book review

Ilona Bannister – Five

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Ilona Bannister

Five

Released May 5th, 2026 via Crown

Per Spectrum Culture:

Ilona Bannister does a lot of things in Five, keeping a taut balance between them. It’s a mystery novel where the death comes at the end, rather than the beginning. It’s an interrelated short story collection with a strong framing device. In places it’s touching; in others it’s horrifying. The characters are all flawed in fascinating ways; the crowd that demands their protagonists be their morally pure best friends will hate it. There’s a lot to unpack from it, and if you’re the type to undertake such an unpacking with glee, you’ll find a lot to admire in Ilona Bannister’s latest.

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Madeline Cash – Lost Lambs

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Madeline Cash

Lost Lambs

Released January 13th, 2026 on Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Per Spectrum Culture:

Lost Lambs is an assured literary debut, the kind of book that presents a writer whose voice is vibrant and who isn’t afraid to balance intricate connections with an irreverent sense of humor. The noise around its launch says more about the insecurities of the publishing marketplace than it does about the novel itself. Lost Lambs ultimately stands on its own feet, as a sharp, funny, slightly overengineered machine that hums with its own sense of purpose and announces Madeline Cash as a writer worth keeping an eye on.

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