Photo Credit: Lisa Fotios @ Pexels.

The Weekly Book Date is where I talk all things books from the past 7 days (1-7 September 2025).

Lots to talk about this week with 7 x books: 1 x Current Read, 2 x Books Read, 3 x Books Bought and 1 x Added to Wish List.

The week ahead is going to be really stressful at my new job and books have always been my favourite distraction so it’ll be interesting to see how much reading I do. I’m low-key obsessed with all things Freddie Mercury and Queen so I’m really excited to get back to my current read, Love, Freddie: Freddie Mercury’s Secret Life and Love by Lesley-Ann Jones.

Happy reading, Louise x

Currently Reading (1):

(1) Love, Freddie: Freddie Mercury’s Secret Life and Love by Lesley-Ann Jones (2025) (Kindle)

Few people knew that Freddie Mercury kept a diary. When he died in 1991, he left behind seventeen handwritten notebooks chronicling his life and times, which he had begun to write in 1976 when Queen were at the height of their global fame. His final entry was made just weeks before his death.

Only four of his nearest and dearest ever knew what became of those diaries. To one of them, Freddie secretly entrusted the collection just before he died. A mind-blowing read, they constitute the closest thing to a Freddie Mercury autobiography that the world will ever know.

In 2021, this trusted individual approached the author, offering something unprecedented: complete and unrestricted access to the artist’s most intimate confessions. For three and a half years, Lesley-Ann Jones has immersed herself in Freddie’s personal revelations, crafting a narrative that will overturn everything we thought we knew about him and his legacy.

Love, Freddie shares shocking secrets from Freddie’s childhood, lifts the lid on his deepest fears and most passionate desires, explores the inspiration behind his songwriting, revisits his closest relationships and reveals the love of his life. Here, once and for all, is Freddie Mercury’s true story.

My Thoughts: I’ve always been a huge fan of Freddie Mercury and Queen so I splurged on this book as soon as it was released on Friday (5 September).

What I Read This Week (2):

[image error] (Hated It)

[image error] [image error] (Didn’t Like It)

[image error] [image error] [image error] (It Was OK)

[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] (Liked It)

[image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] (Loved It)

(1) Overdue by Stephanie Perkins (9 October 2025) (NetGalley) [image error] [image error] [image error]

Ingrid Dahl is a cheerful, twenty-nine-year-old librarian living in the cosy mountain town of Ridgetop. She and her boyfriend since college, Cory, have never discussed marriage; they’re perfectly happy with the way things are. But when Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement to a woman she’s only been dating for two years, Ingrid and Cory suddenly feel pressured to start thinking about the inevitable: marriage and kids.

The thing is, neither of them has ever been with anyone else. Shouldn’t they sow their oats before settling down?

They make the unorthodox decision to separate for a month to date other people, assuming that at the end of it, they’ll reunite and start planning their nuptials. And Ingrid has the perfect man in mind for this relationship sabbatical–Macon Nowakowski, her cantankerous and completely adorable co-worker for whom she’s had a crush for years.

But of course the best laid plans often go awry, and when Ingrid and Cory meet at the end of the month to resume next steps in their relationship, it’s clear neither of them is ready to get back together…

Tags: ARC / Favourite Author / Librarians / Workplace Romance

My Thoughts: ARC received via NetGalley.

I had such high hopes for Overdue because I really enjoyed the author’s previous books, particularly Anna and the French Kiss. Unfortunately it was just OK because although I liked Ingrid and Macon as characters, their slow burn dragged on unnecessarily.

At the beginning, Ingrid is on a month-long break from her long-term boyfriend, Corey. They’ve both been having second thoughts about the future of their relationship after Ingrid’s sister announced she’s engaged. For a month, they won’t have any communication and they’re free to hook up with other people.

Ingrid tries to kiss her co-worker, Macon but he turns her down so she hooks up with a guy she meets on the apps and then one of the patrons from the library where she and Macon work.

I prefer books where even if it’s a slow burn, I still know who I’m supposed to be hoping the FMC ends up with. I struggled at the beginning of Overdue because I couldn’t figure out if Ingrid was supposed to be with Corey, Macon or somebody else?

There was so much detail given about the library, the decorating of Macon’s house and Ingrid’s new bookshop, which were interesting but felt like they made the book so much longer than it needed to be.

(2) Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings (2025) (Kindle) [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error]

Eva Kitt dreamed of pursuing a journalism career all her life. Instead, she’s the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hotdogs. When Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help that said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality, who built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.

Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behaviour, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but this could advance her own career… and she wouldn’t mind defaming Rylie’s good name in the process. When their manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.

Tags: Favourite Author / Second Chance

My Thoughts: The premise for Eva’s interviews reminds me of Chicken Shop Date, which I’m a fan of.

I like Eva and it was refreshing to have a female main character who’s tough and sarcastic. She could’ve come across as being unlikable but I can totally understand why she’s developed such a hard shell and she’s afraid of being mediocre.

Rylie’s a great love interest because there are genuine reasons why he behaved like such a jerk to Eva when they dated in college. He’s grown so much in the intervening years and I appreciate that he’s so open about being in therapy. He’s still continuing to work on himself and using what he’s learned to help others.

Eva and Riley have great chemistry and I love the flip on the usual grumpy/sunshine trope. It’s funny how she calls him “baby girl.”

As a fan of this author, it was an added bonus to get cameos from two of my favourite couples from her previous books too.

What I Bought This Week (5):

I’m always more tempted to buy books at the start of the month because that’s when the new Kindle Deals for the month come out and 4 of the 5 x books I bought last week were 99p each.

In addition to (1) Love, Freddie: Freddie Mercury’s Secret Life and Love by Lesley-Ann Jones and (2) Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings, I also bought:

(3) If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia (2025) (Kindle)

I’ve never read anything by this author but after seeing If It Makes You Happy talked about on Instagram, it sounds like the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of the cosy, ‘ber months plus I love the idea that it’s set in the 1990s. I can be fussy about character names so I don’t know how I’m going to feel about a love interest called Cliff because it reminds me of Cliff from Cheers (1982-93) but we’ll see…

My new next-door neighbour seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn’t notice them, I swear.

I, on the other hand, don’t–at all–have anything figured out. Trust me, I didn’t think taking over my mom’s dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run, Vermont was going to be easy. It should be a good place to heal after my divorce. But apparently my scones belong in the garbage with my small talk skills. As pointed out by none other than Cliff.

Cliff is inescapable. He knows exactly what people need–always. His charm, the way he wears flannel, and even his pastries, make not wanting to be friends with Cliff and his daughters pretty hard.

Friends? I can make friends. That’s safe. Except I’m leaving in three months to pass the inn off to my little sister and get the promotion in Seattle I’ve been working towards. So ask me why I’m thinking about kissing my hot neighbour.

Tags: Bakers / New-to-Me Author / Pupsters / Single Parents

(4) The Baby Dragon Bakery (Baby Dragon #2) by A.T. Qureshi (2025) (Kindle Book Deal)

Will it be a recipe for romance? Or a friendship up in flames?

Lavinia has it all. A loving family (complete with adorable pet baby dragon). A place at university training to be a magical animal vet. And a part-time job at the enchanting Baby Dragon Cafe. The only thing she doesn’t have is her one true love: Theo.

Theo is the local baker and her best friend. On paper, they’re perfect: he’s funny, she’s witty. He’s sweet, and she’s a little salty. That’s why they’ve been friends for as long as they can remember. They’ve never been without one another – and it’s clear to everyone that they’re meant to be.

Everyone except Theo. Because when Lavinia finally makes her move, he pulls away.

Lavinia is devastated. Has this friendship gone up in smoke? Or will Theo finally realise that he wants them to be more than friends?

Tags: Bakers / Friends-to-Lovers

(5) Where You’re Planted by Melanie Sweeney (2025) (Kindle Book Deal)

A single mum. A grumpy gardener. Can they let love bloom?

Busy librarian and single mum Tansy Perkins doesn’t have time for love – she’s either lost in a book or in a pile of homework.

Grumpy gardener Jack Reid has sworn off relationships since his divorce. Right now, he’s only interested in growing flowers, not feelings.

So when a hurricane forces Tansy to move her library into Jack’s pristine botanic gardens, it’s safe to say that neither of them are thrilled by this new distraction. But soon the chemistry between them grows impossible to ignore …

Will they dig in their heels, or let love take root?

Tags: Florists & Gardeners / Librarians / Single Parents

Added to Wish List (1):

For a full list of the future books on my Wish List, check out  Upcoming Releases .

(1) Match Me If You Can by Heidi Shertok (16 October 2025)

I’ve been waiting not-so-patiently for Match Me If You Can, the next novel by Heidi Shertok after falling hard for Unorthodox Love, which was a Five Star Read.

For five years Ashira Wernick has thrown herself into the company her mother built, continuing her work as a matchmaker in the Orthodox Jewish community. But when a small (read: huge) faux pas lands her in hot water with one of the most powerful families in Brooklyn, Ashira’s future starts to look a little shaky.

Now, her only hope of saving her mother’s legacy is to make the match of the century and she has just the person in mind: New York City’s most eligible (and eternally single) bachelor, Caleb Kahn. Her older brother’s best friend, and the man she is determined to keep her distance from.

As each match goes from bad to worse, with Caleb seemingly intent on sabotaging every date she sets up, Ashira will need to take a more hands-on approach if she is going to repair her damaged reputation. She just never figured that her heart would be on the line too…

Tags: Brother’s Best Friend / Favourite Author / Jewish / Jewish Matchmaking