Book Reviews
Seeing Other People by Diana Reid
Eleanor, Charlie and Helen navigate the boundaries between friendship, sisterhood and romance in a fresh take on the classic love triangle.
Wildflowers by Peggy Frew
In this affecting and beautifully written novel, three sisters struggle to carve space for themselves in the world.
Blue Hour by Sarah Schmidt
Schmidt’s second novel takes on the darker side of motherhood, in a tragic story of love, loss and letting go.
Miniatures by Susan Midalia
This delightful collection of “short short stories” is an example of how to write precisely, with brevity, and obey all the golden writing rules.
Maar Bidi: Next Generation Black Writing, edited by Elfie Shiosaki & Linda Martin
The next generation of emerging Indigenous writers carve out a new pathway in this moving and inspiring collection.
Marshmallow by Victoria Hannan
Hannan’s second novel is a tender ode to the ways in which we deal with grief, heartbreak, loss and love.
Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby
Kirby’s debut collection is a bold, madcap adventure through the lives and voices of historical women.
Wake by Shelley Burr
Shelley Burr’s tense debut crime novel is the story of a missing girl, her grieving sister, and a cold case investigator who thinks he might have found the truth.
We’ve Got This: Stories by Disabled Parents edited by Eliza Hull
We’ve Got This is a powerful, trailblazing anthology that recognises the potential, grace and gumption of disabled parents.
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez, trans by Megan McDowell
Supernatural, macabre and utterly engrossing, these twelve short stories will be sure to send a shiver down your spine.
Girls They Write Songs About by Carlene Bauer
This witty, smart and thrumming novel explores the hunger and heartache of female friendship over two decades.
Every Version of You by Grace Chan
In this electric debut novel, emerging ideas around technology, AI and immersive digital experiences are pushed to the brink.
Women I Know by Katerina Gibson
An unsettling and darkly humorous collection of stories from a talented new writer.
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
In the desperate, violent Glasgow of the Thatcher era, Young Mungo tells a story of love and casualties.
Her Fidelity by Katharine Pollock
Dive into this witty coming-of-age story infused with music, culture and feminism.
Holy Woman by Louise Omer
In this profound memoir, Omer recounts her journey to and from organised religion, and her quest to find a ‘divine feminine.’
Specimen: Personal Essays by Madison Hamill
Odd, incisive and skillfully written, this essay collection marks an engaging new voice in the Aotearoa literary landscape.
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
Yanagihara’s third novel serves up a rich course of colonialism, disease, Otherness and heartbreak.
I Want To Die But I Want To Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee
A vulnerable and painstakingly honest collection of dialogues and essays that explore the author’s lifelong journey with mental illness.
The Colony by Audrey Magee
The trouble with Irish: a brilliant and haunting novel from a great new talent tackles art, love and colonialism.