Megan Williams’ debut novel, which won the 2022 Text Prize, is an authentic, gorgeously written story about friendship, teen angst, grief, and discovering one’s identity and independence.

Abby’s life is good. No, she may not be popular, and her best experience with boys so far was accidentally kissing her cousin’s cousin (not blood-related!) at a wedding. But Abby’s life is still fun, with sleepovers and watching The Bachelor with her friends, dodging her mother’s helicopter habits, and simply surviving high school.

But things start to change. At a party she is too drunk to remember, a boy kisses her, and Abby is confused as to whether she wanted to be touched or not. The new girl, Chloe, joins their friendship group, and Abby feels she is losing her best friend, Ella, to Chloe. The thought of Ella leaving her sparks a bitter jealousy inside that makes her wish for something bad to happen to Ella – until it does, and nothing is the same again.

This novel is a bittersweet eulogy to growing older, people changing, friendships growing and breaking apart. With the dawn of adulthood just a few years away and the dusk of childhood a few years ago, teenagers are stuck in this bewildering period where innocence is replaced with angst and confusion about their identity, their sexuality, and their place in the world, which Williams explores with ardent humour and heart. This is not a book you’ll be able to say goodbye to easily. For ages 15+.