Top Five of 2025

06 Jan 2026 Leave a comment

by Amy in Top Five List Tags: , , , , , , ,

Either my criteria for stars are getting harder, or I’m not coming across the fantastic books like I used to. I only had eleven five-star books in 2025: seven were a series reread, two were the last two books of another series, and the other two were a kids book and a YA. How is someone supposed to work with stats like that? I didn’t even get five picture books!

In light of that, I am taking a leaf out of my own book and picking books that had a lasting impact, five stars or not, or something that was near close to perfect but didn’t quite hit the mark. Otherwise the only offering you’ll get is me having to pick my favourite Thursday Next books and one YA mystery.

Since this is an unconventional selection, I have taken out the series and picked from my 4.5 star and above pile (the suitable five star choices being included as well). I could easily include The Eyre Affair (or the whole series really) in my Top Five, but it was included in the 2012 lot so it’s already been highlighted.

So with that weird situation in mind, these are my Top Five reads of 2025.

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

The Cousins by Karen M. McManusI have always enjoyed McManus’ books and her ability to create a story that is about people and the choices they make. This one is such a great story that draws you in, and gives you the expected twists except the twists you get are not expected at all. It was an incredible way to play with the reader and the story. It plays into the old style of the classic mysteries but also has a great modern approach as well.

Impossible Music by Sean Williams

Impossible Music by Sean WilliamsThis is a relatively short book but one that managed to really get to the heart of people and their lives, and how the smallest thing can derail their expectations. The exploration of the Deaf community from someone coming into it through trauma was amazing and I loved how Williams doesn’t shy away from the stubbornness and the anger something like this brings.

 

The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde

The Constant Rabbit by Jasper FfordeIt took me ages to read this because I thought it sounded a bit boring, but once you realise you should trust Fforde knows what he’s doing, you see he’s made an intriguing alternate reality where anthropomorphised rabbits are integrated into modern society. It’s a wonderful non subtle metaphor of xenophobia and tolerance with the intricate alternate world building Fforde is a master at.

 

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias MaddenThis book is perfect if you want to see the full, messy, teenage life on display. Madden brings a chaotic character and a pinnacle life choice to a head and then puts it all on a boat with red flags, family drama, and the high seas and intense friendships.

 

 

 

Because of You by Pip HarryBecause of You by Pip Harry

So much of this book broke my heart but it’s why Aussie YA is sublime. Harry’s characters are deep and rich and you can’t help but feel like they are real flesh and blood out in the world. It’s a beautiful story and shows off a side of society people often like to sweep under the rug or shy away from. The duel narrators is a great coin flip of life experiences and it’s a gorgeous story about expectations and compassion.

 

 

 

Honourable Mentions

Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

 

Top Picture Books

A is for A Rabbit’s Tale by Jackie Hosking

A Is for ... a Rabbit's Tale by Jackie Hosking

Flubby will NOT go to Sleep by J.E. Morris

Flubby Will Not Go to Sleep by Jennifer E. Morris

Flubby is NOT a Good Pet by J. E. Morris

Flubby Is Not a Good Pet! by J. E. Morris

 

Honourable Mentions

Room for More by Michelle Kadarusman

Room for More by Michelle Kadarusman

#AussieYAChallenge 2025 Wrap Up

31 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Over the course of the two years I have done challenge I have read 24 Aussie YA books. Which is a pretty good bump considering my #LoveOzYA reading had dropped off in recent years. I am still blaming the minimal amount of Aussie YA in audio, but I also have two bookcases choccas with Aussie titles I could pick up at any time so it’s not entirely the fault of the publishing industry.

I was worried I had maybe fallen by the wayside after my September update, but given the new titles on my final list I am pretty pleased with how I’ve ended up. Despite planning on reading 12 books a year I never actually planned the twelve. I was happy if it went over, I was picking stuff up willy nilly, not keeping track of numbers. It’s quite serendipitous that I landed on 12. I get to meet my Nix level reading goal without rushing to make up numbers at the eleventh hour which is a bonus.

Some of my absolute favourites were Impossible Music by Sean Williams and Because of You by Pip Harry. Both these stories took me into a world I knew about but not intimately and seeing the experiences of these characters was beautiful and heartbreaking, not to mention powerful. This is why I love Aussie YA, with such short stories we can really pack an emotional punch and make incredibly memorable stories.

Other choices were some I had been eying off at the library for months before finally picking them up. Tobias Madden knocking it out of the park with fun and interesting stories, and unexpected surprises with new author Clayton Zane Comber, not to mention Shivaun Plozza killing it once again.

Another reason I started this challenge wasn’t only to tick off a list, but to finally pick up the authors I’ve been wanting to read for years. It’s all well and good to say I want to read that, or it’s on my TBR list (700+ strong so what hope do I really have), but now I can actually follow through and share our great authors with everyone and maybe spread a bit of that #LoveOzYA love.

I am keen to see what new books I read next year, some old hopefully, some new definitely. The Aussie YA book world is filled with so many different stories and experiences it is a joy to pick up and fall into that unique Australian voice that makes our books so beloved.

If you participated alongside me I hope your challenge went as successful as you wanted and I hope you join me again with the challenge next year!

 

The final list:

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

 Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

 Because of You by Pip Harry

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden

 100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay

Impossible Music by Sean Williams

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

Flip by Rebecca Fraser

The Day the Bridge Fell by Coral Vass

Here’s the Thing by Emily O’Beirne

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

20 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Published: 30 August 2022 (print)/25 October 2022 (audio) Goodreads badge
Publisher: Penguin/Penguin Random House Australia Audio
Pages: 384/9 hrs and 43 mins
Narrator: Matthew Backer
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★   ★   ★ – 3.5 Stars

Seventeen-year-old gaymer Noah Mitchell only has one friend left: the wonderful, funny, strictly online-only MagePants69. After years playing RPGs together, they know everything about each other, except anything that would give away their real life identities. And Noah is certain that if they could just meet in person, they would be soulmates. Noah would do anything to make this happen—including finally leaving his gaming chair to join a community theater show that he’s only mostly sure MagePants69 is performing in. Noah has never done anything like theater—he can’t sing, he can’t dance, and he’s never willingly watched a musical—but he’ll have to go all in to have a chance at love.

With Noah’s mum performing in the lead role, and former friends waiting in the wings to sabotage his reputation, his plan to make MagePants69 fall in love with him might be a little more difficult than originally anticipated.

And the longer Noah waits to come clean, the more tangled his web of lies becomes. By opening night, he will have to decide if telling the truth is worth closing the curtain on his one shot at true love.

I know it is the point but I get so uncomfortable with lying in these types of novels when the character could organically weave it into a planned pretend surprise revelation. Which I know defeats the purpose of black moments and tension in the story and is more high concept than a love struck horny 17 year old can fathom, but it is always an interesting choice. Surely there can still be drama and twists by the manipulation of the facts than lying about them? Maybe for the next book.

Interestingly I didn’t actually want Noah and Eli to be together, not even because of the lies after a while, because I felt Eli wasn’t right for Noah. He is rash and emotional and quick to jump to conclusions. Even for Noah’s faults it felt like Eli would be a hard person to fully trust and be with if every move is under suspicion and always jumps to the worst conclusion.

Having said all that, what I did like is that the ending isn’t perfect. Something which works well for my opinions of the characters. While the story wraps up nicely, it is still tender and rocky for everyone involved. It felt better than full on acceptance, you can see growth in the characters, understand their reasoning and accept their decisions. I get a teenage boy not understanding the adult side of life, having a narrow viewpoint about their world view, and I also see how a parent can be lost in who they’ve become. The combination and culmination of both these plots was perfect and I loved Madden’s perspective and how each character felt real. The mother/son dynamic was honest and realistic, full of history and disappointment coming across with minimal effort. Everything Noah and his mother are, his sister and father as well of course, but everything these characters are is on the page perfectly.

The unspoken mystery was well worth the wait, I completely get Noah’s apprehension and choices around that. It is also so coded in pressure around friends and dramas, the emotional impact of events when you’re young far reaching years later and how it shapes who you are as a person. I get some concerns people have about cringe and no communication but from a teen mindset, of seeing consequences and social fallout, I totally get Noah’s caution. I only felt weird with the deception, which to be fair, so did Noah.

The LGBTQIA+ representation was great and I loved the variety of characters and cultural backgrounds. The gaming portion was well done too. It was balanced great between Noah being a gamer without falling into the trap of often inaccurate and overdone stereotypes. Madden treated it like a real hobby, one that was full of skill, friendship, and community.

I read this as an audiobook and Backer was a great narrator. The characters were distinctive with his voice and I loved how each character came across fully with his narrative style. As a whole the story felt wonderfully Australian without ever feeling cliché or trite. It captures the community of Ballarat, the issues with family, and the desires of getting out on your own while also embracing what you have.

You can purchase Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell via the following

QBD |  Dymocks | Booktopia

 Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

#AussieYAChallenge Update 2

02 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , ,

September snuck up on me in a weird way, but as I started writing this I was thinking thankfully my Aussie YA Challenge had been chugging along consistently; at least I felt like I’d been having a good run. Comparing my first update to my second I am not as pleased, but I am still pleased…I think. Two were July and one was an August read which is failing my one a month plan, but I have now read eight so I am technically on track. Given the hard task of finding Aussie YA in audio form, and how hard it is to find time to read a physical book it is a good addition at any rate. The problem is other, non Aussie, books are also around and they are shiny and intriguing and terribly distracting. How weird it is to say you’ve read 99 books but only 8 have been Aussie YA. That’s some kind of fail, right?

Once again I am boldly taking chances on books simply because they fill the challenge which is giving me some great reads that I have never heard of and may never have tired. It is also making me finally read books I’ve had on my TBR list for literal years which can’t be a bad thing.

I will endeavour to hit my goal by my final update and I am excited to see what other great stories I find.

Latest Additions:

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay

Impossible Music by Sean Williams

 

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell was a nice story about online friends, the truth, and realising a few things about your family.

Surface Tension was a fascinating story that I find myself thinking of a lot. A town that gets intentionally flooded and the power of a single voice in righting wrongs of the past.

Impossible Music was fascinating in how the newly deaf learn to adjust and the impact it has on your dreams and identify.

 

The total list so far:

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

 Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

 Because of You by Pip Harry

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden

 100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

Surface Tension by Meg McKinlay

Impossible Music by Sean Williams

 

I hope your own Aussie YA Challenge goals are going well and you have discovered some amazing reads yourself. Feel free to shout out in the comments some you have read so far, or even those you are looking forward to reading. If you’re interested in signing up it’s not to late, head over to my info page and declare your goal on social media, your website, or in the comments of this years post.

#AussieYAChallenge Update

30 Apr 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in Aussie YA Challenge, Young Adult Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

My first update of the year was looking a tad woeful for a while but then I found a few Aussie YA on audio which bumped my numbers a little at the last minute. In the end I did three audio, one ebook, and one physical so that was exciting. The books I read were pretty awesome, all unique, and had that wonderful Australian feel to them.

I’d forgotten how convenient it can be to have an ebook too. It’s really no less convenient to have an audio except you don’t need to worry about headphones or being able to hear the narrator if you’re in a loud area. Granted the reading ones took a long time, but it really helped me savour the story, and I looked forward to coming back to the story when I had a chance to keep reading.

One fun thing about this challenge is it’s making me try any Aussie YA that I come across because it fits my criteria. Which may not be the best approach, and the book still has to sound ok, but I am taking chances on stuff because is a #LoveOzYA title or the author is Australian. I definitely found some beautiful reads this way so far.

The list so far:

All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield

 Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza

 Because of You by Pip Harry

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden

 100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze by Clayton Zane Comber

 

Because of You by Pip Henry was a gorgeous story of a young girl experiencing homelessness and the school girl who volunteers at a shelter she visits.

Tin Heart is an emotional story about a transplant recipient who wants to show her thanks but risks crossing a dangerous barrier of the no contact rule from her donor family.

All I Ever Wanted follows Mim who is living in the suburbs with a criminal family and a need to escape.

Wrong Answers Only was one I’d looked forward to for months and I’m glad it paid off. A story of taking chances and being brave, about expectations and the battles against your body, your mind, and letting go.

100 Remarkable Feats of Xander Maze had a great voice and was another story about being brave, taking chances, and discovering how small decisions can change your whole life.

Like all books not every one of these were perfect, amazing, or to my exact taste, but I am still glad I read them. I got to see these stories of characters in different situations and experiences. This is what I love about Australian YA, we have these big bold stories, often in very short compact books that are about the teenage experience but aren’t confined to the playground or classroom dynamics.

I already have a few titles in my TBR list and I certainly have a massive stack of physical books piled up at home so I look forward to seeing what the next update brings.

I hope your own Aussie YA Challenge goals are going well and you have discovered some amazing reads yourself. Feel free to shout out in the comments some you have read so far, or even those you are looking forward to reading. If you’re interested in signing up it’s not to late, head over to my info page and declare your goal on social media, your website, or in the comments of this years post.