A quick content note: this episode includes conversations about fertility, miscarriage, baby loss, and the death of a parent. I know these topics can be difficult, so please listen in whatever way feels right for you.

I absolutely loved recording this episode with Nicola Gill — she is such a joy to chat to. We talked about her latest novel, Identity Crisis (which I adored), her writing life, and of course the books that have shaped her own reading journey.

And of course, no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without book recommendations! Here’s everything we mentioned, with links to buy:

📚 By Nicola Gill

• Identity Crisis
• Swimming for Beginners

✨ Books Mentioned

• Mister Meddle by Enid Blyton (currently unavailable on bookshop.org)
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Elligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
• Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler
• The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler
• Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
• Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
• The Scandalous Ladies Football Club by Frances Quinn
• Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
• One Day by David Nicholls
• You Are Here by David Nicholls

I’ll be back next week with another author conversation, and I’d love for you to join me for that too.

In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.

See you tomorrow, and happy listening.

Listen & Subscribe Now:

https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen

To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

⚠️ Bonus Episode Warning: Contains Spoilers ⚠️

When a book delivers an ending as brilliant and surprising as Room 706 by Ellie Levenson, it deserves its very own bonus episode, one where we can unpack everything without worrying about ruining the experience for anyone else.

If you haven’t read the book yet, please stop here and come back once you have!

Books discussed:

Room 706 by Ellie Levenson

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Although we dive deep into the ending of Room 706, we’ve chosen to keep some of Ellie’s own reflections under wraps, those are for you to discover as a reader.

If you’d like to get in touch with Ellie, you can find her on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellie_levenson/

I’ll be back next week with another author conversation, and I’d love for you to join me for that too.

In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.

See you tomorrow, and happy listening.

Listen & Subscribe Now:

https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen

To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

Today’s episode is a publication day special with Ellie Levenson, author of Room 706. I first read this book back in October and I haven’t stopped talking about it since. Room 706.

In this episode, Ellie and I dive into the world of Room 706: her inspiration, her writing process, and how she crafted such a tightly paced and explosive story. And because that ending deserves its own space, we’ve recorded a separate bonus episode dedicated entirely to unpacking it.

Of course, no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without book recommendations, so here they are, with links to buy:

📚 By Ellie Levenson

1. Room 706

✨ Books Mentioned

1. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrow by John Koenig
2. Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
3. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Bylton
4. Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfield
5. Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas
6. The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
7. The Trick to Time by Kit de Waal

If you’ve finished Room 706 and are ready to dive deeper into that unforgettable ending, make sure you check out the bonus episode. A word of warning: it’s packed with spoilers, so if you haven’t read the book yet, you might want to wait until you have.

I’ll be back next week with another author conversation, and I’d love for you to join me for that too.

In the meantime, if you enjoyed today’s episode, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to spread the word. Your support really helps new listeners discover the show.

See you next week, and happy listening.

Listen & Subscribe Now:

https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen

To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

What a way to kick off Season 4 of Best Book Forward with the international bestselling author Jane Fallon. Jane joins me on the show today to talk about her new novel, Welcome to the Neighbourhood. We chat about the inspiration behind the novel, Jane’s approach to writing and of course the five books that have shaped her life.

As you would expect no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without book recommendations! Here’s what we talked about.

📚 Books by Jane Fallon

• Welcome to the Neighbourhood
• Getting Rid of Matthew
• Got You Back

✨ Books Mentioned

• Tim and Charlotte by Edward Ardizzone (currently unavailable on bookshop.org).
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• Love for Lydia by H.E. Bates
• Puffball by Fay Weldon (currently unavailable on bookshop.org).
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

This episode marks the start of a brand new seven-episode season, with fresh conversations landing every Thursday. I’d absolutely love for you to join me each week.

In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.

See you tomorrow, and happy listening.

Listen & Subscribe Now:

https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen

To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

Best Book Forward Season 4!

Welcome back to Best Book Forward! Get ready because another new season of seven episodes, packed with incredible author is coming your way. I cannot wait to share these with you.

New to Best Book Forward?

Hi, I'm Helen (@bestbookforward), your friendly neighbourhood book pusher! Think of this podcast as your ultimate bookish version of Desert Island Discs, where I get to chat with some amazing authors about the five books that have shaped their lives and writing journeys. It's always such a joy, and I learn something new every single time (and I also add a lot of books to my TBR, I have no shelf-control)!

When Can You Dive In?

The very first episode of Season 4 drops this Thursday, 8 June! But if you've missed any of the previous episodes you'll find a catch up link below.

Ready to join the bookish adventure?

1. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts - that way you'll never miss an episode!
2. Follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward for behind-the-scenes peeks and bookish fun.
3. Check out the Best Book Forward website: www.bestbookforward.org
4. Catch up on previous episodes Catch up now

For this final episode of our special bonus season, I’m taking things right back to the beginning by welcoming my very first podcast guest, the wonderful Helen Paris, author of The Invisible Women’s Club.

In this episode Helen chats about the incredible reader response to The Invisible Women’s Club, the importance of female friendship, navigating menopause, and even gives us a little glimpse into her next book. She also shares details of her inspiring new project, The Next Chapter, a bespoke creative course, in the South of France, drawing on her 30 years of experience as a professor and creative facilitator. The course is designed to give women the space and support to nurture their creativity, whether they’re returning to something they once loved or exploring it for the first time.

For dates and details, visit: https://www.creativebody.org/nextchapter.

And of course, no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without some irresistible book recommendations to add to your festive reading list. Here’s everything we discussed:

📚 Books by Helen Paris

• The Invisible Women's Club
• Lost Property

✨ Books Mentioned

• On All Fours by Miranda July
• The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
• Heart the Lover by Lily King
• Clear by Carys Davies
• West by Carys Davies
• A Memoir of Sorts by Margaret Atwood

So that’s it for this special Christmas season. I really hope that you have enjoyed it.

I would like to say a huge thank you to my wonderful guests:

Catherine Newman, Matt Cain, Clare Leslie-Hall, Frances Quinn, Alice Winn, Virginia Evans, Lucy Steeds and of course Helen Paris.

I will be back with a brand new season start on 8 January and I really hope you’ll join for that season too. In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Listen & Subscribe Now:

https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen

To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

In this Christmas bonus episode of Best Book Forward, I’m delighted to welcome back Lucy Steeds, author of The Artist If you missed the previous episode with Claire you can catch up with it here... listen now

We take a look back at The Artist and some of the special moments that Lucy has enjoyed.

Of course, no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without some irresistible book recommendations to add to your festive reading list. Here’s everything we discussed:

📚 Books by Lucy Steds

• The Artist

✨ Books Mentioned

• The Signs by Dr Tara Swart
• Endling by Maria Reva

Boutique Book Breaks

Boutique Book Breaks - UK Retreat for Book Lovers. Hosting small groups, with author events at luxury hotels. Use code: 'BestBook' for £50 off the next weekend, 6-8 March 2026 in the New Forest.

For more details visit... https://www.boutiquebookbreaks.com/

I really hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I loved recording it.

Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing the last episode in our Christmas Chapter series; I hope you’ll join me again.

In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends... it really helps new listeners discover the show.

See you tomorrow, and happy listening. 🎄

Listen & Subscribe Now:

https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen

To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/

In this Christmas bonus episode of Best Book Forward, I’m delighted to welcome back Gillian McAllister. If you missed the previous episode you can catch up with it here…listen now

We take a look back at Famous Last Words and also at what is next for Gillian, I have to say it is all very exciting.

Of course, no episode of Best Book Forward would be complete without some irresistible book recommendations to add to your festive reading list. Here’s everything we discussed:

📚 Books by Gillian McAllister

• Famous Last Words
• Wrong Place, Wrong Time
• Caller Unknown
• That Night

✨ Books Mentioned

• Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra
• You Are Here by David Nicholls
• The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I really hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I loved recording it.

Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing another festive conversation in The Christmas Chapter series, catching up with another wonderful past guest.

In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review Best Book Forward, and don’t forget to tell your friends, it really helps new listeners discover the show.

See you tomorrow, and happy listening. 🎄

Listen & Subscribe Now:

https://best-book-forward.captivate.fm/listen

To stay in touch with Best Book Forward news please follow me on Instagram @bestbookforward or visit my website: https://bestbookforward.org/