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Might Cry Later (Kay Kerr, Macmillan)
Released January 2026
In Kay Kerr’s adult fiction debut, Might Cry Later, Nora Byrne is burnt out and struggling to reclaim herself after blowing up her life in Melbourne. By Christmas, she’s back... Read more
Dark Desert Road (Tim Ayliffe, Echo)
Released January 2026
Tim Ayliffe’s Dark Desert Road follows identical twins Kit and Billie, who grew up under their father’s violent rule – a man scarred by his trauma from serving in Afghanistan.... Read more
The Last Encore (Rebecca Heath, Head of Zeus)
Released January 2026
Secrets, lies, murder and even love await in Rebecca Heath’s latest psychological thriller, The Last Encore. The remaining members of The Cedrics Band reunite on the fictional Sparrow Hawk Island... Read more
Better than the Real Thing (Brooke Crawford, HQ Fiction)
Released December 2025
Brooke Crawford’s debut novel, Better than the Real Thing, is the kind of delightful escapism you’d expect from a Netflix Christmas movie – comforting, heartfelt and brimming with second chances.... Read more
Else (Rose Michael, Spineless Wonders)
Released December 2025
Landscape and climate are central in Else, the latest novel from Rose Michael (The Asking Game, The Art of Navigation). This genre-bending work of eco-fiction blends experimental prose, poetry and... Read more
An Ancient Witch’s Guide to Modern Dating (Cecilia Edward, Atria Australia)
Released December 2025
Cecilia Edward – children’s author Remy Lai (Ghost Book) writing under a pen name – makes her adult fiction debut with An Ancient Witch’s Guide to Modern Dating, a sweet... Read more
Power Moves (Leesa Ronald, A&U)
Released December 2025
In Power Moves, Leesa Ronald delivers a sharp and witty follow-up to her much-loved debut, Special Delivery. The novel follows Camilla “Millsy” Hatton, media director for the NSW Minister for Education.... Read more
Softly Calls the Devil (Chris Blake, Echo)
Released November 2025
Prologues in crime novels are often inscrutable until the climax, but Chris Blake’s Softly Calls the Devil wastes no time and immediately hooks readers with an unexpected shoot-out at a traffic... Read more
Swallow (Alexandria Burnham, WestWords)
Released November 2025
In Swallow, Alexandria Burnham delivers a compelling work of historical fiction inspired by the documented prison escapes of sailor and petty thief William ‘Swallow’ Walker. Sentenced in 1820 to transportation to... Read more
The Transformations (Andrew Pippos, Picador)
Released November 2025
Andrew Pippos’ The Transformations is a reflective and introspective novel for lovers of the written word, tracing the gentle and at times unforgiving arc of a life lived in the... Read more
Collision (Kelvin Templeton, Wilkinson Publishing)
Released November 2025
Kevin Templeton’s debut novel, Collision, transports readers to Melbourne during the 1970s and 1980s and into the world of 20-year-old Joshua Shamrock, whose life revolves around football, sex and booze. Raised in... Read more
The Hiding Place (Kate Mildenhall, Scribner)
Released November 2025
No stranger to the literary scene, Kate Mildenhall (The Mother Fault, Skylarking, The Hummingbird Effect) returns with The Hiding Place, an eminently readable and vividly imagined novel. Four families seeking... Read more
Chosen Family (Madeleine Gray, Summit Books)
Released November 2025
Warning: Clear your schedule for the all-consuming read that is Madeleine Gray’s second novel, Chosen Family. Set over 18 years, the novel follows Sydney friends Eve and Nell from high... Read more
Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers (Zoe Terakes, Hachette)
Released November 2025
Zoe Terakes’ debut, Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers, retells five ancient Greek myths, drawing on the richness of their Cretan heritage to celebrate the long lineage of queer storytelling. Some stories... Read more
Last One Out (Jane Harper, Macmillan)
Released October 2025
When 21-year-old Sam Crowley disappears in Carralon Ridge, his footprints are found scattered around three abandoned houses. Five years later, his mother, Ro, returns to town for the annual memorial... Read more
Gravity Let Me Go (Trent Dalton, HarperCollins)
Released October 2025
Gravity Let Me Go is Trent Dalton’s fourth work of fiction, and it doesn’t disappoint, once again drawing readers deep into a raw and chaotic world that is both unsettling... Read more
The Long Night (Christian White, Affirm)
Released November 2025
Christian White’s The Long Night is a tense psychological thriller driven by a chilling kidnapping premise. Nineteen-year-old Em is abducted in a moment of vulnerability following what should have been... Read more
A Smart Girl’s Guide to Second Chances (Steph Vizard, HarperCollins)
Released October 2025
Steph Vizard’s A Smart Girl’s Guide to Second Chances is a fun, perfectly executed romcom that plays cleverly with the idea of missed connections and what-ifs. When Rebecca is offered... Read more
The Lucky Sisters (Rachael Johns, Penguin)
Released October 2025
Rachael Johns (The Patterson Girls, The Greatest Gift) delivers one of her most heartfelt and emotionally layered novels yet in The Lucky Sisters, a story marking a confident shift beyond... Read more
Mad Mabel (Sally Hepworth, Macmillan)
Released October 2025
Few people suspect an elderly woman or a little girl of murder, which is what makes Mad Mabel such a deliciously enjoyable read. Sally Hepworth’s latest novel begins with a... Read more
