FICTION

New Skin A powerful debut about first love and second chances from a stunning new voice in Australian fiction

Cockatoo Cove is a charming rural romance filled with new friends, family, and community spirit. From the bestselling author of Wallaby Lane, this story is delightfully packed with love and camaraderie.

A Beautiful Family  An eventful summer forever changes the lives of a family in the most engrossing debut you'll read this year.

Aftertaste: Feast Upon This Year'S Most Delicious Debut Novel'A Fun Romp Through New York'S Food Scene' Sunday Times'Practically exploding with love, life and flavour' LOUISE KENNEDY'Bitingly inventive, written with humour and heart' ELIZABETH DAY'A hauntingly evocative journey through the realms of pain, pleasure and the power of food' NIGELLA LAWSON A food story to binge. A ghost story to devour. A love story to savour. When dead-end dishwasher Kostya discovers the ability to summon spirits through the food he cooks, he embarks on a journey to open a New York City restaurant that serves closure something he's craved for as long as he can remember. There are just three problems-1. Kostya has some ghosts of his own.2. His advancing menu of spirit cuisine is threatening the stability of the Afterlife itself.3. He's falling in love with Maura, a party psychic with her own secret connection to the Afterlife who also happens to be the one person who knows he must be stopped. A bittersweet cocktail of humour and heart, Aftertaste is an imaginative odyssey through food and love, life and death- the things that sustain us, connect us, transport us, and remind us who we are.

Notes On Infinity Normal People meets The Dropout with a dash of Tomorrow x3 in this epic love story of two young Harvard students with a shared dream who are drawn into the vortex of American start-up culture. When Zoe and Jack meet in a chemistry classroom in Harvard, they couldn't be more different- she's the daughter of a renowned MIT professor, he's escaping an upbringing steeped in poverty - but they are immediately drawn to one another. Neither knows it yet, but in two years' time, they will have dropped out of college and become business partners in a billion-dollar company that promises longer life. But as they become wrapped up in a maelstrom of insatiable ambition, greed and ultimately deceit, their love for each other will be tested to its very limit...

An Academic Affair The Love Hypothesis meets The Hating Game in a new standalone rom-com from New York Times acclaimed author and romance academic Jodi McAlister. Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have known each other for fifteen years – and they’ve disliked each other for every one of them. It started with a minor altercation in an undergrad literature class, but as their academic careers developed, so did the intensity of their arguments. By the time they graduate with their doctorates, they’re embroiled in a full-on rivalry. So when a position comes up that Sadie and Jonah are both perfect for, their ongoing enmity explodes into a red-hot competition. But as Sadie fights to secure her future, she realises there might be a way for both of them to get their dream job. There's just one catch –they'll have to get married first. When things get personal, though, Sadie will have to keep her eye on the prize. A fake marriage isn't worth jeopardising her real career over, is it?

The Listeners 'By turns a beautiful love story, a fascinating glimpse into the horrors of history and a haunting tale of loyalty and courage. A marvel of storytelling' - Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark 'Around every corner of this richly imagined world, we discover some new wonder' New York Times 'An ambitious work that brings its setting and its large ensemble of characters vividly to life' Sunday Times 'Cinematic and so very satisfying... A phenomenally immersive read' Claire Lombardo 'A marvel: strange, witty, moving, exuberant... at once gloriously extravagant and perfectly poised' Robert Macfarlane The Avallon Hotel offers unrivalled luxury in the wild Appalachian Mountains, its curative sweetwater washing away the troubles of high society. June 'Hoss' Hudson, a local girl turned general manager, has known its power since she first stepped through the century-old doors - and into the fold of the Gilfoyle family, the hotel's aristocratic owners. But in 1942, the real world intrudes. War comes to the Avallon dressed in fine furs and government suits. Under the State Department's watchful eye, the Gilfoyle heir welcomes three hundred enemy diplomats and Nazi sympathisers. And June must play host. As dark alliances and unexpected desires crack the Avallon's polished veneer, not every guest is who they seem. Not least Agent Tucker Minnick, listening for secrets through the hotel walls, whose coal tattoo threatens to betray his past and undo June. And more troubling is the secret she has guarded for years - that the mountain waters can harm as much as heal... The extraordinary, genre-defying debut adult novel by the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author. ***READER REVIEWS*** 'I have not stopped thinking about it' ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ 'It feels like the kind of story that becomes a classic' ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ 'A hauntingly beautiful read' ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ 'I wonder if Maggie Stiefvater would have ever suspected how well timed this book release would be. History tends to rhyme, after all' ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ 'A beautiful story about the human condition' ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐

The Passengers On the Hankyu LineFrom the authentic and original healing fiction author of TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES comes a 1.4-million-copy bestseller - set in a famously scenic railway line in Japan, following key emotional dramas for five commuters.DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FEELGOOD JAPANESE NOVEL, BY THE AUTHOR OF THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLESOver 1.4 million copies sold in Japan'You will be wrapped in laughter and tears' Reader review*****'What I love about it is its Kindness' Reader review*****'I wanted to tap the shoulders of the characters' Reader review*****_________The contents of each traveller's heart is a mystery known only to themselvesTrundling through the scenic countryside of Kyoto and Osaka is the Hankyu line, a burgundy-coloured electric train that has been carrying its commuters to their destinations for decades.Over the course of a single journey in springtime, and the return journey six months later just as the leaves begin to fall-- a young man meets the woman who happens to take out the last copy of the library book he was about to borrow;- an angry wedding guest dresses in a white gown to upstage the bride;- a university student leaves home for the first time;- a twenty-something finally grows the courage to walk away from an abusive partner- a widow learns independence, as she and her granddaughter meet their new dog.As the seasons change and the landscapes change, passengers jostle and connect, as this gentle timeless train carries each one forward towards the person they intend to become.

A story of three grown sisters, whose father - in a moment of crisis - accidentally lets slip that he has a favourite, from the author of New York Times bestseller Amazing Grace Adams. Alex, Eva and Nancy. Three grown-up sisters; each wonderful and messy in their own individual ways. And loved equally by their parents, Vivienne and Patrick.Or so they thought . . . Until on their annual family holiday, Patrick accidentally lets slip that he has a favourite daughter - causing other long-buried secrets to come to light.Set over a single week, but examining the highs and lows that define a family over the decades, The Favourite is a story about rivalries and long-held resentments, about loss and grief and blame - and, above all, about love.

LiquidA young Muslim scholar living in Los Angeles, stuck in the mire of a flatlining academic career, decides to give up and marry rich, committing herself to 100 dates in the course of a single summer. By midsummer reality hits, taking her - and her project - to Tehran. A most anticipated book of the season for Oprah Daily, Literary Hub, Electric Literature, Book Riot, WBUR and LGBTQ Reads. 'Sexy, sly, daring' Justin Torres, National Book Award-winning author of Blackouts 'The smoothest, smartest book I've read in quite some time' Paul Beatty, Booker Prize-winning author of The Sellout 'Loving, cutting, mournful, and hilarious' Bryan Washington award-winning author of Family Meal and Memorial 'My career had gone nowhere. My love life was non-existent. And as for s*x - here I was, home alone on a Saturday night with a chick flick playing on my laptop because I didn't own a TV. You can draw your own conclusions.' Our protagonist always believed herself to be the smartest person in the room. But a couple of years on from earning a fancy PhD, she's still broke, single and stuck in a job going nowhere. One option remains- marry rich. Her summer becomes a whirlwind of dating- martinis with a lazy heir, board games with a butch producer and a Venmo request from a 'socialist' trust-fund babe. However, when some unexpected and tragic news takes her - and her project - to Tehran she is forced to ask and answer some overdue questions about family, connection and, terrifyingly, her own purpose in life and in love. A riveting spin on a classic romantic comedy, Liquid delivers a modern tale of romance, loss and belonging in a gorgeous high-wire voice that explodes off the page with wit, verve and originality.

The Emperor Of Gladness A masterful story of friendship and how much we're willing to risk to possess one of life's most treasured mercies- a second chance  THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Ocean Vuong returns with an achingly beautiful novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive One summer evening in the town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on a bridge, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond. The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which our lives are changed by the most unexpected of people. When Hai takes a job at a diner to support himself and Grazina, his fellow workers become the family he didn't expect to find. United by desperation and circumstance, and existing on the fringes of society, together they bear witness to each other's survival. 'Some of the most beautiful writing I've experienced in my lifetime' OPRAH WINFREY 'Perfectly tuned... May well be the first millennial Great American Novel' ArtReview 'A fine-grained social panorama driven by the developing camaraderie of an ensemble cast bonded in precariousness and pain' Observer 'His most vivid, ambitious work yet' Dazed 'A poetic, dramatic and vivid story. It has an epic sweep but it also handles intimacy and love with delicacy and deep originality' COLM T IB N 'This stunning book moved me so much, I fell in love with its characters and grieved their absence in my life when I turned the last page' CAITR ONA BALFE 'Tender and moving' REBECCA SOLNIT 'A masterwork' BRYAN WASHINGTON

Puberty Blues By day, we were at school learning logarithms, but by night - in the back of cars, under the bowling alley, on Cronulla Beach, or, if you were lucky, in a bed while someone's parents were out - you paid off your friendship ring. For Deb and Sue, life is about surfies, panel vans, straight-leg Levis, nicking off from school, getting wasted, friendships and fitting in. But why should guys have all the fun? When Deb and Sue decide to take to the waves on boards, a whole culture is upturned. Puberty Blues is raw, humorous and painfully honest. An Australian classic that has been reimagined in film and on TV and shocking, exercising, empowering and entertaining readers for more than four decades. PRAISE FOR KATHY LETTE "Funny, loud and uninhibited" - Daily Telegraph "... sharp, funny and very readable." - Jo Brand "One of the funniest authors of our time." - Look Magazine "Her jokes are inspired." - Daily Mail MORE FOR KATHY LETTE Puberty BluesAfter the Blues Till Death, or a Little Light Maiming, Do Us PartHow to Kill Your Husband (and other handy household hints)To Love, Honour and BetrayThe Boy Who Fell to EarthHRT- Husband Replacement Therapy

Full Tilt From USA Today and Wall St. Journal bestselling author Emma Scott comes a story about what it means to love with your whole heart, to sacrifice, to experience terrible grief and soaring joy, and in the end to be able to smile through tears and know you wouldn't have changed a thing. "I would love you forever if I only had the chance..." Kacey Dawson has always lived life on the edge-impulsively, sometimes recklessly. And now, as lead guitarist for a hot up-and-coming band, she is poised at the brink of fame and fortune. But she is torn between wanting to be a serious musician, and the demons that lure her down the glittering, but alcohol-soaked path of rock stardom. A wrecked concert in Las Vegas threatens to ruin her career entirely. She wakes up with the hangover from hell and no memory of the night before, or how she ended up on her limo driver's couch... Jonah Fletcher is running out of time. He knows his situation is hopeless, and he's vowed to make the most of the handful of months he has left to him. His plans include seeing the opening of his glass installation at a prestigious art gallery...they do not include falling in love with a wild, tempestuous rock musician who wound up passed out on his couch. Jonah sees that Kacey is on a path to self-destruction. He lets her crash with him for a few days to dry out and get her head on straight. But neither of them expected the deep connection they felt, or how that connection could grow so fast from friendship into something more. Something deep and pure and life-changing...something as fragile as glass, that they both know will shatter in the end no matter how hard they try to hold on to it.

Dear Reader, From USA Today bestselling author and TikTok sensation Tate James comes the first in an all-new trilogy. The first in an all-new spicy and suspenseful "why choose" romance series from TikTok sensation Tate James. You want my advice? Never look a gift horse in the mouth. You don't want to see the rotten teeth. In this case, the gift is a scholarship to attend the prestigious Neveah University. The rotten teeth? Well, they came in the form of my brand new stepbrother and his little cohort of entitled, arrogant best friends. Four dangerously handsome and stupidly wealthy men who made up their minds about me long before we met. Men who are used to getting everything they want no matter what the price. I was a big girl, I could ignore them. Then came the secret society hazing. Kidnappings. Crazy parties. Insane stunts. Mindblowing prizes. Even so, I could handle myself... until the secret and stolen moments with men I had no business falling for. It was enough to give a girl nightmares.