground gambling club, which caters to the rich, the powerful, and the aristocratic, and win an impossible game of greatest stakes. Luckily, Jameson Hawthorne lives for impossible.

Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, Grayson and Jameson—with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather’s fortune—must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.

Happy #BookBirthday! 25 Jan

Happy Thursday! This week there is ONE book on our lists publishing!

Blog tour: Red by Annie Cardi (spoilers in review)

Moving to Hawthorne was something Tess and her mom never anticipated, but after Tess’s mom loses her job, it’s their only option. Tess’s grandparents welcome them into their home, but with the condition that Tess and her mom attend church, something Mom isn’t too pleased about. But Tess enjoys the church community, finding a place in youth group and the church choir. Faith fills a void Tess didn’t know she had.

After a very personal decision goes public, Tess faces daily harassment and rejection by her former friends, and singing in the church choir is no longer an option. When she meets some kids in the music room, her only place of solace in the school, who don't judge her for what's happened, she learns to find her voice again. Against the backdrop of the Spirit Light Festival, Tess will need to find the strength to speak out if she has any chance of ending a silent cycle of abuse in Hawthorne.

The Green Budget Guide by Nancy Birtwhistle

Saving money doesn't have to cost the earth.

How can you remove even the toughest stains? How can you make the best use of your microwave and keep meals healthy and tasty? How can you remove mould safely? Sunday Times bestselling author Great British Bake Off winner Nancy Birtwhistle is here to answer all of these questions and more, featuring 101 thoughtful, cheap and time-saving tips and tricks on how to run a budget home – all while protecting the environment.

Born in post-war Hull in the 1950s, and formerly a single working mum to two kids, Nancy is no stranger to frugality. Building on her astonishing 12p laundry detergent and wildly popular recipe, ‘Pure Magic’, The Green Budget Guide includes more of the inspired, sustainable and budget friendly hacks that have made Nancy so loved by readers and followers on social media, as well as tips and tricks from a lifetime spent learning how to run a household efficiently by saving time and money.

Happy #BookBirthday! 18th Jan

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

The Parliament by Aimee Pokwatka

“Murder owls are extreme,” Jude said. “What’s more extreme than murder owls?”

Madigan Purdy is stuck in her home town library.

When tens of thousands of owls descend on the building, rending and tearing at anyone foolish enough to step outside, Mad is tasked with keeping her students safe, and distracted, while they seek a solution to their dilemma.

Perhaps they’ll find the inspiration they seek in her favorite childhood book, The Silent Queen….

With food and fresh water in low supply, the denizens of the library will have to find a way out, and soon, but the owls don’t seem to be in a hurry to leave…

The Parliament is a story of grief and missed opportunities, but also of courage and hope.

And of extremely sharp beaks.