FICTION

The Borrowed Life Of Frederick FifeThe Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a warm, life-affirming debut about a bizarre case of mistaken identity that allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family. Film rights sold to Netflix!'A sincere, heartfelt and laugh-out-loud debut . . . a genuinely delightful read.' The Australian'Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I'll take excellent care of it.'Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car he'd return it washed and polished, with a full tank of petrol. The problem is, he has no one left to borrow from. At 82 he's desperately lonely, broke and on the brink of homelessness.But Fred's luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of cranky Bernard Greer at Wattle River Nursing Home. Suddenly he has a roof over his head, warm meals in his belly and, most importantly, the chance to be part of a family again.Fingers crossed his poker face is in better nick than his prostate, or the jig is up.As Fred walks in Bernard's shoes (and underpants), he discovers more about the man's past - and what it would take to return a broken life to mint condition.Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a feel-good novel about forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.'You'll be utterly charmed by this stunning debut. We all need a Frederick Fife in our lives.' Amanda Hampson, author of THE TEA LADIES'An endearing story about an Aussie battler with a heart of gold. This book is like a big, warm hug - I couldn't get enough of Fred Fife and his borrowed life.' Kerryn Mayne, author of LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER'I adored this big-hearted novel that shows it is never too late to find a family. Tender, wise and laugh-out-loud funny, it is a tonic for the soul.' Joanna Nell, author of MRS WINTERBOTTOM TAKES A GAP YEAR'What a glorious story it is - I absolutely loved it! Anna has created a wonderfully diverse cast of funny, flawed, and completely relatable characters. Fred is one of life's unsung heroes - a loveable rogue with a big heart for whom kindness towards others comes as naturally as breathing. It was an absolute joy to follow him on his poignant, hilarious and at times precarious journey to find the happy ending that he so richly deserved.' Ruth Hogan, author of THE KEEPER OF LOST THINGS

Galentine'S Day Pre-order the funny, insightful love-letter to female friendship now, perfect for fans of Dolly Alderton and The Bold Type!Thirteen years. Three women. One annual sleepover.13 February 2013. Alicia, Marnie and Hannah have their first Galentine’s Day sleepover. They’re eighteen, single, and the world is at their feet. Soon they’ll go their separate ways after college, but they promise that every year, they’ll have their sleepover.13 February 2026. There are only two friends at the annual sleepover. Their friendships have been tested by life, by partying, breakdowns, and even by pregnancies. Are their best Galentine’s Days now behind them?Galentine’s Day is a love letter to female friendship, that celebrates messiness, real relationships, and growing up together.

Dreamwives: A Hilarious And Moving Mum-Com For Readers Of Liane Moriarty, Cathy Kelly And Marian Keyes A funny, moving, and wise mumcom about reinvention with a vengeance and the power of friendship, for fans of Maggie Alderson, Marian Keyes, and Jilly Cooper.When two enterprising women hit the financial skids, they cook up a business to make money from the wife-work they've been doing for decades. But will their labour of love be too hot to handle?Middle-aged housewife Katrina Webb, dumped by her husband and suddenly broke, meets her old friend Michelle Redlin-Wu, who looks after her elderly father and has just been laid off. Over a stolen bottle of champagne, they decide that people should pay for the domestic and emotional work women have largely shouldered for centuries, and their business is born.Dreamwives aren't cleaners or nannies or housekeepers - they create warm and inviting homes by cooking dinner, leaving the bathroom clean (and just a little bit used), and listening to their clients unload. This is extreme customer service - no sex included.It seems to be a winning formula, until Michelle starts falling for a client, and Katrina finds herself at the centre of a very public scandal. Can they really get paid for the work that so many women do for free, or are they flushing their lives away? This fast-paced romp will make you laugh, shout and cry... And make you forget about your To-Do list for a while.PRAISE'Besties Katrina and Michelle will have you cheering them on and snort-laughing through their riotous misadventures. Dreamwives is fresh, frank, and full of heart' TESS WOODS'If you're not laughing and despairing with Dreamwives, then you are the Craig in your relationship. This funny, insightful story is for anyone who needs a laugh and a good dose of empowerment' KIMBERLEY ALLSOPP'Money-spinning the mental load of wifery into dollars? Genius! Savvy Kat and Michelle cook up a hilarious scheme and are smart, funny, instantly loveable, and totally relatable. Success really is the best revenge' MEREDITH JAFFE'Clever and dry with an undercurrent of heartache, Dreamwives had me smiling and fuming, laughing and cheering. It also left me contemplating the many unpaid domestic tasks so often called women's work. For at the heart of this deceptively light read is an astute study of how a house becomes a home and just how we value those who make it happen' SUZANNE LEAL'An entertaining "mum-com" that shines a light on women's invisible labour... Honest and heartfelt. Perfect for readers of Marian Keyes, Tricia Stringer, and Meg Bignell' BOOKS+PUBLISHING

The Bad Bridesmaid'A good rom-com is a balm for the harshness of the outside world, and no one does romance and comedy better than Rachael Johns.' Australian Women's WeeklyWhen serial dater Winifred Darling - Fred - is asked to be the maid of honour at her mother's sixth wedding, she's determined to do everything in her power to stop it. As the author of a forthcoming book called 21 Rules for Not Catching Feelings, she knows better than most about the perils of falling in love.On arrival at the island wedding destination, Fred is delighted to discover that the groom's hot muso son Leo is just as set against the wedding as she is. Together, they come up with 'Operation Break-Up' to prevent their parents from making what they believe will be a catastrophic mistake.But as Fred and Leo get to know each other better, their unexpected feelings for each other create further complications, and Fred is forced to rethink her own rigid rules about romance and family. Maybe not every relationship has to play by the book, and could Fred become the star in a romcom of her own?A heart-warming friends-to-lovers romance about the magic and mayhem of weddings - and what happens when everything you thought you knew about love is turned upside down.'Prolific, entertaining and charming, Rachael Johns is arguably the best romantic writer in Australia.' The Australian

The Devil BookA classic girl-meets-boy-meets-devil story, from the unmissable Danish literary superstar<p>'Nordenhof's writing is electrifying' CHETNA MAROO</p>'A comet in Scandinavian literature' OLGA RAVNA bold, lyrical and surprising novel about violence and money, love and desire, and a stand-off with the Devil himselfA woman meets a man on a train in Copenhagen and agrees to visit him in London. While she sits out a two-week Covid quarantine in his apartment, she begins to tell her story. Years ago and desperate for money, she sold herself to a stranger called T. He offered her a suitcase full of money and lavish gifts in exchange for total control of her body. In the bed between them lay a large kitchen knife and the promise of an iconic death.But at the last moment, she aborted the treacherous game and fled. Now in London, she reflects on the forces - financial and social - that led her to the brink of destruction, and wonders what it would take to believe in love again.Frank, intimate and dazzling entertaining, The Devil Book is a classic girl-meets-boy-meets-devil story. This unmissable stand-alone novel is the follow up to the critically-acclaimed Money to Burn.

Great Eastern Hotel 'Beautifully written' DAILY MAIL 'Heady, sensually described, deeply felt' GUARDIAN 'A maximalist epic that grabs you by the collar' THE STATESMAN 'Riotously audacious and entertaining – cinematic, jazzlike, a humdinger of a novel' KAMILA SHAMSIE ‘A humane and atmospheric love letter to a vibrant and irrepressible city’ DAILY MAIL ‘I can’t remember the last time I read a book as grand as Ruchir Joshi’s Great Eastern Hotel … the city in this novel is a living thing' THE TELEGRAPH INDIA August 1941. The world is at war. At the Great Eastern, Calcutta’s most luxurious hotel, amidst the feasting, dancing and laughter, we witness the metropolis in the last moments before disaster strikes. On the day the revered poet Rabindranath Tagore dies, the city comes to a standstill. Thousands of people line the streets to pay their respects. Amongst them are: Nirupama, a history student and Communist Party volunteer; Imogen, the English daughter of a Raj official; Kedar, an aspiring painter; and Gopal, a young pickpocket who finds himself promoted into a dark, dangerous world. The lives of these four people intertwine with those at the hotel: an American soldier who plays jazz at the nightclub; a genius French chef; an heiress fleeing from the nightmare in Europe; and a group of military officers running a secret intelligence operation. Magisterial in scope, rich in detail and gloriously entertaining, Great Eastern Hotel brings to life India on the brink of independence. An epic tale of belonging, love, art and how individual lives can become swept up in the tides of history. 'Joshi’s ability to render place and time is truly first-rate. I’ve not read a book by an author this year who so clearly loves what he’s writing about' GUARDIAN 'A wild romp that ends with the scent of river water in your nose and the breath of a flute in your ears’ INDIA TODAY ‘If, like me, you have been waiting for a quarter of a century for what Ruchir would write after his dazzling The Last Jet-Engine Laugh, I have some Persian for you: Der aayad, durast aayad. Finally, an Indian epic for our times' MOHAMMED HANIF ‘A film-maker’s novel, so vividly immersive … at once human and epic, a Joycean polyphony of overlapping lives’ JEET THAYIL ‘Sprawling … exuberant …compelling … allow yourself to be immersed in this Great Calcutta Novel that captures both the sweep of history and the pulse of individual lives’ SCROLL.IN

Best Offer WinsHouse hunting is a special kind of hellA laugh-out-loud, jaw-dropping, voice-driven, cross-market thriller that does for the housing market what YELLOWFACE did for publishing.House hunting is a special kind of hell... Get ready to be gripped by the darkly funny and unputdownable new domestic thriller, perfect for fans of How to Kill Your Family and Yellowface.'It starts out feeling pretty light and fun, but I promise you, you have no idea where this story is going' Taylor Jenkins Reid'Not since Gone Girl have I been so gripped by a narrative voice' Alex Michaelides, bestselling author of The Silent Patient'Darkly satirical and wildly entertaining... a riveting thriller from the first page to the last' Amy Tintera, New York Times bestselling author of Listen for the LieHow far would you go to get the perfect home?There was a time when Margo thought she knew. But that was before a soul-destroying eighteen months of house-hunting hell.Now she's not sure. Her life, her marriage, her family, her career are dangerously out of control and all she needs is a new home to get them all back on track.So when the ideal house comes up, desperate measures are called for. A little online stalking. Some sneaky surveillance of the property in question. Befriending the owner. All reasonable enough, right?But soon it's clear that nothing is off limits, because when your best offer might not win, then you just need to do what it takes...Praise for Best Offer Wins-'A twisty domestic thriller that had me guessing until the final pages' Lottie Hazell, author of Piglet'A cross between Gone Girl and Selling Sunset' Elizabeth Day, Sunday Times bestselling author of Magpie'Genius' Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us'Dark, hilarious, and totally gripping, with a jaw-dropping twist that closes the deal' Ryan Serhant, CEO and star real estate broker, author of Sell It Like Serhant, producer and star of Netflix's Owning Manhattan

Cross My HeartA promise kept means a life is broken

Boy From the North CountryA son returns home to his dying mother to discover the astonishing truth of his origins and the secrets of a woman whose life and wisdom he is only beginning to understand.

One Minute Away *The deliciously entertaining new novel from the award-winning writer and comedian, MARK WATSON*'Funny and thought-provoking' ADAM HILLS'A heartwarming story of happenstance' iPAPER–––––––––––––––For delivery rider Damir, time is money.He races through cycle lanes next to Uber drivers and grocery vans, delivering your every desire. He arrives with your sushi rolls and pizzas and disappears into the night – Ping! Onto the next drop.He is invisible: one player in the boardgame of the city.But one summer’s evening, in a postcode that could be another universe, Damir arrives on Decca’s doorstep and there’s an immediate connection between them.The man on the bike crosses the divide – suddenly fully seen. And a throwaway delivery sparks a chain of events that will change all their lives, forever.Praise for Mark Watson:'One of my favourite writers’ Adam Kay‘Funny, heart wrenching, beautifully written’ Jane Fallon'Funny and serious and daring and humane. I prefer Mark Watson to Leo Tolstoy – both as a novelist and a stand-up comedian' Richard Curtis

Workhorse'Razor-sharp and deliciously wry' COCO MELLORS'Funny, tender, thrillingly dark.' HEATHER DARWENT'Exhilarating and beguiling' OLIVIA PETTERAn astonishing portrait of a city on the brink of a dizzying new era and a story about a young woman who will do anything to infiltrate the rarefied world of New York's fashion elite.New York City, 2001.Editorial Assistant Clodagh “Clo” Harmon wants nothing more than to rise through the ranks at the world’s most prestigious fashion magazine. But there’s just one problem: she doesn’t have the right pedigree. Clo is a ‘workhorse’ in a world of beautiful, wealthy, impossibly well-connected ‘show horses’ and it seems that her fortunes will never change. That is until Clo meets Harry Wood, a reporter with visions of his own media empire and the person who might be Clo’s ally in gaming the system…or is he the only thing standing between Clo and her rightful place at the top?Clo begins to wade across boundaries, taking ever greater and more dangerous risks to become the Important Person she wants to be. But who is Clo under all the borrowed designer clothes and studied manners? And who are we if we share her desires?As wickedly funny as it is darkly unsettling, Workhorse is an astonishing story of envy and ambition, set against the glamour and privilege of media and high society in New York at its height.

The Sunflower Boys: A NovelA poignant coming-of-age story with the sensitivity and haunting power of What Belongs to You and Swimming in the Dark, about a young boy wrestling with his sexuality as war breaks out in modern Ukraine.In many ways, twelve-year-old Artem’s life in Chernihiv, Ukraine, is normal. He spends his days helping on his grandfather’s sunflower farm, drawing in his sketchbook—a treasured gift from his father, who works in America—and swimming in the river with his little brother, Yuri. In secret, Artem has begun wrestling with romantic feelings for his best friend, Viktor. In a country where love between two boys is unthinkable, Artem has begun to worry that growing up, his life will never be normal.Then, on a February night, Artem and Yuri are woken by explosions—the beginning of a war that will tear their life in two. The invading Russians destroy their home, killing their mother and grandfather, and leaving young Artem and Yuri to fend for themselves. Fleeing in hopes of somehow reuniting with their father, the brothers traverse the country their ancestors once fought and died for, with nothing but their backpacks and each other. Surrounded by death and destruction, Artem is certain of one thing—that whatever may come, he must keep himself and his brother alive.A harrowing and gorgeous tale of love, identity, lost innocence, and survival set in a time of devastating war, The Sunflower Boys is a powerful, heartrending exploration of young queer love, the Ukrainian spirit, and a family’s struggle to survive.

The Inheritance: Gripping Intrigue And Big Secrets, The Perfect Small-Town Mystery In A New 2026 Edition, For Readers Of Sally Hepworth And Liane M What if everyone in your family was given a DNA test at Christmas: would there be any surprise results? For two women the answers are shocking, and dangerous. Perfect for readers of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth.Families lie. DNA doesn't.Isobel Ashworth breezes through life, blissfully accustomed to the privilege which comes with her family name. But that changes when she arrives in the exclusive town of Hartwell. Sent there by her father to complete a controversial property development - and prove herself a serious player in the succession plan - her perfect life is unravelling. Isobel's fiance is telling lies, the project is a disaster and the locals hate her; could her father be setting her up to fail?Buzzing with the promise of a big story, journalist Meg Hunter arrives in Hartwell to expose the Ashworth family dealings, and transform her faltering career. As she follows the trail of corruption, she uncovers clues about her mother's mysterious past.When the next-gen Ashworths each receive an anonymous Christmas gift of a DNA testing kit, Isobel questions everything she knows about her family. Isobel is drawn to Meg and her pursuit of the truth ... but someone out there will stop at nothing to hide the secrets of both families.PRAISE:'In The Inheritance, debut author Kate Horan hides readers in the shadows of the juiciest closed-door drama of the summer.' - Weekend Australian, Notable Books'Kate Horan's debut is acute on the psychology of power and wealth, and the novel is intricate plotting with memorable characters. If you're into Succession or the real-life tussle over the Murdoch family trust, The Inheritance will appeal.' - The Age'The Inheritance is a smart debut tackling the seductive issues of wealth, succession and family secrets. Taut, propulsive and with enticing Succession-meets-Jane Harper vibes, this novel is perfect for suburban noir superfans. I whizzed through it.' - Ali Lowe, author of The School Run'Secrets, power and corruption - The Inheritance is an intriguing mystery and family drama.' - Vanessa McCausland, author of The Last Illusion of Paige White'Books about families are my catnip and The Inheritance didn't disappoint. Take one establishment family with the money to hide anything then throw in a DNA test that never lies and sit back and enjoy the ride that Kate Horan takes you on. A fabulous debut!' - Fiona Lowe, author of The Accident'The Inheritance is an incredibly strong debut from Kate Horan, full of all the things I love in a novel - family secrets, small-town intrigue and rich people behaving badly. I ripped through it faster than you can say the words 'DNA test'.' - Cassie Hamer, author of The Truth About Faking It'A gripping story about wealth, entitlement, corruption and, most of all, family. Kate Horan's debut novel is sophisticated and un-put-down-able.' - B.M. Carroll, author of One of Us is Missing

Heir Apparent: A Riveting Royal Story Of Being Torn Between Duty And Desire, For Fans Of Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Crown And Red White And Royal BluAn absolutely delicious, compulsively readable, stylish novel about a young aristocratic woman, who has to choose between duty and her heart - think The Crown meets Taylor Jenkins Reid. 'I loved it. I devoured every page of this glorious novel.' Holly RinglandLexi Villiers is a 29-year-old Englishwoman doing her medical residency in Hobart, working too hard, worried about her bank balance, and living with friends. It's a good life, and getting even better, because as the dawn is breaking on New Year's Day, Lexi is about to kiss the man she loves for the very first time.But by midnight, everything will change. Because Lexi is in fact not an ordinary young woman. She is Princess Alexandrina, third in line to the British throne - albeit estranged from the rest of her family and living in voluntary exile on the other side of the world. But following a terrible accident, Lexi - the black sheep of her family and, until this moment, always destined to be the spare - is now the heir apparent, first in line to the throne once her grandmother, the elderly Queen, dies. Called back to do her duty, she arrives in London to a Palace riven with power plays and media leaks, all the while guarding painful secrets of her own. Palace waters are treacherous, rumours are rife, and selling each other's secrets is a family tradition. And with the Crown just within her grasp, Lexi must choose what bonds she will keep ... and what she is willing to leave behind.'This engrossing debut ... is filled with secrets, scandals, and a few unexpected twists, including a forbidden and beautiful love story. Armitage's writing is spectacular, with rich dialogue and descriptions, a vibrant depiction of the burden of duty versus personal freedom, and unique insights into royal life.' Booklist, starred review'For everyone wondering who's going to be the next big thing on the Australian literary scene, I have the answer: it's Rebecca Armitage. The Heir Apparent is one of the best books I've read all year.' Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Mademoiselle Alliance'A fabulous novel, juicy and irresistible'. Pip Drysdale, bestselling author of The Close Up'Completely addictive! I was up until the wee hours finishing this fantastic book. It's Hello! mag meets Sally Hepworth and I was utterly transported by the evocative, clever storytelling. Five stars!!' Ella Ward, The Cicada House