Billie’s Book Club

The Wayward Ones by Kaycee King

The Wayward Ones was such a powerful and emotional follow-up to The Things We Couldn’t Say and wow, this one really put my heart through it.

Picking up three years later, Sam and Adam are happily married, but Adam is struggling deeply after losing his dad a few months earlier. While Sam knows Adam is hurting, he doesn’t realise just how much Adam has been leaning on alcohol and drugs to cope. When Sam’s mum invites them to spend Christmas with the whole family, they decide to go, even though Sam knows being back around his deeply religious father, June, is never going to be easy.

From there this story completely wrecked me. Watching Adam spiral while Sam tries so hard to hold everything together was heartbreaking, and the family drama hit hard. June had me so frustrated! I genuinely wanted to scream at him more than once. The way Kaycee King explores grief, addiction, family trauma and the damage words can do felt incredibly raw and real, and there were moments that honestly made me feel sick with how cruel people can be.

But underneath all that heaviness is so much love. Sam and Adam’s relationship still felt so strong even when everything around them was falling apart, and that emotional connection between them carried this whole story for me. Full of hurt/comfort, found family, emotional healing and so much heart, this was such an intense but beautiful read.

I absolutely loved this one, even when it broke my heart 🖤🎄📚

The Things We Couldn’t Say by Kaycee King

The Things We Couldn’t Say was such an emotional MM romance and definitely one that pulled at my heart.

Sam has been in love with his best friend Adam since he was seventeen. They’ve spent years together—playing in the same punk band, touring, chasing fame and building a life side by side—but Sam has always kept his feelings buried. Adam has always identified as straight, hooking up with women while on tour, so Sam has kept both his feelings and his truth hidden from Adam and the rest of the world. When Sam is unexpectedly outed and his feelings for Adam are suddenly exposed, everything between them starts to shift, and Adam is forced to question whether what he feels for Sam has always been more than friendship.

This was such a heartbreaking story about friendship, love, family drama and all the messy complicated feelings that come with loving someone for so long and never knowing if they could love you back. Adam and Sam were intense in the best way, and I really loved seeing them slowly open up and finally share the things they’d both been holding onto for so long.

I really enjoyed getting both of their perspectives and seeing how differently they viewed so many of the same moments. A few scenes did feel a little repetitive because of the dual POV, and I do think it could have been a little shorter, but it honestly didn’t take away from how invested I was in their story.

Overall I absolutely loved this one and I’m already so keen to see where the story goes next 🖤🎸📚

The Hobart Hotel by Mary-Lou Stephens

The Hobart Hotel is glamorous, atmospheric, dual-timeline historical fiction with Mary-Lou Stephens typical flair.

Set around Hobart’s iconic Wrest Point in both 1939 and 1973, and South America in the early 1940’s, the story follows Sabine and Jenny - two very different women linked by secrets, ambition and some beautifully woven family ties. Sabine brought all the elegance and danger with her jewel-thief-turned-spy storyline, while Jenny’s chapters had that perfect mix of mystery, friendship and discovering who she wants to be in a world full of expectations.

The whole book has such a rich vintage feel with old-world glamour, hidden letters, family secrets, strong women and a touch of espionage, all wrapped up in gorgeous Tasmanian history. I was more intrigued by Sabines story, with a lot of famous people woven in through the history, but loved how both timelines slowly connected without ever losing momentum.

While the story started a little slowly, it built into a captivating Aussie historical fiction read with mystery, drama and plenty of sparkle. Definitely one to add to your TBR 📚✨

Sunday = shelf refresh day at Billie’s Book Club 📚✨

We spent a little time restocking the street library today and added some great new reads to the shelves — including a gorgeous special edition we couldn’t wait to share with our local readers 👀💛

One of our favourite things about having a street library is never knowing which book will catch someone’s eye. A surprise find, a new favourite author, or the perfect story picked up on a Sunday stroll — there’s something pretty special about books finding their way to the right reader.

If you’re nearby, come have a browse! Billie’s Book Club is listed on the Street Library Australia website and the shelves are ready for their next visitors. Borrow a book, swap one over, or just stop by for a little bookish browse.

And if you visit, we’d love to see! Snap a photo, tag us, and show us what made its way home with you 🤍📖

Silence Beneath Fire by Magda Mizzi

Silence Beneath Fire, book two in the Distorted Horizons series, picks up straight after the devastating events of book one and the emotional intensity is there from page one.

Annie and Jude are still desperately searching for Annie’s brother Lucas, chasing leads through a dangerous and ever-changing post-apocalyptic Australia. Their search takes them to Kooragang Island, where they uncover more survivors of the horrific experiments. While they don’t find Lucas, they do leave with something unexpected - a baby boy entrusted to Annie and Jude, adding another layer of hope and heart to an already emotional journey.

From there they head back to Jude’s home, hoping for answers and somewhere safe to regroup. Finding a community there brings a whole new dynamic to the story, with Jude choosing to stay hidden while Annie steps forward. The tension, uncertainty, and constant fight for survival kept me completely hooked.

One of my favourite parts was Annie and Jude’s relationship continuing to deepen. They’ve both been through so much, and that trauma shapes every interaction between them. Jude especially broke my heart in this one, and watching Annie try to break through his walls felt so raw and genuine.

Magda Mizzi continues to create such an immersive Australian dystopian world filled with survival, resilience, found family, and hope in the darkest places. I’ve loved every book in this universe so far and I already can’t wait for the next one.

Vow Of Eternal Night by Lily Crozier

If you love gothic romantasy, vampires, slow-burn tension and Beauty and the Beast inspired romance, definitely add Vow Of Eternal Night to your TBR. 🖤🦇

Clara has grown up fearing Prince Raleigh of Rostenburg and everything he represents, so when she suddenly finds herself trapped in an unwanted betrothal and taken to his eerie castle, she’s determined to do whatever she can to break free. Raleigh was such a fun romantic lead - dark and dangerous on the surface, but there’s so much more going on underneath. The tension between him and Clara builds so well, with plenty of banter, yearning and that addictive enemies-to-lovers push and pull.

I also loved the side characters, especially Moira, who added so much warmth and helped Clara navigate the castle and everything happening around her. The world-building was so immersive too - an enchanted castle, vampire politics, hidden secrets and a curse hanging over everything gave this such a moody gothic vibe. Clara’s journey was just as compelling as the romance too, especially as she starts questioning everything she’s believed and learns there’s a big difference between monsters you’re warned about… and monsters hiding in plain sight.

A really addictive vampire romance and such a fantastic debut. Perfect for fans of romantasy, gothic fantasy, cursed princes and slow-burn romance. ✨📚

Happy Sunday, book friends 📚☀️

It’s Sunday Shelfie time - street library style!We gave the shelves at Billie’s Book Club a little refresh today and added some lovely new books for our local readers to discover.

There’s something so special about seeing stories shared this way… a book you’ve loved finding a new home, and a reader stumbling across their next favourite by surprise 💛

You can find Billie’s Book Club on the Street Library Australia website, so if you’re nearby come and pay us a visit! Browse the shelves, borrow a book, leave a book, and enjoy a little bookish treasure hunt while you’re there.

And if you stop by, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag us - we’d love to see what you picked up and share your visit with our little book-loving community 📖✨

Pony Season by Bindi Kennedy

Pony Season is such a sweet, emotional, and highly addictive college hockey romance. 🏒💕 As the fourth book in the Green Line series, this one absolutely lived up to how amazing the first three books were - honestly, this series just keeps getting better and better.

What starts as a fake marriage arrangement quickly turns into a story full of slow burn tension, healing, and found family feels that completely stole my heart. I absolutely loved Cherry - she was strong, hardworking, and doing everything she could for little Bailey while working as a nurse. When Cherry’s ex suddenly tries to fight for custody of Bailey, Sam steps in and offers to marry her to help protect them both… and honestly, the way this man showed up for them had me swooning HARD. 🥹

And Sam? Total golden retriever energy hidden behind hockey player charm. Watching him slowly fall for both Cherry and Bailey was honestly the cutest thing ever - especially every time Bailey called him “my Sam Sam.” 😭💕 Those little family moments completely melted my heart. The chemistry between Cherry and Sam felt natural, the banter was fun, and the emotional moments hit just right without feeling overly dramatic.

If you love cosy sports romance with lovable characters, emotional depth, and all the swoony moments, definitely add this one to your TBR. ✨📚

Barney by Guy Sigley

If you love an awkward hero, workplace chaos, and a slow-burn rom-com vibe, this book is such a fun ride

It follows Barney, a sweet but slightly awkward guy whose life is… well, a bit of a shambles. As he tries to get his act together, he ends up on a journey full of quirky encounters, unexpected friendships, and those small, heart‑tugging moments that sneak up on you.

Barney himself is the standout - gentle, earnest, and so unintentionally funny that you can’t help rooting for him. Gloria is sharp, intimidating, and completely out of Barney’s league… which of course makes his painfully awkward attempts to impress her even more endearing. Their dynamic gives major opposites attract energy with a side of emotional growth as Barney tries to figure out who he actually is beneath all the overthinking.

This book is such an easy-to-read, feel-good, laugh-out-loud romance with a surprisingly relatable message about being yourself (even when you’re a bit of a disaster). Think “The Rosie Project” vibes but with extra Aussie humour and workplace antics. Looking forward to reading about Barney’s further adventures.