Review - How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva

 

 Title: How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days

Author: Jessie Sylva

Pages: 384

Publisher: Orbit

Release Date: 20th January 2026

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days is a comfort read fantasy romance between a halfling and a goblin: imagine a classic opposites-attract romcom taking place in those cosy scenes in the hobbits' Shire from The Lord of the Rings. Expect magical forests, interfering wizards, lots of home cooking, and maybe even a kiss at the Harvest dance... 
 
When a halfling, Pansy, and a goblin, Ren, each think they've inherited the same cottage, they make a bargain: they'll live in the house together and whoever is driven out first forfeits their ownership. Amidst forced proximity and cultural misunderstandings, the two begin to fall in love. 
 
But when the cottage - and their communities - are threatened by a common enemy, the duo must learn to trust each other, and convince goblins and halflings to band together to oust the tall intruder. 

  

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My Review:

 *I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown UK* 

 

 

When Halfling Pansy moves into the cottage she inherited from her grandmother, the last thing she expects is to find it already occupied by a goblin called Ren. 

Halflings and goblins have long distrusted each other, but Pansy and Ren come to an agreement - they will both live in the cottage until one of them gives up and leaves. The remaining inhabitant will win the sole right to occupy the cottage. 

As Pansy and Ren spend more time together, their opinions change, and they will have to work together to save their loved ones from the true threat. 

 

I'm not someone that typically reads cosy novels, but as a fantasy fan, I thought I would give this a try. 

Pansy and Ren were both likeable and relatable protagonists - Pansy because she was made to feel other to the rest of her village, and Ren because they would do anything for their clan and loved ones. 

The setting was interesting, and I liked that we got to see aspects of both Halfling and goblin cultures. 

The plot was good overall, but not that much really happened and it was a bit predictable. However, I enjoyed reading Pansy and Ren's interactions. I also found the idea of a wizard hanging around a Halfling town trying to recruit people quite funny - obviously this was meant to be a take in a very well-known wizard. While this wasn't a gripping read, I found it to be cute, and I did like the themes. 

 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. 

 

 

Review - Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein

 

 Title: Retro

Author: Jessica M. Goldstein

Pages: 407

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Release Date: 25th June 2026

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 Ash is a failed actress who is done trying to ‘make’ something of her life. Until a golden opportunity drops in her a job at Retro, an agency who organise trips into the past for the ultra-wealthy. 
 
Energised by her new role, Ash throws herself into leading bachelorette parties in the Old West, birthday parties at Woodstock and a situationship with a hard-drinking detective from 1937. But as time goes on, it becomes clear that Retro’s shadowy founder Ro has terrifying designs for the company’s future – and for the part Ash herself can play in it. 

 

Goodreads | Storygraph | Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop

 

 

 

 

My Review:  

 *I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph* 

 

 

Ash's life isn't going the way she expected - she's in debt and an unemployed actress - meanwhile, her best friend has become a film star. 

When Ash sees a job advertisement for Retro, a company that sells time travel experiences to the past, she applies. 

Now a Time Travel Agent, Ash takes journeys to the past with clients and finds herself swept up in the fun of time travel. Ash also finds romance on the cards. 

But when strange things start to happen to her memory and her life in the present, Ash discovers that maybe there's more to Retro than she thought. 

 

The time travel element of this novel intrigued me, so I thought I would give it a try. 

Ash was a relatable and mostly likeable protagonist. She was going through a rough patch and missed her best friend who she wasn't able to see as often as before. Whilst I did feel sorry for Ash, I didn't fully connect with her and so wasn't really that invested in what happened to her. 

The plot was enjoyable to begin with, but after a while I found my attention drifting as not much was really happening. The pacing was definitely off, and it could have been structured better. There were some interesting concepts and themes, but none of them really hit home for me. I found the ending quite frustrating.  

I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more. This was one of those novels where the execution didn't work for me. 

 

Overall, this was an okay read.