Go Lightly (Brydie Lee-Kennedy, Bloomsbury)

Brydie Lee-Kennedy’s debut, Go Lightly, is an honest, hilarious and often painful exploration of taking risks in life and love. Full of wry humour, it dives into the complexities of relationships—romantic, family, and friendship—and the different versions of ourselves we present to others. Twenty-six-year-old cabaret performer Ada is the free-spirited protagonist, an Australian living in London, struggling to make ends meet and launch her acting career. When Ada simultaneously falls for Sadie and Stuart, curiosity drives her to see where both roads lead. But when Sadie and Stuart find out about each other, and as pressures mount from Ada’s family, friendships and finances, she must ask herself what she really wants. This is not your typical love-triangle romance with a neatly resolved ending, but a story about our deep-seated need for connection. The subplot that intrigued me most was the fraught relationship between Ada and her sister, Gabby, and I longed for more backstory and a deeper dive into this. Lee-Kennedy is an Australian screenwriter based in Sydney who has written for Netflix, Apple TV and Disney. Here, she has written a nuanced character who draws us into the modern, messy realities of finding our way in life and love. Her style, cadence and ability to subtly get under the skin of her characters will appeal to fans of Sally Rooney, Dolly Alderton and Naoise Dolan.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Erin Coyle is a writer, reviewer, and bookseller. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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