young adult | Lost in a Good Book

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

10 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, Australian Women Writers, LGBTQIA, Young Adult Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, Audiobook, aussie, aussie books, Aussie YA Challenge, australian women writers challenge, barrie kreinik, contemporary young adult, four stars, sophie gonzales, young adult

Published: 9 March 2021 (print)/11 March 2021 (audio)
Publisher: Wednesday Books/Hodder Children’s Books
Pages: 352/8 hrs and 58 mins
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars

Her advice, spot on. Her love life, way off.

Darcy Phillips:
• Can give you the solution to any of your relationship woes—for a fee.
• Uses her power for good. Most of the time.
• Really cannot stand Alexander Brougham.
• Has maybe not the best judgement when it comes to her best friend, Brooke…who is in love with someone else.
• Does not appreciate being blackmailed.

However, when Brougham catches her in the act of collecting letters from locker 89—out of which she’s been running her questionably legal, anonymous relationship advice service—that’s exactly what happens. In exchange for keeping her secret, Darcy begrudgingly agrees to become his personal dating coach—at a generous hourly rate, at least. The goal? To help him win his ex-girlfriend back.

Darcy has a good reason to keep her identity secret. If word gets out that she’s behind the locker, some things she’s not proud of will come to light, and there’s a good chance Brooke will never speak to her again.

Okay, so all she has to do is help an entitled, bratty, (annoyingly hot) guy win over a girl who’s already fallen for him once? What could go wrong?

One thing I’ve discovered is I enjoy books set in US high schools if they are written by an Australian. I picked this up for my #AussieYAChallenge but was incredibly confused with the American narrator. But it ended up ok because it’s a good story and does have decent Australian representation in it.

The US school system is a baffling thing anyway but I liked that it didn’t feel so engrained in the school. We get story outside of school a lot which helped balance it. I also enjoyed how even though it followed the US style YA story of having these school wide social media/student organised systems in the form of Darcy’s advice business, it wasn’t weird and unsettling. It was something I had seen with One of Us is Lying, and a few others – a public forum, app, or secrets blog that ruled the school, caused drama, or blackmailed people. This is more like Dear Wendy which technically was university and more public, but the premise was the same: a write in advice service.

The secret locker business was interesting, and the way Darcy explains it was set up is reasonable, as is the eventually outcome of the whole endeavour. Darcy has an interest in helping people and makes sure she does her research and isn’t doing it for gossip or nefarious purposes. But like all things, it’s the invested interest and biases than can get you into trouble.

The hired for advice thing was well played out, and I liked how the relationship between Brougham and Darcy evolved. The blurb is slightly misleading, but from Darcy’s perspective it is not entirely untrue. While there is drama I enjoyed the personal nature of it and it never felt unrealistic. The often overdone, overreaction unreality was missing and it was refreshing to see.

I enjoyed the queer aspect where the bisexual representation was handled well, as well as the exploration of other issues in the school club discussions. It isn’t a side plot per se, Gonzales interweaves everything to be connected somehow, but it’s another aspect of Darcy’s character and it’s a great way to show her growth as well as tie it into the conflicts of the story.

Even with the US setting Gonzales brought the Aussie writing style that made it feel natural. With this also came the benefit of having an Australian character that didn’t sound like a painful stereotype or an American in disguise. Brougham got to actually be a full character and not a background voice of cliché phrases. Gonzales does sneak in a few slang words and some unspoken things which any good Aussie could pick up on, and while it felt a little like a nod to the Aussie reader or a brief education, it still felt ok and within the narrative. I never felt like we stopped the story to have a wedged in “Australian moment”, instead it was a fun meeting of cultures.

Kreinik is a good narrator and the voice of Darcy suited her well. There was no bad Aussie accent either which was so good and a nice change. Overall I was pleasantly surprised considering I was a little reluctant going in.

You can purchase Perfect on Paper via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Highly Illogical Behaviour by John Corey Whaley

04 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Young Adult Tags: Audiobook, john corey whaley, julia whelan, robbie daymond, three stars, young adult

Published: 01 September 2016 (print)/10 May 2016 (audio)
Publisher: Faber and Faber/Listening Library
Pages: 258/6 hrs and 17 mins
Narrator: Robbie Daymond and Julia Whelan
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult
★ ★ ★ – 3.5 Stars

Teen and adult fans of All the Bright Places, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Everything, Everything will adore this quirky story of coming-of-age, coming out, friendship, love…and agoraphobia.

Sixteen-year-old Solomon is agoraphobic. He hasn’t left the house in three years, which is fine by him.

Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to get into the second-best psychology program for college (she’s being realistic). But how can she prove she deserves a spot there?

Solomon is the answer.

Determined to “fix” Sol, Lisa thrusts herself into his life, sitting through Star Trek marathons with him and introducing him to her charming boyfriend Clark. Soon, all three teens are far closer than they thought they’d be, and when their walls fall down, their friendships threaten to collapse, as well.

A hilarious and heart-warming coming-of-age perfect for readers of Matthew Quick and Rainbow Rowell, Highly Illogical Behaviour showcases the different ways we hide ourselves from the world–and how love, tragedy, and the need for connection may be the only things to bring us back into the light.

I’m glad I didn’t look at the novel comparisons in the blurb because I may not have picked this book up. It can be a blessing and a curse those things. I did pick it up for the plot though because it grabbed my attention and I wanted to see how Whaley explored the issues involved.

I didn’t like Lisa at the beginning, and when you start to think she’s changed her mind as she realises Solomon’s situation and gain his friendship but then you go back to not liking her. She appears nice, but she is also manipulative and uses people for her own advantage. Justifying to herself that there’s no harm done and it’s for people’s own good. Even when you think she is going to grow a conscience she still goes around meddling.

I am fascinated by people like Lisa who cannot understand two people becoming close friends who have similar interests without thinking they like one another. Clearly she doesn’t have someone who is into the same stuff as her she can connect with because why else would Solomon and Clark be such good friends if they weren’t in love with one another?

The dramatic irony is the most frustrating part because we know things Lisa doesn’t so seeing her manipulating characters and tamper in their lives is annoying and doesn’t help her favour. It is important to remember that Lisa is 16 and dreams of escape. It’s something I need to remind myself of as I judge her ethics and morals severely through this story.

Lisa aside I did enjoy these characters. Solomon’s situation with his parents is presented in a great way, and one that they’ve managed successfully. There are still complications and work to do but I liked that Solomon is trying to save himself as much as anybody else. He is guiding his story without it being unrealistic.

I liked Solomon’s approach to this being tricked/used thing. He is sensible and despite being housebound he isn’t entirely a fool. He manages to use people as much as they used him and it was great to see a character not easily forgive being played but still allowing it to get their own advantages from it.

It’s hard to avoid falling into the ‘loving Star Trek’ side of geeky kids, but given Solomon’s obsession with the show I was surprised he wasn’t as online as he could have been. The balance between his nerdiness and his real life involvement was great. I could have easily enjoyed him being on forums and so deeply online since it was his only connection, it could have helps given him friends even if they weren’t in person. But Whaley puts Solomon in the real world a lot and with a strong connection to his family and it was nice to see the shift. This also helps solidify his connection to Clark since he finally has a friend who he can gush about his favourite show about.

The portrayal of a gay character as well as an exploration of mental illness, anxiety especially, was well done. Fully formed and rounded characters alongside a disorder that is debilitation and uncontrollable was great. Neither felt subpar and both were treated with respect. Whaley highlights when and why Solomon has anxiety, includes great coping mechanisms, and also shows that yes, sometimes it will result in highly illogical behaviour that can appear scary or dangerous to other people.

Whelan and Daymond did a great job on the audiobook and I never once was taken out of the story. The alternating perspectives worked well and seeing the same friendship through different eyes really drives home Lisa’s goals and Solomon’s trust. A great contrast and one that drives you on to see the resolution.

It is a reasonably short read but Whaley has written an interesting story that explores the complexities of life in a light hearted, but also serious and respectful way. There are no easy solutions but there is a chance at growth and redemption.

You can purchase Highly Illogical Behaviour via the following

QBD | Dymocks | Booktopia

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus & Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible

Take A Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden

20 Nov 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, Audiobook, australian, contemporary, contemporary young adult, matthew backer, own voices, three stars, tobias madden, young adult

Published: 30 August 2022 (print)/25 October 2022 (audio)
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

Find Layla by Meg Elison

14 Oct 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 4 Stars, Audiobook, Young Adult Tags: Audiobook, four stars, jesse vilinsky, meg elison, young adult

Published: 01 September 2020 (print)/01 September 2020 (audio)
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

It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood

30 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by Amy in 3 Stars, Audiobook, Aussie YA Challenge, Australian Women Writers, Young Adult Tags: #AussieYAChallenge, Audiobook, aussie, aussie books, Aussie YA Challenge, australian women writers challenge, maddy withington, nina kenwood, three stars, young adult

Published: 07 April 2020 (print)/4 Jan 2023 (audio)
Publisher: Flatiron Books/Wavesound from W. F. Howes Ltd
Pages: 272/7 hrs and 19 mins
Narrator: Maddy Withington
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
★ ★ ★ – 3.5 Stars

When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie can’t understand why no one is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward. She’d always imagined she would end up with Zach one day―in the version of her life that played out like a TV show, with just the right amount of banter, pining, and meaningful looks. Now everything has changed, and nothing is quite making sense. Until an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.

I always feel a bit bad when I finish a book and my opinion is it was ‘fine’. Perfectly average, decent story and good. Unremarkable but good. Why is that a bad thing? It’s a good book, didn’t need to be amazing or the best thing I’ve ever read. It wasn’t bad. I didn’t hate it. I enjoyed it. Yet I still feel a bit guilty.

There were of course reasons why it’s an average rated book not a highly rated book. In terms of the romance, I felt it comes from nowhere. We aren’t given anything to base it on, Natalie even mentions she’s barely even spoken to Zach’s brother, they hardly acknowledge one another, so the fact he suddenly takes an interest and she reciprocates feelings was a stretch. Also, discovering Alex was only 19 made me feel better, I was thinking he was 20 or 21 so him suddenly having an out of blue interest in Natalie once she’d turned 18 felt weird but we’re all good on that front.

Natalie talks about her body a lot, as well the accompanying anxieties. Because it’s such a key point of the story, I found it hard to believe that someone who has never kissed anyone, has incredible body issues, and spends most of the book talking about her skin insecurities, would let a first kiss go on for as long as it does and be that physically intimate. There are some references down the track about her worries so Kenwood does remember she’s subconscious about it.

There is a good acknowledgment and criticism of societal expectations and people needing a boyfriend (and why not a girlfriend etc) and other out of date ideas which I enjoyed. There are fleeting moments of LGBTQIA+ support but then quickly falls back into the idea that kissing someone is super important and a key experience people need to have around her age. For every step forward there were as many steps back.

One thing that was good was the reminder that even at 18 and 19 these are still teenagers despite being legal adults. There are short tempers, emotional misunderstandings because people are so in their heads, and the nervous and anxious feelings of being around “real adults” and being interrogated can still shrink you down.

Withington is a good narrator. I was never taken out of the story and her expression of the characters was great. Kenwood keeps us in Natalie’s head a lot but we do get to explore the other characters well enough. The unexpected divorce doesn’t come into play as much as you’d think and I did enjoy Natalie’s thought trails as she plans ahead about what she think will happen and is sixteen steps ahead with what she’ll do before anything has even happened. That was fun.

Overall it was…perfectly fine. A good book, decent story. It was different with a main character who had a different set of body issues to contend with, and different anxieties, but Kenwood balances it well so it doesn’t make her intolerable to the reader while still making us understand how debilitating these issues can be.

You can purchase It Sounded Better in My Head via the following

QBD | Dymocks

Wordery | Blackwell’s | Angus and Robertson

Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible