Published By: Wildfire
Pages: 448
Released On: 27/08/2026
Sister Francis is an unlikely nun.
She’s sixty, sweary, drives like a lunatic and smokes like a stacked chimney . . . and she runs the Blessed Assumption Boys Club.
Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan are four best friends from the Whittle council estate with little to do but get up to no good. After a run-in with local bullies, they discover the crumbling, forgotten club and find themselves in the company of the most remarkable person they will ever meet.
Set against early 1980s Britain, THE TROUBLE WITH SISTER FRANCIS is a funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story of unlikely heroes, quiet rebellions, fierce loyalty and unexpected hope.
And at the centre of it all lies a long-forgotten journal that might just change everything.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Wildfire for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I cannot explain how much I LOVED Matt’s book Frank and Red, and I have been keeping an eye out for his next one ever since. But this did have a lot to live up because Frank & Red was so good.
This flits between the present (albeit, the present being the 1980s) and during WWII, and you’re not sure how they connect at first, but they’re still enjoyable separate stories. But they gain another level once you work out the connection.
In a way, it slightly reminded me of Jennie Godfrey’s books, with The List of Suspicious Things set in 1979 and The Barbecue at No 9 set in 1975 – this sits firmly in the middle and has the same tone to it, which I enjoyed.
I like how he writes across different generations. In both of his adult books we’ve got an older character interacting with youth, and he really has such a talent for doing that.
There’s a main cast of four not-quite teenage boys. I liked some of them more than others, but I imagine that’s to be expected. And obviously Sister Francis just steals every single page and I loved her.
I always liked the idea of being a nun – even though I’m not Catholic – and now I want to be Sister Francis. She’s a foul-mouthed, quite brash, and sometimes a bit crazy nun who I instantly loved.
You just live inside this book; the characters become your friends, and everything that matters to them instantly matters to you. The dialogue is so natural and fits in with the time period but is also relatable to the modern reader.
I don’t want to go into too much detail because I think this is a story you want to experience for yourself, but just know it’s a story about friendship, love, community, family – it’s a feel good adventure about loyalty and hope.
It is a wee bit long but that’s a comment on my preference rather than a comment on the book itself, because everything about it was perfect and everything had a place so it couldn’t have been cut down. And even if it was long, it reads so well that it still only took me little over a day to read.
Matt became a go-to author based on just one novel and this cements it – I cannot wait to read everything he publishes in the future.
Books By Your Bedside 