Grace Heriegel

It’s been a crazy year for both me and my reading habits. I finally got back into regularly reading fiction, which is such an incredible feeling and has really made my every day life so much better and happier!! Not only that, but it has massively improved my writing as it truly does matter what you consume as a creative person.

For me, I have moved from Sheffield to Oxford, graduating with a First in my BA Creative Writing degree, and starting my MA in Publishing Media. As I am now constantly surrounded by books (I now work at Waterstone’s / Blackwell’s too!!) I hope these posts can get more insightful and frequent.

Stick around, subscribe if you want to be notified when I post, and enjoy :)))

1- ‘The Lamb’ by Lucy Rose

Horror, Cannibalism, LGBTQ

This is by far one of my favourite novels of all time. I recommend this to anybody and everybody, because even if you aren’t into horror it is either the best gateway drug into the genre or a beautifully horrific read.

Something I think people don’t talk about with this book is how absolutely heartbreakingly devastating it is, which I won’t give away now! but it just cements this so much more as one of the best books I have ever read.

I have the feeling I will re-read this book again this year, and as a paperback girlie I might even repurchase the beautiful paperback cover of this.

See my review of ‘The Lamb’ here!

2- ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley (1818 text)

Classic, Sci-fi, Fatherhood

As I haven’t been living under a rock, I do know the story that is Frankenstein, but there’s something different about reading the novel itself that brings this imaginative and innovative novel back to life once again.

I really recommend looking into which text you read as it matters immensely, the 1818 text covers the themes of love and parental desire in such an elegant way. It is such a heartbreakingly beautiful and grotesquely gothic text.

(P.S. If you haven’t seen the Netflix adaptation, it’s not true to the text (they never are) but it is amazing and I highly recommend!!)

See my review of ‘Frankenstein’ here!

3- ‘Blue Sisters’ by Coco Mellors

Sisterhood, Grief, TW Addiction

This was one of my first books of 2025, and it meant a lot more to me as I absolutely raced through this book in only three days and it got me back into reading consistently.

I feel like sisterhood can be one of the most complex relationships, which is covered with beautiful intent in this novel. Each person and story feels so personal and curated very articulately.

I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to get themselves into reading again, and love incredibly fleshed out characters.

See my review of ‘Blue Sisters’ here!

4- ‘Alice’ by Christina Henry

Horror, Fairytale, TW Sexual Assault

There has to be a huge trigger warning for this novel, and I don’t recommend reading it if you get triggered by sexual assault. It doesn’t happen directly in the novel but is mentioned consistently throughout.

This novel is insanely beautifully disturbing. There’s an unsettling insanity of the characters and the plot that you learn as it gently unfolds which I just can’t shake!!

As far as this book goes as a retelling, it’s such a fresh and innovative light that doesn’t feel like anything else I’ve ever seen before. Each character from the original fairytale is cleverly in the novel, but also adapted in a way that works perfectly.

Review of Alice coming soon…

5- ‘The Familiar’ by Leigh Bardugo

Historical, Fantasy, Romance

I have to forever praise this novel as the book that got me into Bardugo and her Grishaverse novels.

The blending of the genres fantasy and historical isn’t unheard of, but I feel like hasn’t been done this elegantly in many other novels. The characters are so complex and constantly blur the lines between good and evil to the point where I didn’t know who to stand with anymore!

Something about this book is a feel everyone can read it. Whether you solely read crime, cover most fiction or are obsessed with TikTok favourites, I truly believe everybody would (and should) read and enjoy this novel!!

See my review of ‘The Familiar’ here!