Young adult
One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
Kicking off with a scene reminiscent of The Breakfast Club, this book begins with five Bayview High students in detention. There’s a jock, a bad boy, a beauty and a brain. There’s also Simon: an outcast responsible for creating…
Living on Hope Street by Demet Divaroren
Living on Hope Street is the impressive debut novel of Turkish–Australian writer and co-editor of the acclaimed Coming of Age: Growing Up Muslim in Australia anthology, Demet Divaroren.
Brothers Kane and Sam remain constantly vigilant around their volatile fly-in/ fly-out…
My Life as a Hashtag by Gabrielle Williams
My Life as a Hashtag brings the reader into the company of an eclectic group of friends, siblings and their wider social network. At its core this social group forms a tight, if not enmeshed, tribe made up of hip…
Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
There are only a few weeks before Kellen’s sixteenth birthday. Three weeks to pass the three requirements necessary to earn a mage’s name. Failing will mean becoming a Sha’Tep – no more than a servant, a slave even, to the…
Release by Patrick Ness
The opening pages of a Patrick Ness novel are always a thrilling, somewhat disconcerting, place to be. You have no idea what is going on or where he will take you, but his writing is always powerful and poignant…
Ink by Alice Broadway
In Leora’s world, people wear their hearts on their sleeves – literally. Hers is a culture where each significant life event is commemorated with tattoos. Birthdays, new careers, and even heartbreak, adorn the skins of the marked, and make it…
Finding Nevo by Nevo Zisin
This is a thoughtful and timely personal memoir by a young Melbourne author and activist about their sexuality and nonbinary gender identity. Nevo was a tomboy during primary school and identified as a lesbian during high school, before coming out…
The Secret Science of Magic by Melissa Keil
Melissa Keil is one of the best new voices in Australian YA fiction. Her wonderful contemporary rom-coms are always populated with a brilliant cast of well-drawn characters, and The Secret Science of Magic is no exception. The two teenagers at…
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
Having loved Jenn Bennett’s last novel, Night Owls, a creative YA fiction about two young artists, I was really happy to be asked to review Alex, Approximately; a story that sees two young people fall in love over…
Night Swimming by Steph Bowe
Triangulated rom-com meets dysfunctional family drama in this coming-of-age novel set in a rural Aussie community. Kirby has grown up living in the tight-knit town of Alberton with her mother, grandpa and pet goat. At 17, Kirby is attached to…
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