Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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WBN advance reviews >

The Sitter (Angela O’Keeffe, UQP) 

Tuesday, 13 June 2023
There is a sentence halfway through Angela O’Keeffe’s second novel, The Sitter, that says: ‘A character, when they enter a story, must be willing to drop their preconceptions of what...

The Shrinking Nation (Graeme Turner, UQP) 

Tuesday, 13 June 2023
Few would disagree that the Australian cultural and political landscape has undergone a seismic shift since the Howard era. In his new book, Graeme Turner argues that the result has...

Sit, Stay, Love (Amy Hutton, S&S) 

Tuesday, 6 June 2023
As a pet rescue shelter owner, Sera often finds herself in messy situations. However, she didn’t expect her potentially messiest situation to start with a ‘drop-dead, stop-you-in-your-tracks, gorgeous’ actor standing...

Ballet Confidential (David McAllister, T&H) 

Tuesday, 6 June 2023
Ballet Confidential is not a no-holds-barred expose but rather a joyfully led and personal guide into the world of ballet. David McAllister is the former artistic director of the Australian...

The Vitals (Tracy Sorensen, Picador) 

Tuesday, 6 June 2023
The Vitals is unlike any other book you will ever read about cancer. The book straddles the line between fiction and nonfiction and is based on Tracy Sorensen’s own cancer...

Thaw (Dennis Glover, Black Inc) 

Tuesday, 6 June 2023
Among the breathtaking and perilous wilds of Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf, a dozen men prepare to be the first to reach the South Pole. When tragedy strikes the men on...

Timefire (Nean McKenzie, MidnightSun) 

Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Nean McKenzie is the author of two previous middle-grade novels. Her latest, Timefire, interweaves a story about bushfires in Australia with supernatural and time-travel elements. Gilbert Black is drawn to...

Mistakes and Other Lovers (Amy Lovat, Macmillan) 

Tuesday, 30 May 2023
In Amy Lovat’s Mistakes and Other Lovers, El O’Reilly finds herself involved in a circle of Christian friends and their complex, tense social dynamics as she navigates the aftermath of...

One Song (A J Betts, Pan Australia) 

Tuesday, 30 May 2023
A J Betts’s latest book One Song is a delightful and emotionally intelligent YA novel. Our protagonist Eva is in Year Twelve and is desperate to win Triple J Unearthed...

Lowbridge (Lucy Campbell, Ultimo) 

Tuesday, 23 May 2023
In Lowbridge, Lucy Campbell’s debut crime thriller, the people in the sleepy small town of Lowbridge seem to have moved on with their lives after the tragic events of the...

Roseghetto (Kirsty Jagger, UQP) 

Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Kirsty Jagger’s debut novel Roseghetto is a raw coming-of-age story set in 1990s suburban Sydney. We follow the protagonist Shayla through childhood and adolescence and hold her hand through sexual...

Blind Spot (Robyn Dennison, Text) 

Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Robyn Dennison’s debut novel Blind Spot is a sophisticated, challenging novel that explores themes of personal responsibility alongside a duty of care for others. Dale is a ‘nice’ guy who’s...

Why We Are Here (Briohny Doyle, Vintage) 

Tuesday, 16 May 2023
In a life-altering turn of events, BB loses both her father and the love of her life during the global pandemic. When grief and strict lockdown orders push her to...

Lioness (Emily Perkins, Bloomsbury) 

Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Thirty years ago, Therese married Trevor Thorne, a wealthy businessman twice her age. Now middle-aged, she continues to enjoy a life of privilege, running a successful luxury homewares business and...