It's a Bit More Complicated Than That

SHORTLISTED: Wheelers Books Award for Young Adult Fiction, New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2026 SHORTLISTED: NZ BOOKLOVERS AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULTS 2026 STORYLINES NOTABLE BOOK AWARD 2025 WINNER: Best Unpublished Author manuscript in the Storylines Tessa Duder YA Prize 2024 'A brilliant new YA novel from a huge new talent.' The Spinoff 'An emotionally charged and beautifully written debut novel.' NZ Booklover 'Witty and readable. Hannah Marshall is a skillful writer and her double narrative keeps readers aware of things that the main characters don't know yet, which creates some really amusing situations. The suspense is skillfully maintained.' Magpies 'All the hallmarks of a winner. Good stuff for young folk, and adults too.' Linda Thompson, NZ Herald 'Very well written, definitely a good read. The relationship between the two main characters is great.' Lisa Finucane, RNZ 'The friendship between the two characters is also the glue of the novel as they try to put the pieces back together. This is far from smooth and a difficult journey, making it an engaging read. So good to have a real-life teen novel amongst the plethora of fantasy. Something real life readers can get their teeth into.' What Book Next? 'Written with a good dose of humour, the novel explores relationships, love, grief, addiction, forgiveness and coming of age.' Heidi North NZ Herald Zelle has moved back to the town she left three years ago after a tragedy shattered her life and also her friendship with Callum. Now their lives are about to get a whole lot more complicated. Zelle is in denial about her alcohol use that threatens to spiral out of control, and she's deeply annoyed at having to leave the city. Callum's future is thrown into jeopardy after both a disastrous uni interview and his budding romance turning sour. But they can't keep running from the past forever, and circumstances force them to examine their grief and guilt and find a way through. With beautifully assured story-telling, this is an emotionally tense page turner that leaves you on the edge of your seat.