Review search
The Other Child (Susi Fox, Penguin)
Released January 2026
Susi Fox’s The Other Child opens with obstetrician Lauren De Vale returning to work after the birth of her second child, Charlotte, and finding it harder than she expected. Lauren... Read more
A Brain That Breathes: Essential Habits for an Overwhelming World (Jodi Wilson, Murdoch)
Released January 2026
Amid the frantic pace of modern life and the wellness industry’s constant stream of coping strategies, yoga instructor and blogger Jodi Wilson’s A Brain That Breathes offers a gentler alternative.... Read more
Dreamwives (Claire Novak, HarperCollins)
Released January 2026
Claire Novak’s Dreamwives is a hearty and entertaining contemporary “mum-com” novel that pays tribute to and shines a light on women's invisible labour. Katrina and Michelle are no strangers to... Read more
How to Get Home (Deborah Frenkel, illus Karen Blair, Affirm)
Released January 2026
How to Get Home is a charming collaboration between author Deborah Frenkel (The Truck Cat) and illustrator Karen Blair (When I’m BIG, Train Party) that revels in the everyday words surrounding... Read more
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 the violent rule of their father – a man scarred by trauma from serving in... Read more
Vampire Squid (Prema Arasu, Fremantle)
Released January 2026
Prema Arasu’s debut poetry collection, Vampire Squid, is a profound exploration of mysterious deep-sea creatures and the humans who observe them. Written over 3 years during Arasu’s time at the... Read more
Let’s Make an Adventure (Carrie Gallasch, illus Kïa Hing Fay, Little Book Press)
Released January 2026
Let’s Make an Adventure by Carrie Gallasch (Cherries, Stitches and Stuffing) encourages independence and agency from the outset: it’s not let’s have an adventure, but let’s make one. The onus... 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
How to Have the Best School Year Ever (Jess Sanders, illus Andrea Onishi, Affirm)
Released December 2025
For many young children, starting the school year can be a daunting experience filled with many unknowns. Jess Sanders’s How to Have the Best School Year Ever is the perfect... Read more
The Wardrobe Project (Emma Edwards, Wiley)
Released December 2025
In 2022, Emma Edwards (Good with Money) realised she had a serious wardrobe problem. Not only was she stuck in a pattern of overbuying clothing, but she was also unhappy... 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
Otto’s Ink-Redible First Day of School (Rory H Mather, illus by Rebel Challenger, Larrikin)
Released December 2025
Otto’s Ink-Redible First Day of School is a playful and reassuring picture book about a shy octopus learning to find his place. Rory H Mather’s rhyming text bounces along with... Read more
The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Trial (Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper & Sarah Krasnostein, Text)
Released November 2025
The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Trial by Helen Garner (This House of Grief), Chloe Hooper (The Arsonist) and Sarah Krasnostein (The Trauma Cleaner) brings together 3 of... Read more
The Fishmonger and the Pastry Chef (Sophie Masson, illus Cheryl Orsini, HGCP)
Released December 2025
Sophie Masson (The Giant) draws inspiration from her family history in the seaside town of Biarritz for The Fishmonger and the Pastry Chef. Set in a charming coastal village, this... 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
Lucky Dragon Supper Club: Asian-inspired Dinner Party Ideas for Home Cooks (Stephanie Feher, Murdoch)
Released December 2025
If you’ve spent any time online in recent years, chances are you’ve seen one of Stephanie Feher’s viral dinner party videos. In Lucky Dragon Supper Club: Asian-inspired Dinner Party Ideas... 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
Dogs with Jobs: The Heroic Hounds Who Make a Difference (Andrea Rowe, illus Julia Murray, HGCP)
Released November 2025
Dogs with Jobs: The Heroic Hounds Who Make a Difference is an engaging and brilliantly designed nonfiction picture book by award-winning children’s author Andrea Rowe (In the Rockpool). Ideal for... Read more
