Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Five Winters | 2023 | Kitty Johnson | Buy |
| 2 | Hedgehog Highway | 2024 | Kitty Johnson | Buy |
| 3 | Closest Kept | 2025 | Kitty Johnson | Buy |
Kitty Johnson’s three standalone novels each explore different facets of human connection. Five Winters (2023) spans multiple years of a relationship, Hedgehog Highway (2024) uses a neighborhood wildlife campaign to bring characters together, and Closest Kept (2025) delves into the secrets people hold closest.
Five Winters follows two people across five years, with each winter marking a turning point in their relationship. Hedgehog Highway took a different approach, centering on a community project that forces neighbors to actually talk to one another. The hedgehog rescue effort is the engine of the plot, but the real story is about the people involved.
Johnson writes contemporary British fiction with emotional weight. Her books deal with ordinary situations rather than extreme drama, and the appeal lies in how carefully she observes the way people relate to each other. Each novel is fully self-contained, so readers can start with whichever premise appeals to them most.