Book lovers never really read alone – we read with each other. This month,
we’re spotlighting some brilliant voices from the South African bookstagram
community, each sharing the stories that moved, surprised, or completely
consumed them. From Richard Osman’s sharply tender new mystery to
Freida McFadden’s mind-twisting thrillers, William Boyd’s atmospheric
espionage, and Dolly Alderton’s intimate, big-hearted memoir, these reviews
capture what it feels like to fall headfirst into a book. Thoughtful, honest, and
full of personality, they remind us why we turn to readers we trust: to discover
our next favourite story, and to see books through someone else’s eyes.
The Impossible Fortune
Richard Osman
I've been thinking of the perfect way to write this review. However, I can't find the right approach. Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune has been one of my most anticipated reads of this year, and it's certainly not disappointed me at all. Like all Osman books, it was a pleasure to read, and I have no doubt that I'll find myself coming back to it in a few years.
Set just after a wedding, this instalment involves a mysterious, uncrackable code tied to a massive Bitcoin fortune. The Club’s investigation begins when a wedding guest (who fears for his life) goes missing, uncovering a mystery involving a stolen fortune and a murder.
What sets this book apart is the way Osman threads ageing, friendship, and the quiet grief of late life into a mystery that never loses momentum.
Rather than relying on familiar cosy-crime comforts, Osman uses the Club’s investigation to examine how older adults navigate agency and invisibility. There’s a sophistication to the plotting: the clues feel earned, the red herrings purposeful, and the emotional beats, particularly around loyalty and the limits of reinvention, land with surprising clarity.
I think this book is still funny and tender, and still unmistakably Osman, but there’s a sharper intelligence to this series with this one. A warm, clever, decidedly human novel, this book is my favourite in the series. Five stars.
Ward D
Freida McFadden
This was my first Freida McFadden book, and I finished it in just two days. That should already tell you how gripping it was!
So, it’s about this medical student, Amy, who has to do her night shift on Ward D, the psychiatric ward where the most dangerous patients are kept. Creepy already, right? But as the night goes on, things start going really wrong – doors locking, lights flickering, secrets spilling out – and suddenly, you’re not sure who’s the real threat anymore.
I swear, I kept saying “one more chapter” and ended up reading half the book in one sitting. It’s that fast-paced.
The writing is super easy to get into, the tension keeps building, and the twist? Freida really said, “You thought you knew? Think again.”
For a first read by her, I’d say I totally get the hype now.
If you love locked-room thrillers that mess with your mind, Ward D will not disappoint.
Do Not Disturb
Freida McFadden
If you want a quick and twisty thriller to add a check to your reading goal before year end, I highly recommend this one!
Quinn Alexander is on the run, having committed an “unthinkable crime”. She doesn’t get far before a snowstorm forces her off the road and she finds herself seeking safety in a creepy, Bates Motel-style roadside dive.
The Baxter Motel has one long-term psychic-ish tenant and a locked door barring entry to the room where a previous guest was murdered. An actual new guest is a rather surprising arrival.
The owner is a nicer, more charming Norman Bates type. Nick Baxter isn’t storing any corpses in the attic, that we know of, but he definitely has a few skeletons in the closet.
His wife is housebound in a wheelchair and lurks at the windows, always watching. Nothing, or no one, gets past her.
Somehow, this is the safest place Quinn could be while she waits out the storm that is her life and the actual physical storm outside. Will she ever get out of there?
Do Not Disturb is part of Freida McFadden’s pre-Housemaid success catalogue, and it cements the fact (for me, at least) that anything she’s ever written is worth reading. I love how she blends high-stakes tension with humanity and humour.
This book was highly entertaining and full of surprises!
The Predicament
William Boyd
If you love Cold War thrillers with a literary twist, stop scrolling … this one’s for you.
William Boyd’s The Predicament (Gabriel Dax #2) is a beautifully written, medium-paced spy novel that’s full of tension, mystery, and historical intrigue. Gabriel Dax is back, still reluctant, still curious, and still being manipulated by MI6, the KGB, and his own heart.
Here are 5 reasons to read this book:
1. A reluctant spy you’ll root for: Gabriel Dax isn’t suave, but he’s sharp, self-aware, and fascinating.
2. Cold War atmosphere done right: Guatemala, Berlin, JFK’s visit … the history is alive and immersive.
3. Elegant prose with literary depth: Boyd’s writing is spare, smart, and quietly devastating.
4. Twists without the clichés: You’re never quite sure who’s pulling the strings ... and neither is Gabriel.
5. Dry humour + subtle satire: Moles are termites, and espionage is never glamorous here.
Perfect for fans of John le Carré, historical thrillers, and anyone who likes their spies conflicted and their plots layered.
Set in 1963
Part of a planned trilogy
Gabriel’s Moon > The Predicament > Book 3 (coming soon?)
Everything I Know About Love
Dolly Alderton
Have you ever finished the last sentence of a book and then immediately wanted to start from the beginning again?
Everything I know about love is a memoir but feels like a novel about a young girl writing in her diary while growing up from being a teenager to entering her thirties. It’s so deeply personal, I feel like she completely and accurately summed up what it feels like to have female friendships, to start (and kind of stop) partying, to constantly be shaping or figuring out your own identity, to fall in and out of love, and to realise that you are enough and lovable just as you are.
I defy you to not find a part of this book you can relate to. Because I felt like I was reading a stream-of-consciousness dictation of my best friend’s life. I cried and then laughed out loud on the very next page. The writing is SO accessible and cool (though maybe it’s just because it’s so very British, I love it).
Yes, I am a bit late to this party, but that’s okay because Dolly is always late.
Now please excuse me as I go cyberstalk all the people in this book who feel like characters that magically manifested into real life people. All round very high praise.
Dropping this off at my best friend’s house this afternoon because every woman should read this book.
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