Exit Through the Gift Shop by Maryam Master

11 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Australian Women Writers, Junior Fiction Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 21 July 2021Goodreads badge
Publisher: Pan Australia
Pages: 216
Format: Paperback
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

Anahita Rosalind Ghorban-Galaszczuk (yes, that really is her name but you can call her Ana) is discovering that life is absurd. As if dying of cancer at the age of 12.5 isn’t bad enough, she still has to endure daily insults from her nemesis, Alyssa (Queen Mean) Anderson. Ana’s on a wild roller-coaster of life and death, kindness and cruelty, ordinary and extraordinary. And she’s got a few things to do before she exits…

I enjoyed this book but it also got me really invested in some of the bullying aspects so there are some smidge spoilers in here. I tried to be vague but there are some mini spoilers ahead as my impassioned response took over.

Being a book about a child with cancer is going to divide a few readers. I think though that sometimes having a book where it isn’t doom and gloom is a powerful choice. It isn’t about the disease it’s about living life with the disease and Master has chosen that route well. The fact this side plots with a case of severe bullying was a wild decision but again, Master manages to tie into Ana’s life philosophy and really highlights her character and strength, even if I wasn’t pleased with some of the directions the plotline took.

I thought from the blurb this would be a general mean girl taunting situation, not full scale years of targeted horrific abuse. The description of bullying, and the years of emotional and borderline physical abuse this girls suffers is enough to break anybody. If she were a different person she could have taken it to heart and really withdrawn, hurt herself, or worse. It’s only that she’s kept a positive attitude and acknowledges the bad behaviour to make light of it, while still mentioning the dread it causes. ‘Recognise it, but ignore it’ is her approach.

I understand her plan of not saying anything, and not standing up for yourself. It’s hard. But I thought her new plan was brilliant. There are laws now, she found the right law, and she had the evidence. The plan was great, she finally told her parents. The fact she stops because she discovers something about her bully is ludicrous.

What if she never discovered that? What if the bullying got so bad she’d killed herself to escape it? What if she harmed herself because she believed what this girl was saying? I cannot believe after all the great things Master was putting in here that that was the result. There is being the bigger person and there is justifiable consequences for this horrific abuse.

“As horrid as Alyssa had been and continued to be, her life obviously sucked and getting the police involved wasn’t going to help anyone.”

Disagree. It will teach her a lesson and make her realise her behaviour. It might give her some help or support, or some perspective about other people. Tell her there are consequences for her actions and it could stop her doing it to someone weaker than Ana. Disgraceful.

I know we have to teach kids to be nice, but I think there is also an important lesson about teaching them when to avoid someone, tell and adult, and leave each other be. You can’t make someone forgive you or be nice to you after years of singled out, targeted bullying. Especially when it continued after the news came out this twelve year old was dying for goodness sake. If that doesn’t make someone come to their senses nothing will.

I wished there was less ‘make the bullied kid stand up for themselves’ instead of having a teacher and parents address the issue in a one on one situation. Let the adults know about what happens but make the kids deal with it isn’t a great solution.

I will stop going on about it, but it really got up my nose how Master executed this plotline, especially when we came so close to a real solution that could have real world positivity for readers who experience the same thing. Or might change their own behaviour as a result.

Other than that I enjoyed Ana’s approach to her diagnosis and her plan for the last part of her life. There are random references to hospitals and Ana’s weakening state but Master filters these in so well you forget sometimes that there is a physical toll of Ana’s condition. It is sad, but with Ana as our narrator she never makes us feel too depressed, she goes on with life plans and a smile and is taking her life into her hands. Ana’s voice is definitely the tone setter. It is surprisingly light-hearted and funny, she navigates things like family drama and puberty with grace and with as much ease as she gives her terminal diagnosis. She has a time limit on her life but there is still life happening in the meantime.

Her friendship with Al was great, he is a wonderful support for her as well as a distraction and a sounding board for her troubles.

I loved the ending because as readers we’re given no definitive answers. Ana’s philosophy about life is to be lived and how everything matters and nothing matters is a nice message and not having a solid ending leaves readers with hope even with the knowledge of the inevitability of it all.

You can purchase Exit Through the Gift Shop via the following

QBD |  Booktopia | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon Aust | Audible

NaNoless November

06 Nov 2025 1 Comment

by Amy in Rambles Tags: , , , ,

I find myself in a strange situation where for the first time since 2008 I don’t have a writing mission for November.

That’s not to say I haven’t been writing, I am currently trying to finish drafts left, right and centre (one finicky draft that is a roller coaster of success and solid, solid, brick walls); but my daily goals, my forums, and the feeling of comradery is gone as NaNo ceased this year.

I know there are articles all over the place about substitutes and other places that replicate NaNo or give you a goal to aim for but they aren’t the same I wail and whine.

I still love the idea of NaNo, I am almost two decades in and I like the achievement of my 50k. It also gets those pesky ideas out in a large lump and I can go back and look months or years down the track and polish, throw out, or steal from. Two of the drafts I’ve been working on recently both came from previous NaNo works so it’s reassuring to see that the pain, sweat, and tears of hitting those daily word goals (or frantically trying to catch up at the eleventh hour) were worthwhile.

I will be hitting my 50k goal come November 30, it will just be with less badges, less procrastination and idea hunting on forums, and less word count updates. I may have to create a fun graph to track my progress though because it’s a real motivator seeing that graph rise and rise or scare you if it plateaus for too long.

I’ve been doing this long enough that I feel confident my November tradition will continue but it’s hard not to feel a little sad at what we lost.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

23 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Fiction, Romance Tags: , , , , ,

Published: 14 September 2021 (print)/30 September 2021 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Little Brown/Penguin Audio
Pages: 384/11 hrs and 51 mins
Narrator: Callie Dalton and Teddy Hamilton
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Romance
★   ★   ★ – 3 Stars

When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding…six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

I enjoyed the prologue; it was a creative way to bring in the characters and while you know where it will lead, it’s not total impossible scenario and plays well into this romantic plotline.

The beginning is a rough outline of easily ridiculous moments as well as various terminology. I don’t see how someone can be your ex after two dates, you certainly didn’t have a boyfriend after two dates. You just say you didn’t connect and move on. It hardly counts as an ex.

The scientific stuff is blended in creatively and isn’t hidden or dismissed. I enjoyed learning about Olive’s work and how her research is structured. Hazelwood doesn’t explain anything to the reader but things are implied through context so you don’t lose out not knowing exactly what is going on. It also saves readers being pulled from the story for unnatural discussion about science terminology. This works for conversations between Olive and Adam too, it is believable that two scientists would chat in this way about their work and not explain things they would already know. It’s a trap that happens far too often and I love when readers are given credit to gain context or use the internet to look something up if they really want to know. Having said that it isn’t all Latin terminology and scientific names, even the most clueless reader can understand what is going on enough to not be taken out of the story for not understand anything either.

Adam and Olive are an interesting match, they bump heads but at the same time are in similar fields so they have enough in common to be amicable and understand each other. Adam’s reasons to go along with the fake dating is plausible, and even if Olive’s is tenuous at best, if we put a lot of faith on her friend’s fragility in her emotions then it also works.

The romance element is well done. It’s slow and gradual, each party in it for their own reasons. There is one chapter that’s an incredibly detailed sex scene, but once you get through that the story gets back on track.

I liked their slow comfortableness, though Olive is a tad stupid at times. It’s unreasonable to think they’d know everything about each other after only two weeks, it wasn’t a big deal they hadn’t covered every aspect of their lives in that time, even if they were talking more than ten minutes a week. I did enjoy though that there was no blow up or misunderstanding as a conflict. It was also well done that they separated despite them both not wanting to, the rules of the contract were clear and neither of them wanting to admit any change was nice and spoke a lot to their character.

The in jokes were fun and the structure of the fake dating was realistic (as it can be). I do take issue with the notion  going on two dates with someone counts as having an ex. They are not your boyfriend and it’s perfectly reasonable to say you didn’t connect and move on and let your friend take a shot. But when you need a reason for your fake dating Hazelwood makes it work. The subtle nature of it and their agreement balanced out the reason behind it and it is an amicable thing to do if we play into the true love/doing it to help a friend aspect.

Not a lot of attention was given to side characters, but for the most part it was easy to forget they were even part of the story so their lack of depth wasn’t an issue (ironic since a side character starts this whole situation). They weren’t needed for the story though as the scientific aspect and Olive’s career trajectory was intrigue enough, her battles of being a woman in STEM and the hurdles she faces gave great conflict and internal struggles, and was a great connection between Adam and herself, solidifying their relationship further.

In my audiobook there was a bonus chapter from Adam’s perspective. When I started I wasn’t interested in it, but as I grew to like Adam through the book I was curious. Unfortunately it turned out to be a crude perspective of their hook up chapter which I didn’t enjoy and skipped through a lot. I thought, well wanted, the chapter to be his perspective of all the times he had spotted Olive through the years. The man essentially yearns for her so I was hoping his chapter would be the times over the years he’d seen her around the university and his thoughts about her and his longing to talk to her. But alas, it’s just gross ways he thinks about her when they are having sex. It was the full chapter again just from his perspective and it took so much away from his character development in the story I stopped listening.

Overall it was a good book. The plot is solid, the romance works if you don’t mind a few explicit and incredibly detailed descriptions, and I liked the scientific side and the few surprises even if they were expected. Olive and Adam are great characters, and their dynamic works well without either of them changing who they are. It is very much a case of a story that does what it says on the tin. It’s a feel good romance that’s light and fun which if that’s what you’re after it’s the perfect solution.

You can purchase The Love Hypothesis via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

 Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

A is for… A Rabbit’s Tale by Jackie Hosking

17 Oct 2025 1 Comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Australian Women Writers, The Picture Book Corner Tags: , , , , , ,

Published: 2nd July 2025
Publisher: Walker Books Australia
Illustrator: Lucinda Gifford
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4.5 Stars

A quirky, funny and clever alphabet book with a twist – with bright and colourful illustrations by much loved illustrator Lucinda Gifford

A is for A rabbit.
B is for Buy this book!

A hilarious alphabet story – for anyone who ever wanted a pet … and for everyone who loves a wonderful tail, um, tale with a twist!

I love this book. It’s such a clever play on the A is for… structure. Everything in this book is connected to rabbits and there is no narrative outside of the ABC format, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a fun story.

As we go through the alphabet we see our character connect to rabbits in a fun way, A is for A rabbit, B is for Buy a rabbit and so on. The best thing is R is not for Rabbit (though Hosking does point out in a small note that R is also for Rabbit). But my favourite one is ‘U is for Understandably, you want your own rabbit’.

Cleverly through this alphabet non story there is a story about sharing, about jealousy, and above all loving your new awesome rabbit. There is a fabulous twist at the end and it was surprising how a simple format with very few words could be so delightful and funny. I love Hosking’s approach to this and Gifford’s illustrations add context and humour and aide the unspoken narrative remarkably well.

You can purchase A is for a Rabbit’s Tale via the following

  Dymocks | Booktopia | Wordery

  Fishpond | Amazon Aust

Find Layla by Meg Elison

14 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Young Adult Tags: , , , ,

Published: 01 September 2020 (print)/01 September 2020 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Skyscape/Brilliance Audio
Pages: 188/6 hrs and 32 mins
Narrator: Jesse Vilinsky
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary
★   ★   ★   ★ – 4 Stars

A neglected girl’s chaotic coming-of-age becomes a trending new hashtag in a novel about growing up and getting away by an award-winning author.

Underprivileged and keenly self-aware, SoCal fourteen-year-old Layla Bailey isn’t used to being noticed. Except by mean girls who tweet about her ragged appearance. All she wants to do is indulge in her love of science, protect her vulnerable younger brother, and steer clear of her unstable mother.

Then a school competition calls for a biome. Layla chooses her own home, a hostile ecosystem of indoor fungi and secret shame. With a borrowed video camera, she captures it all. The mushrooms growing in her brother’s dresser. The black mold blooming up the apartment walls. The unmentionable things living in the dead fridge. All the inevitable exotic toxins that are Layla’s life. Then the video goes viral.

When Child Protective Services comes to call, Layla loses her family and her home. Defiant, she must face her bullies and friends alike, on her own. Unafraid at last of being seen, Layla accepts the mortifying reality of visibility. Now she has to figure out how to stay whole and stand behind the truth she has shown the world.

One thing I adored about this book was how imperfect it was. Being only fourteen is a prime age for Elison to work with. Layla is grown up enough and seen enough that she knows how the system works, knows how to care for herself and her brother, while still having the inability to act too grown up or understand everything completely. She is strong but is lacking a lot of critical thinking, impulse control, and her development has been shaped by her mother’s actions.

I was impressed at the topic being addressed. Neglect is important and having it so boldly portrayed in this story was fantastic. Showing how easily it goes unnoticed, especially how Layla could cover some of it up but not all of it due to her age and maturity, despite her intellect, felt real. It was a great decision not to have Layla be a slightly older competent teen, someone who could navigate their situation better, but also not have her be a self-assured competent twelve or thirteen year old either. Not that there couldn’t be a capable twelve year old who can care for herself and her brother, but I think having Layla struggle but also succeed as best she did is important. This is the balance of not being able to clean the house for fear or wrath and not having the skills to try, especially with events too big like water damage.

I enjoyed and was intrigued by a lot of the book but I really started to love it more towards the end. This was no doubt because of the work put in at the start. The slow build up and establishment of Layla and her brother is ideal given the wrap up and rollercoaster at the end.

Something I find interesting is how misleading the blurb is. It’s not that that doesn’t happen, but it isn’t exactly right in how it plays out in the book and is certainly not the main focus of the book.

I’m not going to say I could write a better one, given it does actually describe events in the novel, but the lead up to these events are important and it implies Layla is passive and a victim in the outcome when her resourcefulness and her determination make things happen. She is a driver of her situation, however misguided, and that strength form someone in her situation was amazing to read about.

Vilinsky was a great narrator and brought Layla to life. Each character felt unique and I felt emotionally connected the Layla, her whole self and emotional journey coming through remarkably well.

The bittersweet ending is amazing and I’m surprised such a choice was made but I love that it doesn’t shy away from realities and that there can sometimes be no perfect endings, just different. It was the best ending for the story we’d experienced and it made the book even better for it.

You can purchase Find Layla via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

 Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

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