Published: 8th October 2016 (print)/14 March 2023 (audio) 
Publisher: Ylva Publishing /Tandor Media Inc
Pages: 200/6 hours, 24 minutes
Narrator: Cat Gould
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars
But Zel soon finds life in Sydney won’t let her hide. There’s her art teacher, who keeps forcing her to dig deeper. There’s the band of sweet, strange misfits her cousin has forced her to join for a Drama project. And then there’s the curiosity that is the always-late Stella.
As she waits for Prim to explain her radio silence and she begins to forge new friendships, Zel feels strung between two worlds. Finally, she must figure out how to move on while leaving no one behind.
I feel like I say this every time I find a great Aussie YA, but they really are something special. Even if they aren’t the greatest story, or five star reads, there is such a unique voice that Aussie YA has that is wonderful to read. Even this story, which has a strange meta/fourth wall breaking narration style, still held onto that fantastic voice and tone I love in these stories.
What I liked about this is the story felt different, there is a plot but it’s such a different angle than what you usually see. I liked the divide Zel had about where she felt she fit. It was something relatable about finding your place, but the situation was creative.
Despite the intense experience Zel had in New York, it was interesting how attached she felt to it. Eight months in the city and she referred to it more than her previous home in Canberra. Initially I thought she must have been there for years, but at only eight months it was a weird connection. I understand she had strong connections and great adventures with Prim, so I guess that was a big contributor.
One annoying thing was the phrases and words switched whether Zel was recounting her New York time or her Australia time. When speaking about America US terms were used, but then she would switch back when the story was in Sydney. I get it in a way, but it stood out and is never addressed. Either the explanation is Zel picked up the US terms and kept using them, or she should stick to an Aussie voice consistently. This on top of the fourth wall narration took some getting used to but you get the hang of it all soon enough.
Gould does a good job narrating. I was never taken out of the story and the voices between characters were distinct enough without feeling too much. The characters felt real, maybe not super developed, but from the tone and voice Zel gave it isn’t her style to delve deep into everyone she meets, only the few she gets to know better. Despite that I still managed to understand who these character were, with a few little words you get enough of a sense of their personalities to get by. Plus Zel’s focus points with her narration doesn’t require a lot of background on the other people.
The way O’Beirne has constructed this storyline is clever and I enjoyed how it is about so many things without focusing solely or too heavy handedly on those things.There is a romance element, but it’s not the sole focus of the book. I felt the romance that was there was believable, but I also enjoyed how it isn’t the goal of the book, despite, in it’s own way, being the focus of the whole book.
I also enjoyed how no one changed for anybody. There’s realisations and self reflections, but there is no grand epiphanies and huge moments. I liked the gradual development and struggle Zel has, not only for herself but for her schoolwork and trying to find her place.
Overall, it felt wonderfully real and grounded. This is why Aussie YA is so fantastic. It’s deep and real without being too much.
You can purchase Here’s the Thing via the following
Booktopia | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson
Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible
