Review search
The Break Up (It’s a Twin Thing! #1) (Kristin Darell, illus A Yi, Penguin)
Released February 2026
Kristin Darell’s The Break Up, the first in a new series illustrated by A Yi, is a middle-grade novel that explores the complexities of primary school friendships with drama, humour... Read more
Plotting the Oceans: Stories of Powerful Maps and Their Makers (Sarah Hamylton, Monash University Publishing)
Released February 2026
In Plotting the Oceans: Stories of Powerful Maps and Their Makers, Sarah Hamylton reveals how maps chart landscapes and shape how we understand and connect with the world around us.... Read more
The Duke’s Secret (Sue Williams, A&U)
Released February 2026
In The Duke’s Secret, the latest historical fiction by Sue Williams (The Governor, His Wife and His Mistress), journalist Ava Washington sets out to verify a family legend. According to... Read more
In a Common Hour (Sita Walker, Ultimo)
Released February 2026
Dedicated to the Queensland state school teachers she works alongside, Sita Walker’s debut novel, In a Common Hour, offers readers a story with universal school politics. Over the course of... Read more
The Watchmaker’s War (Danny Ben-Moshe, HarperCollins)
Released February 2026
In Danny Ben-Moshe’s debut novel, The Watchmaker’s War, Yakov Holtzman, a former Lithuanian underground resistance commander, hopes to leave the trauma of World War II behind him as he makes... Read more
AI for Business: A Guide to AI Adoption (Jon Whittle, CSIRO Publishing)
Released January 2026
As artificial intelligence becomes the latest business buzzword, many people equate it solely with generative tools like ChatGPT. In AI for Business: A Guide to AI Adoption, director of CSIRO’s... Read more
The Last Resort (Amanda Hewitt, Echo)
Released February 2026
Amanda Hewitt’s debut, The Last Resort, opens with Abbey, newly divorced and reeling from the end of her marriage, as she seeks solace in the Maldives. During a late-night swim,... Read more
Yet She Lives: Fierce and Fantastical Women of Norse Mythology (Lisa Hannett, T&H)
Released January 2026
In Yet She Lives: Fierce and Fantastical Women of Norse Mythology, Lisa Hannett brings giantesses, witches and warriors from the ancient world to life. Building on the work of her... Read more
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
