Alice is a teenager dying of leukaemia. She makes a bucket list, and while most of her wishes are what one might expect, she includes a few acts of revenge for those who have wronged her. Given her health is declining, she enlists her friend Harvey to help her carry out these tasks and their relationship intensifies as they cross items off the list together. But when Alice goes into remission, she finds herself without an ‘expiry date’.

Alice must now consider how she will navigate a future she did not think she would see and decide how she will interact with both enemies and loved ones, particularly an adoring Harvey, under new circumstances.

With Side Effects, Julie Murphy has created an appealing and absorbing debut novel. There are surprises until the very end, and this will surely be a hit with teenage readers.

Kim Gruschow