Young adult

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

Reviewed by Nishtha Banavalikar

Edgewater is a high school occupied exclusively by the rich and powerful. When Adina Walker, a Black middle-class daughter to two Edgewater professors, works her entire life to get a Yale acceptance, it upsets one of her classmates, spurring a…

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One Song by A.J. Betts

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

Eva Sidebottom, a 17-year-old musician, wants more than anything to win the Triple J Unearthed High competition before she finishes high school. She’s entered plenty of times before, but this weekend is her very last chance. She assembles a motley…

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Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton

Reviewed by Clodagh Robinson-Watts

Sarah J. Maas and Kate Murray fans, get ready for a new femme fatale on the dark, dystopian fantasy scene!

In Keirdre, a city cut off from the rest of the world to segregate fae from other species, Saoirse must…

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Very Bad People by Kit Frick

Reviewed by Angela Crocombe

There are a number of bad people in this pacey, dark thriller set in the world of academia. The fun is undoubtedly figuring out who the bad people are in the cast of potential suspects.

Calliope is escaping from the…

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We Didn’t Think It Through by Gary Lonesborough

Reviewed by Alicia Guiney

This novel contains an incredibly powerful narrative about injustice, family, and hope. It is deeply human and is written in a way that both exposes what is wrong in our world and highlights what is good. Sixteen-year-old Jamie Langton is…

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Inkflower by Suzy Zail

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

Set in 1980s Melbourne, Lisa Keller’s life is completely normal. In high school, she has an amazing best friend, and a loving boyfriend. But one day, everything changes.

Her father, Emil, is diagnosed with motor neurone disease, and has six…

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A Curse of Salt by Sarah Street

Reviewed by Lucie Dess

Although she has been brought up to fear it, Ria Lucroy has always loved the ocean. But when her father’s ship is destroyed by the infamous pirate known as the Heartless King, Ria’s father is given an ultimatum: die, or…

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Saltwater Boy by Bradley Christmas

Reviewed by Lucie Dess

Matthew’s life is pretty complicated. His dad is in jail and his mum is struggling to pay the bills. So, together, Matthew and his mum head up the coast to fix up his grandparents’ house in the hope of selling…

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Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr

Catfish Rolling is a whimsical debut about memory, grief, and finding your place in the world when time seems to be slipping through your fingers.

Beneath the islands of Japan lies a catfish of legendary size, and when it rolls…

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The Lorikeet Tree by Paul Jennings

Reviewed by Kate McIntosh

Alex is a young 15-year-old. He loves building things, and wants a kitten more than

anything. His twin sister, Emily, often feels twice her age, especially now that their father is terminally ill and the future is looking bleak. As…

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