Book Reviews
Worry Doll by Laura McPhee-Browne
Two women meet on a Melbourne train and instantly connect – but over time, love, obsession, lust and delusion become almost indistinguishable.
Lovesick by Lillian Telford
Lovesick offers a snapshot of modern Australian youth: the bonds we form, the messes we make and how we try to grow through them.
Painting Portraits of Everyone I’ve Ever Dated by Joseph Earp
A sardonic painter works through portraits of her exes, using art as a lens to examine her own blind spots in love and life.
Goodbye, My Love by Yumna Kassab
A story of separation, loss, agency and control that details the dissolution of a marriage between Amina and Amin.
Starry Eyed by Katharine Pollock
Pollock’s second novel is about fandom, friendship and finding your way in the world.
Nightingale by Laura Elvery
Elvery delivers a richly layered, time-bending novel about power, womanhood and the spectral weight of untold stories.
Signs of Damage by Diana Reid
With her third novel, Reid dives deep into the internal worlds of her characters, exploring trauma, memory and relationships.
First Name Second Name by Steve MinOn
Steve MinOn’s debut novel opens with a startling premise: our main protagonist has died – or has he?
The Knowing by Madeleine Ryan
Set across one hot Melbourne summer day, we track Camille as she deals with challenges, insecurities and hopes for the future.
No Church In The Wild by Murray Middleton
A bold and unflinching novel that doesn’t shy away from examining racism in contemporary Australia.
A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle
Over three decades, two lives unfold in parallel, dealing with the big questions of desire, queerness, conformity and love.
The Beauties by Lauren Chater
A masterclass in storytelling, this sumptuous historical novel centres around art, love and the power of feminine beauty.
Potty Mouth, Potty Mouth by Alex Creece
Screaming, crying, throwing up: this debut poetry is a hilarious and visceral exploration of selfhood, queerness and neurodivergence.
Diving, Falling by Kylie Mirmohamadi
A refreshing and engaging story of a woman rediscovering herself after the death of her domineering husband.
Big Time by Jordan Prosser
Cinematic in scope, boldly imaginative in delivery, and worryingly close to the bone in its ‘speculative’ aspects, we couldn’t put this one down.
How to Knit a Human by Anna Jacobson
In her debut memoir, Anna Jacobson invites readers on a journey through the fractured landscape of her memory and selfhood.
Ordinary Human Love by Melissa Goode
Ordinary Human Love is a book for those who love quiet novels, with a suble interrogation of grief, regret and finding purpose.
We All Lived In Bondi Then by Georgia Blain
An evocative and heart-rending collection of previously unpublished short stories from Georgia Blain.
Go Lightly by Brydie Lee-Kennedy
A charming debut that captures the messiness of being in your twenties, and the importance of familial and platonic love.
Appreciation by Liam Pieper
This witty novel exposes the underbelly of the art world and a complex portrait of queer identity.