Author: Rebecca Rouillard

Reader, slightly-published writer, designer, swimmer, tea-drinker.

‘City of Nightmares’ by Rebecca Schaeffer

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Nineteen-year-old Ness lives in a dark Gotham City-style world, ruled by gangs and corrupt politicians, but even worse, everyone is at risk of irreversibly transforming into their worst nightmare and Ness has never recovered from the trauma of her beloved sister changing into a giant spider and going on a murderous rampage. Now alone in the world, Ness has survived by making a home amongst the ‘Friends of the Restful Soul’ which is possibly a cult but also provides counselling and support for those traumatised by Nightmares. But the Friends are becoming tired of Ness’s fearful responses to Nightmares and her general lack of usefulness after years of trauma therapy, and she suspects she might soon be evicted from her safe haven. She grasps at a courier job as an opportunity to redeem herself but it unexpectedly thrusts her into danger and a vast conspiracy that undermines everything she thought she knew. However, she also finds an unlikely ally…

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but I was thoroughly beguiled – the world that Rebecca Shaeffer has created is equally thrilling and terrifying. I love the fact that Ness is irredeemably cowardly for most of the book but her slowly kindling courage is revealed as she begins to trust and open up to Cy. I also loved her relationship with her friend Priya and the narrative device of having to face your worst fears for fear of turning into them. A witty, fast-paced and engaging read – I can’t wait for the next instalment.

‘This is How You Fall in Love’ by Anika Hussain

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Zara and Adnan have been best friends for ever but their families and friends have always assumed that they will get together one day. When Adnan asks Zara to pretend to be his girlfriend to cover up a secret relationship, Zara reluctantly agrees, because the idea makes her family so happy. But she has watched too many romcoms not to know how fake dating usually turns out…

I really enjoyed this charming, heartfelt YA romance and the subverted romcom tropes kept me guessing. Zara is a great protagonist, though I think I loved her family even more than her! I’ll definitely be recommending this one in the school library – perfect for fans of ‘Never Have I Ever’.

‘The Octopus, Dadu and Me’ by Lucy Ann Unwin

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Sashi is devastated when her beloved Dadu doesn’t remember her and her parents won’t let her visit him in the Care Home anymore. But when she visits the Aquarium to take her mind off Dadu, she meets an incredible creature – an octopus called Ian. And it seems like Ian is trying to tell her something…that he wants to escape his tank and return to the ocean. 

‘The Octopus, Dadu and Me’ is a heartfelt story about friendship, family and grief that will definitely make you cry!

‘Someone Is Watching You’ by Tess James-Mackey

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After Nia throws an impromptu party to impress her new boyfriend and his friends, during which her little sister goes temporarily missing, she is grounded and dragged out to a soft play with her mum and sister. But the soft play is on the grounds of an abandoned prison (of course!) and Nia’s new friends dare her to sneak into the prison building and take a look around. But of course Nia’s sister Kayla follows her in, they both get trapped, Kayla disappears and Nia realises they are not alone!

A super-creepy, gruesomely gripping story about toxic friendships with a shocking conclusion. This is a horrid book and I couldn’t put it down!

‘The Agency for Scandal’ by Laura Wood

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If there was anything that could make a Laura Wood historical romance EVEN better, it would be adding a Women’s Detective Agency! 

Isobel Stanhope is used to being a wallflower, next to her beautiful and vivacious best friend, but when her father dies and she discovers he’s left her family penniless, she’s given an opportunity to use her talent for blending in to her advantage when she joins the ‘Aviary’ – a detective agency specialising in helping women who have nowhere else to turn. And Izzy is a talented agent, whether it is picking locks, picking pockets or infiltrating the criminal underworld disguised as boy. But when her latest case leads her to work with the enigmatic Duke of Roxton, who she’s been secretly crushing on, Izzy realises she’s not as invisible to him as she’d always thought. 

A fantastic feminist detective story, set in Victorian London, and even featuring a couple of iconic Laura Wood characters from an earlier book. So much fun, when I got to the end I wanted to read it all over again.

‘Belladonna’ by Adalyn Grace

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Signa Farrow has been stalked by death all her life, literally. She was orphaned as a baby, all of her avaricious guardians since then have perished and Death himself is her longest standing relationship. When she is invited to live with the Hawthorn family she finds them in mourning for their wife/mother and Death is already preparing to take another member of the family. Signa must work with Death and the ghosts of the house to unmask a murderer and save her cousin.

‘Belladonna’ is a lyrical and atmospheric blend of fantasy romance and mystery. (And the Fairyloot edition is exquisitely beautiful!) Loved it.


‘Promise Boys’ by Nick Brooks

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The Urban Promise Prep School is a charity school in Washington DC that takes boys from poor neighbourhoods and subjects them to a punishingly strict daily routine in an attempt to instil the discipline required to surpass expectations and make a success of their lives. (It reminded me of the Michaela School in London.) But when the Principal is shot in his office, three students find themselves in the spotlight of a murder investigation.

JB, Ramon and Trey were all in detention together, had motives to kill Principal Moore and initially suspect each other but soon decide to work together to find the real killer and expose what is happening behind the scenes at Promise. The story is told in bits of testimony from members of the community and from the perspectives of the three boys themselves. 

‘Promise Boys’ combines a hard-hitting contemporary story about the expectations and prospects of Black and Latinx boys in the US, with a gripping school murder mystery. I really enjoyed this compelling and redemptive story – definitely buying this one for the school library. An excellent read!