Set over the course of a heatwave summer, a young Australian arrives to take-up the post of matron at an English boarding school for girls. When attraction for the headmaster’s wife, Mrs S, becomes more, the two embark on a risky affair. The threat of exposure lurks in their every meeting and in this stultify environment the outcome can never be positive…or can it? For me, the innovative style of Patrick’s prose in this novel intensifies every aspect of the story. Their artful use of violent imagery (a backdrop of Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ in the school play, shards of glass from a vandalised church window, and the plucking of petals from a rose) reinforces the sense of risk and emotional conflict, whilst the choice of location and Patrick’s decision not to name most of the characters works to emphasise the constraints of secrecy brought about by the affair. Always convincing, Mrs. S is a moving portrayal of a young lesbian’s journey from simply knowing their identity to having the confidence to express it and live it. An impressive debut that leaves me very much looking forward to reading Patricks first anthology of poetry due to published in 2024.

I loved this novel from start to finish and I haven't stopped recommending it to people since. K Patrick is a fantastic new literary talent and I'm so excited for their future novels. Mrs S is an incredible portrayal of wanting, desire, longing, and loving. I could feel that character's emotions through the pages and it's an incredibly hooking read. It's made more impactful by the fact that none of the characters are given actual names, they're simply referred to by their place in our protagonist's life. This amplifies the intense interaction between her and Mrs S as Mrs S is the closest we get to a name. It truly represents the tunnel vision our main character has on Mrs S. The boarding school setting heightens their relationship as they have to hide it from everyone for multiple reasons, the risks that they were willing to take elevate the whole novel and I couldn't help but root for them throughout even though we know that it's not a permanent relationship, regardless of how much we want it to be. Truly an amazing novel and it's wonderful to see others enjoying it too!

Deftly written, this novel is a powerful celebration of lesbianism that can sit proudly in the dark academic genre; it has earned its spot amongst the very best. Mrs. S follows a troupe of unnamed, aside from the eponymous love interest, staff at an all girls boarding school. It’s newest member, a matron shipped in from Australia, is our protagonist. From her point of view we navigate the hallowed halls who boast that they were once roamed by the Dead Author, a female writer who went to the school and subsequently locked it in infamy via a series of novels. Our main character promptly notices Mrs. S, the headmasters wife, and Mrs. S notices her, too. From there, a love affair plays out. This novel is delicate; emotions fleeting; scenarios burning bright and fast. It is easy to get drawn into and consistently leaves you craving more. It is a gorgeous piece of writing and the story feels evergreen. There are very few cultural references and, except for an off-the-cuff mention of 1987, it mostly exists outside of time. I hope it can establish itself as a story that never goes out of fashion. Thank you so much to El at HarperInsider for sending me a gorgeous proof copy to review!

Thank you so, so much to El @ HarperInsider for an early exclusive proof, I have been utterly delighted to read it and I'm so pleased I can share my thoughts with anyone who is interested in this book. Speaking from my POV as a genderfluid bisexual, I found the story of Mrs S. to be a stand-in for every beautiful girl or boy I have ever loved on the spot, for anyone I have loved long before dating, and almost the deification of that sort of perfection you know you can never personally achieve in both body and personality but can't help worship in another. While primarily marketed as a lesbian romance, there is a trans/genderfluidity to the main character I instantly felt paralleled in myself and my friends, from intense gender envy when trapped in the wrong body to utter disgust at owners of it hours later. This was written from the perspective of someone much older in the queer circuit who has felt rejection and fear before, standard terrors growing up for anyone who is not heteronormative (the jokes about which, by our canon gays, are all en pointe and hilarious), and would be best appreciated by millennials or genx, both of whom will feel at home in the amorphous 1990s vibe the setting gives off (no mobile phones, internet, etc). This is a book written for anyone who wants a Dark Academia theme without being stuffed into the role of a student, instead allowed the freedom of a mid-twenties job where they can visit pubs around their duties taking care of “The Girls” at the boarding school; it was a perspective I personally felt was a much needed breath of fresh air in the genre. The MC is 22 and Mrs S. is around 40, so the age gap and difference in their circumstances is a definite kink to make note of. The book is written as one stream of consciousness which takes a little getting used to, but once you get into the flow of it the whole setting really pulls together and you feel like a spectator in the head of the MC, seeing and feeling in the same moments as she does. It makes for a powerful take on first-person POV. The line, “I have always been in pursuit of something. A kind of survival,” had such weight to it written from the LGBTQIA+ standpoint, something you can never explain to a straight person (no matter how earnestly you try, or at least not so they actually understand beyond platitudes and their hastily self-drawn comparisons). Everything about the MC in this book is raw on a level that will touch your heartstrings even when you think you are prepared for it; you are not, she Knows(TM) you. Is you. Moments where she misses the rain because it offers a chance to hide and bundle her body away, to not be Seen while walking in public, are so profoundly simple yet known to so many conscious of how they don't suit their own bones and have to live in a world judged by an overwhelmingly heteronormative gaze. Existing as you should be, even if it's only in your own mind, under a coat. There is a conversation where the MC tries to explain what their binder means to them (not to be a man, but masculine) and being genderfluid myself I knew immediately what their point was. I would encourage straight readers to take on this book as a learning curve, it can only help their understanding broaden when it comes to LGBTQIA+ issues and will do so gently, organically, through the MC's own thoughts. “Haven't I spent a lifetime separating my body from my mind?” A story that is absolutely heart-wrenching, I felt like I was obsessing over Mrs S. right along with the narrative. Every interaction was tense with attraction to a married, closeted woman. It was a fascinatingly fun (if somewhat stressful for your gay, yearning soul!) read that I couldn't put down from start to finish, and the friendship with the similarly lesbian Housemistress was a lifeline of comfort throughout. Having read the whole thing in a day, I feel like I listened to someone recount one of the core experiences of their life and I'm glad I listened. I'm very impressed and touched by this book; please do take the time to absorb it into your Dark Academia collection. “... personally, I'm very pleased you were born.” “Thanks.”

A spare, compelling account of a queer love affair, set in a girls' boarding school.. Mrs S, the object of our narrator's desire is the headmaster's wife. She is beautiful, self assured, adored by the pupils and seemingly perfect in her role. Our narrator is younger, away from home and not sure at first if her passion is reciprocated.. It seems at first impossible that anything will happen in the goldfish bowl of the school, with eyes everywhere and no privacy. The pared back writing contributes to the tension of this erotic story. The plot is simple and the incidents that occur take on a weight that they might not in a more complex narrative - a girl punches a boy at a dance organised with a neighbouring school; our narrator and the confident butch housemistress take a taxi and go to the one gay bar in the nearest big town; a rock is thrown through the stained glass window of the church. This is a powerful novel about desire, but also about friendship and queer camaraderie. Recommended.