Book review: The Garnett Girls

Author: Georgina MoorePublisher: HQ Books (2023)Genre: Contemporary fiction Image source This review contains some spoilers. “Margo and Richard’s love affair was the stuff legends are made of - forbidden, passionate, all-encompassing. But ultimately, doomed. When Richard walked out, Margo shut herself away from the world, leaving her three daughters, Rachel, Imogen and Sasha, to run…

Book review: My Spare Heart

Author: Jared ThomasPublisher: Allen and Unwin (2022)Genre: Contemporary fiction (for a YA readership) "Phoebe’s non-Indigenous mother, a busy event manager, and her father, an Aboriginal man and uni lecturer, have split up and she’s moved to sleepy old Willunga with him and his new health-obsessed girlfriend. It’s only a few kilometres from Phoebe’s old friends…

Book review: Where You Left Us

Author: Rhiannon WildePublisher: UQP (2022)Genre: Contemporary fiction (for a YA readership) As someone who grew up with a parent with mental illness as well as mental health challenges of my own, I’d been eager to read Where You Left Us, and Rhiannon Wilde’s debut novel is nothing short of spectacular. A lyrical novel about love…

Book review: The Bravest Word

Author: Kate FosterPublisher: Walker Books (2022)Genre: Contemporary fiction (for a middle grade readership) Image source “When eleven-year-old Matt finds Cliff, a hurt, neglected dog abandoned in the bush, he knows the brave little pup needs saving. He wants to help. But can he?Lately, Matt has had way more bad days than good days. The pieces…

Book review: You’d Be Home Now

Author: Kathleen GlasgowPublisher: Harper Collins (2021)Genre: Contemporary fiction (for a young adult readership) Image source “Emmy is the good one. Not strong-willed like her beautiful older sister, Maddie, and not difficult like her brother, Joey. She takes up as little space as possible. When Joey returns from rehab, her parents ask her to act as…

Book review: The Secret World of Connie Starr

Author: Robbi NealePublisher: Harlequin (2022)Genre: Historical fiction Image source Historical fiction offers readers a glimpse into the past, but it also highlights the universality of certain experiences and emotions. The Secret World of Connie Starr depicted Australia before, during and after the Second World War and featured a cast of characters who grappled with struggles…

Book review: Colours of Ash

Author: Blaise van HeckePublisher: Busybird Publishing (2022)Genre: Domestic fiction Image source "Ash and Destiny enjoy a happy life in Melbourne with their young son, Tomas, a large and slightly dysfunctional family, a successful art gallery, and Destiny’s new exhibition about to debut. But everything changes for Ash on one extremely hot Summer Solstice when a…

Book review: The Girl in the Window

Author: Penny JoelsonPublisher: Electric Monkey (2018)Genre: Contemporary fiction (for a YA readership) Image source This review contains spoilers for the novel.It also contains mentions of ableism, abuse and neglect. “Nothing ever happens on Kasia's street. And Kasia would know, because her illness makes her spend days stuck at home, watching the world from her bedroom…

Book review: How to Write the Soundtrack to Your Life

Author: Fiona HardyPublisher: Affirm Press (2020)Genre: Contemporary fiction (for a middle grade readership) “Murphy Parker is going to be a songwriter. If she can summon up the nerve to play in front of anyone other than her dad, that is. When an unplanned keyboard performance at school goes well, Murphy wonders if maybe her dreams…

Book review: Breakthrough

Author: Katerina MitrevskaGenre: MemoirPublisher: Tablo (2020) Image source “Breakthrough is a collection of poems about a childhood overshadowed by a mother’s mental illness. It is about a mother whose untreated postnatal depression gradually deteriorated, leading to her eventual diagnosis as a schizophrenic. These poems explore fear, anger, shame, resentment and rejection that lead to self-recognition, gratitude,…