The Journal

The Note Bene Journal is where we’ll share all prize updates, author interviews, book reviews, and editorial pieces; it’s the very latest from Nota Bene, here for you to explore.

Review: Chrysalis by Anna Metcalfe
REVIEW Sophie Percival REVIEW Sophie Percival

Review: Chrysalis by Anna Metcalfe

Shortlisted for the 2024 Nota Bene Prize, Chrysalis by Anna Metcalfe is an unnerving, compelling and utterly contemporary debut novel about one woman's metamorphosis into an online phenomenon.

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Review: Kala by Colin Walsh
REVIEW Sophie Percival REVIEW Sophie Percival

Review: Kala by Colin Walsh

Drenched in suspense and populated with richly drawn characters, Walsh’s atmospheric thriller follows three old friends reunited in their hometown on the Irish West Coast as chilling secrets from their past start to unravel.

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Review: Rosewater by Liv Little
REVIEW Sophie Percival REVIEW Sophie Percival

Review: Rosewater by Liv Little

Shortlisted for the 2024 Nota Bene Prize, Rosewater is a daring, unputdownable debut, filled with unforgettable characters and subtle social commentary, about a free-spirited young South Londoner is a stunning meditation on the ways in which friendship can deepen into romantic love.

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Review: I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel
REVIEW Sophie Percival REVIEW Sophie Percival

Review: I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel

Shortlisted for the 2023 Nota Bene Prize, I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel is a remarkable debut that encompasses social media, patriarchal systems and status anxiety into an emotionally visceral whole.

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Review: Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
REVIEW Sophie Percival REVIEW Sophie Percival

Review: Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris

Shortlisted for the 2023 Nota Bene Prize, Black Butterflies is a breathtaking story of disintegration, resilience and hope. Priscilla’s debut novel is inspired by real accounts and family history of the siege of Sarajevo.

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Review: Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
REVIEW Sophie Percival REVIEW Sophie Percival

Review: Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

Shortlisted for the 2023 Nota Bene Prize, Trespasses is a blistering account of encroaching violence and fractured loyalties in 1970's Belfast. Tender and devastating, this is an incredible debut novel from Louise Kennedy.

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Review: Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
REVIEW Sophie Percival REVIEW Sophie Percival

Review: Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

Shortlisted for the 2023 Nota Bene Prize, Young Mungo is both a vivid portrayal of working-class life and the deeply moving story of the dangerous first love of two young men: Mungo and James.

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