Young adult

The Brink by Holden Sheppard

Reviewed by Jennifer Fraioli

A group of teens is forced to change their plans and move their end-of-year Leavers celebration, setting off a cascade of events that leave two dead and a community shattered. Told from multiple points of view, The Brink finds these…

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The Hidden Girl by Louise Bassett

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

When Melati Nelson gets unfairly sent to counselling sessions for standing up to the school bully, she discovers a diary written in Indonesian in her teacher’s office and steals it out of curiosity. To her horror, Melati discovers it contains…

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Sadie Starr's Guide to Starting Over by Miranda Luby

Reviewed by Lucie Dess

Sadie Starr is starting over. Her parents are moving her from Sydney to Melbourne, which means a fresh new identity. She has a new wardrobe, a new diet and a clean slate. Once in Melbourne, she’s immediately taken under the…

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Money Queens by Michelle Bowes

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

When I was a teenager, my father gave me a book called Making Money Made Simple and quizzed me endlessly about the financial wisdom within. Maybe I didn’t become thecorporate high-flyer he dreamed of, but I did incorporate the principles…

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Friends Like These by Meg Rosoff

Reviewed by Kim Gruschow

Friends Like These is the second instalment of Meg Rosoff’s trilogy of summer novels, the first being The Great Godden, which was perfect seaside escapism. This time it’s a city summer: New York in 1982. A city of sweat…

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Completely Normal (and Other Lies) by Biffy James

Reviewed by Claire Atherfold

Shortlisted for the Ampersand Prize, this debut YA novel by local author Biffy James is told from the perspective of Stella Wilde, an amusing, sardonic teenager who’s just starting to figure out who she is. At school she is surrounded…

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The Comedienne’s Guide to Pride by Hayli Thomson

Reviewed by Jennifer Fraioli

Taylor Parker has a secret. Well, two secrets. She’s a finalist for a diverse writers internship at Saturday Night Live – yes, THE Saturday Night Live in New York City – and she’s a lesbian.Now she has fewer than two…

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My Spare Heart by Jared Thomas

Reviewed by Lucie Dess

Don’t let the cover fool you, this is not just a book about basketball. Seventeen-year-old Phoebe’s life has been turned upside down. Her dad has moved her away from her home, her mum, her school and her friends to live…

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When Only One by Meg Gatland-Veness

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

When Only One is a requiem to every soul lost too young to violent causes. Raised in a rural Australian town, Sam lives a seemingly average teenage life. He worries about high school pressures and math tests, feels the heart-skipping…

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The Museum of Broken Things by Lauren Draper

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke

The Museum of Broken Things ticks quite a few of the boxes in contemporary YA writing: a mysterious past trauma, a good-looking love interest and the loneliness of relocation. Luckily the plot broadens into some interesting themes that provide added…

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