Review search
Good Intentions (Jessy Wu, Macmillan)
Released July 2026
Personal and professional integrity face off in Jessy Wu’s highly engaging debut, Good Intentions – a fast-paced millennial romance set in the worlds of investigative journalism and futures trading. Nadia... Read more
One Word (Melissa-Jane Fogarty, Lothian)
Released July 2026
Melissa-Jane Fogarty’s One Word is a gentle yet powerful First Nations story about a young girl, Myra, who loves to stay with Pop. When she overhears him speaking to his... Read more
Without a Trace (Susannah Glenn, Pantera)
Released June 2026
Susannah Glenn’s second novel, Without a Trace, follows Charlotte Clarke, a once confident pilot and the daughter of a scenic flight company owner. While Charlotte is grieving the loss of... Read more
Worlds Within a World (ed Casey Mulder, Fremantle)
Released July 2026
In Worlds Within a World, Carol Foley, Deborah Green, Barb Hostalek, Lois May and Valerie Swift – 5 First Nations women – reflect on the experiences and relationships that have... Read more
Worry Doll (Laura McPhee-Browne, Scribe)
Released July 2026
Worry Doll is the immersive and introspective third novel by Laura McPhee-Browne (Cherry Beach, Little Plum). It follows 2 women: Heloise, a 36-year-old Melburnian living with her partner, a man,... Read more
Goose on the Loose (Catherine Meatheringham, illus Annabelle Hale, Affirm Kids)
Released July 2026
Goose on the Loose by Catherine Meatheringham, illustrated by Annabelle Hale, is a lively picture book that follows one determined goose as she races away from the farm, creating a... Read more
Seen Again: Light on Matrescence (Benita Bensch, The Kind Press)
Released July 2026
Following her 2019 infertility memoir, The Art of Trying, clarity coach Benita Bensch’s second book, Seen Again: Light on Matrescence, blends memoir and self-help to guide readers through the chaos... Read more
LIT (Anna Woods, Echo)
Released June 2026
Auckland-based writer Anna Woods’ debut novel, LIT, is a psychological thriller set in the same city, centring on 3 emotionally and professionally entangled architects: Virginia Ishak (Gin), Clarissa Taylor (Clary)... Read more
Later, Only Love Remains (Leah Swann, HarperCollins)
Released June 2026
In Later, Only Love Remains, Leah Swann (Sheerwater) returns with another literary thriller, following Jack Wolfe in the aftermath of a car crash that killed his wife while he was... Read more
The Secret Garden Club (Wendy Lynn Newton, Macmillan)
Released June 2026
Whimsical, witty and genuinely heartwarming, Wendy Lynn Newton’s The Secret Garden Club is a striking debut. When 52-year-old lapsed artist Hilary finds her husband of 30 years, newly retired engineer... Read more
I’m Not Afraid of Spiders (Caitlin Henderson, illus Annie Henderson, CSIRO Publishing)
Released June 2026
For many children, fear of spiders can get in the way of appreciating just how fascinating they really are. In I’m Not Afraid of Spiders, nature-loving sisters – award-winning wildlife... Read more
Smoke, Rice, Water: Recipes and Stories from a Bengali Home (Kishwar Chowdhury, Hardie Grant)
Released June 2026
Kishwar Chowdhury first captured national attention on MasterChef with her ambition to bring Bengali cuisine into the spotlight; Smoke, Rice, Water: Recipes and Stories from a Bengali Home is the... Read more
Josie Mack and the MEGA Division (Bethany Loveridge, illus Jade Goodwin, Wombat Books)
Released June 2026
Josie Mack and the MEGA Division by Bethany Loveridge (Renegade Timeline Officer) is a fun, adventurous tale that shows how children can respectfully interact with and safeguard native wildlife. Josie... Read more
Night Swimming (Sharon Kernot, Text)
Released June 2026
Sharon Kernot’s first foray into adult fiction, Night Swimming, is both a suspenseful verse novel and a ghost story in which the narrator of the book haunts herself. Night Swimming... Read more
A Flash in the Dust (Meg Caddy, UQP)
Released June 2026
Set in Western Australia in 1899, Meg Caddy’s queer YA historical novel A Flash in the Dust follows Gilberta and Norah, who are imprisoned in Fremantle Asylum and escape into... Read more
I Remember Everything (Fiona Wilkes, Fremantle)
Released June 2026
Fiona Wilkes’s debut novel, I Remember Everything, memorialises the LGBTQIA+ communities lost to the AIDS crisis. In this fictionalised memoir, Billie recounts her formative years from 1979 to 1990, moving... Read more
Floating by the Clouds (Mohammad Awad, illus Niña Nill, Penguin)
Released June 2026
Floating by the Clouds by Mohammad Awad is a lyrical debut picture book that explores the highs and lows of emotions, encouraging children to acknowledge and express their feelings. The central... Read more
Seasons of Clementine (Jess Galatola & Jasmine Berry, Perentie Press)
Released June 2026
Seasons of Clementine, written by Jess Galatola and illustrated by Jasmine Berry, is a sweet and reflective graphic novel about growing up and learning to cope with change. Aimed at... Read more
The Sisters of Serendib (Ayesha Inoon, HQ Fiction)
Released June 2026
The Sisters of Serendib, the sophomore novel from Ayesha Inoon (Untethered), opens in 1990 with a flurry of events as Tamil Muslims board boats to escape the escalating violence of... Read more
Wormhole (Hannah McElhinney, Affirm)
Released June 2026
How far should you go in search of answers when mainstream medicine can’t help? Wormhole is author Hannah McElhinney’s attempt to answer that question through a blend of memoir, cultural... Read more
