Author: Libby Price

Book Review: Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch

Posted on by Libby Price

I’d seen Killer Potential on a list of debut novels for 2025 in Red Magazine. Given it involved a tutor to the rich and famous (and I’ve recently met someone who provides such tutors to pop stars and film stars!) and the main protagonist shares a name with one of my daughters, I was delighted to be granted an advance review copy by Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:

“Decisions were made: I made them. Violence was done: I did it. Crime scenes were fled: I fled them. People were hurt: I hurt them. Someone was loved: I loved them. Not everything I did was bad. Just most of it.
A scholarship kid with straight As and massive potential, Evie Gordon always thought she was special, that she’d be someone.
But after graduating from an elite university, she finds herself drowning in debt and working as a private tutor to the children of Los Angeles’s super-rich.
Everything changes when Evie arrives at the Victor family’s lavish mansion for her weekly lesson to discover, not the bored teenager she expected, but pure carnage: the bloody remains of Mr and Mrs Victor sullying their beautiful back garden, and a woman crying for help from within the walls of the house.
Within moments, Evie and the woman go from bystanders to suspects to fugitives.
Suddenly at the heart of a nation-wide manhunt, Evie finds that her mysterious companion, who refuses to speak, has quickly become the most important person in her upside-down life. Meanwhile, the press runs wild with Evie’s story – anointing her the new Charles Manson, a blood thirsty ninety-nine percenter looking to start a class war.
Evie is – finally and disastrously – someone.
Droll, dark and deeply insightful, Killer Potential is an edge-of-your-seat break-neck ride, a queer love story, and a darkly funny critique of the horrors of late capitalism and how the stories we’re sold about our potential can shape the course of our lives.“

Ooh – I really enjoyed this one!! It twists and turns at such a speed – and you’re not sure what’s going to happen next.

I liked Evie, and could see the situation she was in, trying to pay off student debt by being a SAT tutor. She’s a similar age to my eldest daughter – but I didn’t feel like an old fogey reading the book – it kept me totally engrossed and desperate to read the next chapter – which is always the sign of a good book!

Having made the decision to flee the crime scene that she’s stumbled upon, with a random person who had been tied up in the walls of the LA mansion she was tutoring at, everything snowballs from there. The young women need to keep on the run and not be found – and they set off on a road trip.

The book is split into three distinct sections – but I don’t want to describe why or how – as you need to ‘live’ the book. Whilst I did sometimes questions Evie’s decision making – it was also easy to see how she could get swept up in everything and for her story to take the route it did. Overall an excellent debut book.

Killer Potential is out this Thursday, 20th March 2025, so not long to wait! A big thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advance review copy.

Book Review: Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley

Posted on by Libby Price

I saw ‘Deep Cuts’ recommended as a debut novel of the year in Red Magazine – so was delighted to be granted an advance review copy by NetGalley. Here’s the blurb:

“The first time Joe plays Percy one of his songs in his college room in 2000, she instantly realises three things:
One, she is watching a star in the making.
Two, she can shape his music into something extraordinary.
Three, she will always be on the sidelines.
She swallows her jealousy and throws herself into collaboration, transforming Joe’s songs into indie hits with her blistering critiques.
But there’s an undercurrent to the music they’re making – something undeniably electric, hurtling towards love. And then, almost inevitably, towards heartbreak.
As Joe steps into the spotlight, can Percy bear to watch on in silence?
And can he exist there without her?
Deep Cuts is an irresistible novel about passion and obsession, love and longing and, above all, our need to be heard.“

The book starts with Percy and Joe at college. I wouldn’t say it’s immediately obvious when this is – until the musical references start (and 9/11 happens during the timeline of the book). I have to say it made me feel a bit uneducated about the late 90s early 2000s music scene – I knew some of the bands references – such a No Doubt – and whilst I could name you their commercially successful tracks like ‘Don’t Speak’ or ‘Just A Girl’ – the book focussed on more obscure tracks. This happened for many of the referenced artists – and perhaps someone a bit more nerdy about music than me, and maybe slightly younger, would have enjoyed that, I was spent wondering if they were real tracks or made up specifically for the book.

Each time you revisit Percy and Joe, or Percy and not Joe, you’re left wondering if they will get together. Both have other partners throughout the book too – but you always feel like they’re ‘the one that got away’ for each other.

You really feel Percy growing up over the course of the book – getting older, if not necessarily wiser – and the different US locations are well described, and fit well with Percy’s various circumstances.

I’d read a review that said Deep Cuts was ideal for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six – and I can see the reference point music wise, similar it’s been likened to ‘One Day’ – and with the main characters meeting up over a long timeline – I can also see that comparison (albeit Percy and Joe aren’t meeting on the same day each year).

Overall I enjoyed the book – but I wonder if I am slightly too old to LOVE it. I also wonder if I had super high expectations as it had been described as THE debut novel of 2025. A good read, particularly if you’re a music fan – and out tomorrow (13 March 2025) if you like the sound of it.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC.

Book Review: Cover Story by Mhairi McFarlane

Posted on by Libby Price

I have declared my love for Mhairi McFarlane’s writing many times before, and when I spotted that advance copies of her next book were out in the wild (the wonderful Marian Keyes had received a hard copy and was singing its praises) I messaged Mhairi on Instagram to see if it was going to be on Net Galley, and she said she thought it was – so I started a daily search. Obviously I only had to search the word Mhairi as she is the Beyonce / Madonna / Adele of women’s fiction!! I almost included Kylie in that list – but actually there is a line, somewhere between my age and my 21 year old eldest daughter – where the word Kylie is followed by Jenner rather than the OG Minogue. Anyway – I digress. I was delighted earlier this week to find Cover Story had arrived on Net Galley – and to be granted an advance review copy – and it immediately jumped to the top of my To Be Read pile!

Here’s the blurb:

“The unputdownable, brilliant new novel from the Queen of Romcom.
Bel’s joined the tiny Manchester office of a national paper from her indie podcast.
Thirty-something Connor is going to back to the start as the new intern.
The latest office news? They can’t stand each other.
So of course Bel bumps into Connor when she’s working undercover on the biggest scoop of her career. And of course she’s forced to improvise, pretending they’re a couple. A couple deeply in love.
Two rivals. One fake romance. The headline writes itself…”

Within the first chapter both the accountancy firm I trained with back in the 90s, and my favourite current TV show (Slow Horses – which Mhairi is now on the writing team for, which I was so excited to hear, almost like a mate had got a big promotion) were both referenced – so I was pretty happy we were on to another winner!

I really liked Bel from the start – even if she and her colleague Aaron were a bit horrible to the new intern Connor when he first arrived at the office of their newspaper on secondment from London. Quite early on you know Bel’s escaped a difficult ‘relationship’ and ended up in Manchester – and more of that is revealed as the book progresses.

You can guess this is going to be an enemies to lovers story arc – but will it actually be?! There are lots of twists and turns along the way – all whilst there is a concurrent storyline of an undercover investigation into a local celebrity politician who is something of a wrong ‘un.

The supporting cast are great – I think Bel’s best friend Shilpa would be a perfect wing woman, and Connor’s brother Shaun is fabulous (and gives Mystic Meg a run for her money!)

The writing is funny, quick witted, modern, entertaining – all whilst covering some deep topics in an incredibly well thought out way.

Every time I read the next Mhairi McFarlane book I have a slight worry that it can’t be better than the previous one, and surely at some point there’s going to be one that is even a tiny bit disappointing – but it just never happens! She is consistently my favourite author every year and this is another triumph.

A huge thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advance review copy. Cover Story is out in May, but I would recommend you pre order it now.

Book Review: The Re-write by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Posted on by Libby Price

I had seen The Re-write recommended in Red Magazine (my source of a lot of book recommendations) and was lucky enough to be granted an advance review copy by Net Galley. Here’s the blurb:

“Temi and Wale meet in London. They flirt, date, meet each other’s friends.
Then they break up. And Wale goes on a reality dating show.
Instead of giving in to heartbreak, Temi throws herself into her dream: writing. She’s within touching distance of a book deal that would solve all her problems. But publishers keep passing on her novel and bills still have to be paid. So, when the opportunity to ghost-write a celebrity memoir arises, Temi accepts.
And, of course, the celebrity turns out to be Wale…
Will Temi and Wale repeat the patterns of their past? Or can they write a whole new story?“

When I started this book, I realised I was probably far from target audience for it – being old enough to be Temi or Wale’s mother and not a Love Island aficionado – but I need not have worried, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

You are rooting for Temi from the start. She’s desperate to be a published author – but is being rejected all over the place. She’s done some ghost writing historically – but is then offered the chance to ghost write for a new celebrity – who is, of course, her ex – who has just had a stint on The Villa (basically Love Island!)

There is then lots of will they / won’t they / misunderstandings / crossed wires – and at the same time their histories (from long ago, and more recently but undeclared) are exposed.

Whilst you want Temi and Wale to be reunited from the start, there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing!

I also loved that Temi was plus size and a glasses wearer – both of which I could totally get on board with (even at my advanced years!)

The supporting cast of friends and family were also great (or awful, but necessarily so!) and as well as the romance storyline – there are other big topics covered, being a carer, alcoholism, family pressure.

It was published last week – so you can buy a copy now if you like the sound of it.

A big thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advance review copy.

Book Review: The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji

Posted on by Libby Price

I saw The Persians recommended in Red Magazine as a debut novel of the year, and so requested an advance review copy from Net Galley and was granted it. Here’s the blurb:

“A riotously funny and moving debut novel following five women from three generations of a once illustrious Iranian family as their lives are turned upside down
Meet the women of the Valiat family. In Iran, they were somebodies. In America, they’re nobodies.
First there is Elizabeth, the regal matriarch with the famously large nose, who remained in Tehran despite the revolution. She is kept company by Niaz, her young, Islamic-law-breaking granddaughter. In America, Elizabeth’s two daughters have built new lives for themselves. There’s Shirin, a flamboyantly high-flying event planner in Houston, who considers herself the family’s future; and Seema, a dreamy idealist turned bored housewife languishing in Los Angeles. And then there’s the other granddaughter, Bita, a disillusioned law student in New York trying to find deeper meaning by giving away her worldly belongings.
When an annual vacation in Aspen goes wildly awry and Shirin ends up being bailed out of jail by Bita, the family’s brittle upper class veneer is cracked wide open and gossip about them spreads like wildfire. Soon, Shirin must embark upon a grand quest to restore the family name to its former glory. But what does that mean in a country where the Valiats never mattered to anyone? And, will reputation be enough to make them a family again?
Spanning from 1940s Iran into a splintered 2000s The Persians is an irresistible portrait of a unique family in crisis that explores timeless questions of love, money, art and fulfilment. Here is their past, their present and a possible new future for them all.”

The book is a sweeping saga telling the story of the many generations of Valiat family from their origins in Iran to modern day America. Having had a friend whose parents left Iran around the time of the revolution, I thought it would be interesting to understand more about her culture.

Some of the characters are more likeable than others – but the back stories of all, and how they intertwine are interesting.

There didn’t feel to be a strong ‘storyline’ – it was more a family drama in very different settings of time and geography.

Whilst I enjoyed it – and did find it educational at times – I’m not sure it’s going to end up on my personal best books of 2025. But thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC. It was released last month – so you can order it now if you like the sound of it.

Book Review: What A Way To Go by Bella Mackie

Posted on by Libby Price

I was lucky enough to be granted an advance review copy of Bella Mackie’s first fiction book ‘How To Kill Your Family’ which I thoroughly enjoyed (and did not act upon!) Bella posted on social media over the festive period that her more recent book was on offer at 99p for a Kindle copy – well, I somehow missed the bargain, but was happy to invest in the full price! Here’s the blurb:

“One wealth-obsessed man, who is also dead.
One status-obsessed woman, who is the perfect accessory.
Their four inheritance-obsessed children, each with a killer instinct.
And a murder-obsessed outsider looking to expose them all…

Anthony Wistern is wealthy beyond imagination. Fragrant wife, gaggle of photogenic children, French chateau, Cotswold manor, plethora of mistresses, penchant for cutting moral corners, tick tick tick tick tick tick. Unfortunately for him, he’s also dead. Suddenly poised to inherit his fortune, each member of the family falls under suspicion.”

Again, Bella has written about rich people based in London – I guess it worked very well last time – and again, there are lots of unlikeable characters!!

You know early on that Anthony has died, at his own 60th birthday party no less, but you don’t know how – and in fact, that’s the whole premise of the book. Anthony is stuck in a weird no-mans land between life and the after life – and in order to move on, he needs to remember how he died. Whilst trapped, he’s able to watch over his family and friends and see what they’re doing in real time to get clues and help trigger his memory. It’s an incredibly clever way to tell the story.

Each chapter is told from one of three points of view – Anthony, his wife Olivia, and an internet sleuth who is investigating Anthony’s ‘murder’. None of the narrators are particularly nice, and to be honest, neither are the supporting characters too!

Various ‘suspects’ are looked at – Anthony’s children, extended family, work colleagues, investors – and there are plenty of people with motivation for seeing him off. There are lots of twists and turns and you don’t uncover what’s actually happened until very near the end of the book.

It’s a real look at how awful some monied people, and people born with a family history if not cash, can be – but awful in a ‘can’t look away and need to see how this all finishes’ way.

Another great book – and as is already happening with ‘How To Kill Your Family’ – ripe for being made into a film or TV series.

Book Review: Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes

Posted on by Libby Price

“No one knows better than Ian Palmer – Executive Butler – that social position is everything in the rose-strewn Cotswolds.
So when his boss, Tata Hawkins, flounces out of her (new-build) manor house after a row with husband Bryan, Ian is alarmed: for one thing, if Tata is on the social slide downwards, that means he is too; for another, he’s lost his home and has nowhere to store his prized collection of vintage Gucci loafers; even worse, a vacuum among the Country Princess set has opened up for a new Queen Bee.
With the old-money Pennybacker-Hoare sisters plotting to rid ‘their’ county of Tata and her ilk, a bikini influencer on the prowl for a husband just like Mr. Hawkins, a glamorous American divorcee threatening to steal Tata’s crown, and the heiress-next-door threatening to steal Ian, the Cotswolds are in chaos.
Can Ian restore Tata’s country crown and reinstate her to the comforts of the Manor?”

I’ve not read any of Plum Sykes’s previous books – but I liked the sound of this on Net Galley and was granted an advance review copy as Net Galley said it was to be published in June 2025 – however it would appear that it’s actually already out! (I suspect it might be a geographical issue and I’ve read a version destined for another territory??)

The book has real ‘Rivals’ vibes (one of THE TV shows of 2024, based upon the classic 1980s novel by Jilly Cooper) although this is set in current times in the Cotswolds rather than 40 years ago. Initially there are a lot of different characters and I found it a little bit confusing as to who was connected to whom – but after a while I got into the swing of it.

I really liked Ian from the start, he reminded me of Gary the bag man in the TV show VEEP, always one step ahead of knowing what his client needs. Tata was a bit of a drama queen – but not dislikeable.

I have kids who move in horsey circles, and some of the descriptions of that set were perfectly written – and similarly the private school sports activities! (Although my experiences are over the border in Worcestershire rather than Gloucestershire)

There was lots of name dropping and label dropping – and the storyline doesn’t have a huge amount of substance but this is a fun and fluffy, escapist read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it for all of those reasons. A huge thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my review copy – be it advanced or not!

Book Review: So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne

Posted on by Libby Price

Having previously enjoyed books by Holly Bourne, I was delighted to be granted an advance review copy of her new novel, So Thrilled For You. Here’s the blurb:

“Nicki, Lauren, Charlotte and Steffi have been friends since university. Now in their thirties, life is pulling them in different directions – but when Charlotte organises the baby shower of hell for pregnant Nicki, the girls are reunited.
Under a sweltering hot summer day, tensions rise – and by the end of the evening, nothing will ever be the same. Someone started a fire at the house – and everyone’s a suspect…
Is it Steffi, happily child-free but feeling judged by her friends? Is it Charlotte, desperate to conceive and jealous of those who have? Is it Lauren, who is finding motherhood far, far worse than she imagined? Or is it Nicki herself, who never wanted a baby shower anyway?”

You know that a dreadful fire has happened – but not how it started or what the outcome is – and the story unfolds flicking between police interviews, flashbacks to the party, the back stories of the key characters and social media posts.

Each of the four main characters – friends since Uni – have a different relationship with motherhood. I have to say that each of these are written BRILLIANTLY and you can really understand their viewpoints. I might be a mother of four myself, but I completely respect women who are childfree by choice, and can understand that for some people the journey to motherhood is incredibly difficult – and I remember the early days of being a parent which is so very, very hard.

The ways each of the individual woman’s personal journeys intertwine is incredibly cleverly written – and there continue to be surprises throughout the book. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going on – and the style of writing really keeps the momentum going. The description of the stiflingly hot weather – particularly in the glass box of Nicki’s parents’ grand designs house – is so well written.

Some of the characters are more likeable than others, and as you understand the history you realise why some of the foursome are closer than others, and why some now don’t actually like each other at all. The way everything ties up at the end is clever – and not completely predictable, which is always the sign of a good book.

Overall it was a great book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC – the book is published on 16 January 2025 if you’d like to pre order it now.

Book Review: The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

Posted on by Libby Price

I am not normally one for historic novels – I’m the same with historic TV series (apart from Downton!) however I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Kate Quinn‘s previous books, and so had requested a copy of The Diamond Eye from Net Galley. However, it had slipped down my TBR pile for months (over a year in fact) – but I recently remembered it was there and devoured it! Here’s the blurb:

“In the snowbound city of Kiev, aspiring historian Mila Pavlichenko’s life revolves around her young son – until Hitler’s invasion of Russia changes everything. Suddenly, she and her friends must take up arms to save their country from the Fuhrer’s destruction.
Handed a rifle, Mila discovers a gift – and months of blood, sweat and tears turn the young woman into a deadly sniper: the most lethal hunter of Nazis.
Yet success is bittersweet. Mila is torn from the battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America while the war still rages. There, she finds an unexpected ally in First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and an unexpected promise of a different future.
But when an old enemy from Mila’s past joins forces with a terrifying new foe, she finds herself in the deadliest duel of her life.
The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.”

As with Kate Quinn’s previous (and subsequent!) books this is exquisitely written and incredibly informative as well as being a thoroughly enjoyable novel. Whilst it is ‘fiction’ it is based on a real person – and I think knowing that makes the storyline even more interesting (although obviously I’ve been Googling subsequently to see just how much artistic licence has been taken!)

You are rooting for Mila from the start – initially a young mother, estranged from her son’s father – but then throughout the war and her role as a sniper. Whilst she is fighting for Russia – she is technically Ukrainian – which obviously given current world events puts a different angle on it too.

Some of the storyline is bleak – but then it is during a war, and so that’s not a huge surprise. But there are elements of love and laughter too. And Mila’s love for her son shines through the storyline throughout.

Overall it was a wonderful book which I thoroughly enjoyed – I think Kate Quinn is always going to be an author I read everything she writes going forward.

Book Review: The Island Getaway by Lucy Diamond

Posted on by Libby Price

Having thoroughly enjoyed previous books by Lucy Diamond, I was delighted to be granted an advance review copy of her new book – The Island Getaway, which is published in January 2025. Here’s the blurb:

“The Island Getaway is a big-hearted novel from the queen of bestselling fiction, celebrating second chances, true love and the life-affirming joy of unlikely friendships.
The dream holiday just got complicated . . .
On the sun-drenched island of Kefalonia, the new arrivals at The Ionian Escape hotel are hoping for a break from everyday life. But some of them are bringing a lot of baggage . . .
Disgraced TV star Miranda Vallance feels like the worst person in the world. Her sister won’t speak to her and her job’s on the line. She’s desperate to put things right but how?
Eighty-two-year-old Evelyn Chambers has come to the Greek Islands to fulfil a promise to the love of her life. If she can steel herself to go through with it, that is . . .
And when celebrity chef Frank Neale checks in, rumours swirl around the hotel. But is it his wife, Leonora, who has more of a reason to escape to Greece?“

I started reading this having just returned from Greece – and it was wonderful to escape back to the sunshine! There’s a mix of characters all with back stories and all of whom are really different and written beautifully. I imagined Miranda to look exactly like Hannah Waddingham for some reason, whilst Evelyn was pure Iris Apfel!

The stories all intertwine – with flashbacks to the 1980s that you realise must be connected – but it takes a while to unravel the connections.

It covers a huge cross section of topics – from first love, sibling rivalry, later life relationships, coercive control – but all wrapped up in a stunning location.

It was a beautiful escapist read – which made me smile and cry!

A big thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC – I’d recommend pre ordering for a sunshine escape in the depths of January gloom.