[Niamh’s Reads]: Bloody Ripping Books by Aussie Authors

Niamh McGonnell-Hall sits us down for a mug of Milo with a side serving of Australian-authored books. 

Please note that these reviews contain minor spoilers. 

Hear ye, hear ye. I come bearing even more reading recs for all you bibliophiles. For this issue, I will be leaving the phallic fantasies behind (partly) and giving you some Aussie recommendations to go with your healthy helping of pavlova. 

The Hating Game - Sally Thorne    🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰/5

Now, I know I mentioned this last issue, but I couldn’t not include this Aussie-authorised rom-com powerhouse. The ultimate corporate enemies to lovers in a PUBLISHING HOUSE. Vying for the same job, a harsh mishmash of two amalgamated publishing houses and a whole lot of tension. It almost works as well as passionfruit on pavlova. 

My favourite thing about this book is the character growth. Not necessarily how much the characters grow, but how Thorne slowly puts more and more about them on the page. An expertly woven plot ties this whole novel together with a pretty red bow. And the revelations- UGH (I KNEW those roses were from Josh fucking Templeman right when I read it, Sally!)

For me, it's a must-read. A little spritz of love-hate and then a major motion picture adaptation to watch when you've finished. 

Angelika Frankenstein Makes her Match - Sally Thorne   🍰🍰🍰🍰/5

I’m on a Sally Thorne blitz, but with good reason. This quirky, Frankenstein retelling was written by Thorne during the COVID-19 lockdown. She has brewed up a historical romance fantasy, exuding gothic Wednesday Adams vibes. I loved it so much that it sent me into a gothic spree, and I think I wore black for a week straight (which was not uncommon during my formative emo years). 

Think of the candle-lit mansion laboratory of Viktor Frankenstein, and add a snarky redhead who has the audacity to wear pants, pick out her favourite man from the local morgue and embark on a Sherlock and Watson investigation. I found myself seeing immediate flaws in our protagonist, Angelika, which made me like her even more. It made her growth and her acts of compassion all the more meaningful. It was a delight to watch her grow as a character and push those around her to be better, including her wild, almost jockish brother.  

As much as she twisted the Frankenstein narrative, Throne kept much-loved elements of Mary Shelley’s original text. Viktor Frankenstein did make his creature, which, like the original text, ran off into the woods somewhere, only to reappear with a vengeance. But, with a twist that I shall let you readers discover for yourselves. 

I love leaving little inside jokes in my articles, so if anyone has seen the 1974 movie Young Frankenstein cue Elizabeth’s opera singing. 

An Academic Affair - Jodie McAlister  🍰🍰🍰🍰/5

Extremely relevant for those of us studying at university, or battling through the employment throes at tertiary education institutions, this dual POV academic lingo-packed romance will hit the spot. Cosily nestled between Sydney and Hobart, it exudes a familiar feel with a dose of excitement, only-in-a-romance-novel heart-stopping moments too. 

Published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Australia, this fake marriage romance comes from none other than Jodi McAlister, an MQ alumna. What I loved most about this read was the academic footnotes dusted throughout Jonah's POV. It gave both authenticity and intrigue to the book, with many academic inside jokes, including the ever-present Norton Anthology editions that English Majors are all too familiar with. 

There is character growth with a capital G in this book, along with a whole lot of found family. McAlister has crafted her characters to be opposites, yes, because that is usually how enemies-to-lovers works (lots of disagreements), but the slow unfurling of their friendship and then their love makes for a warm hug in a book. That, and the fact that I knew they were down bad for each other long before they did! 

As we all know, it is incredibly hard to navigate a whole relationship in a small novel. McAlister humorously avoids this pitfall by recounting her two protagonists' bumpy relationship before we meet them on the page through a historical catalogue of their fights spanning their years of university together. As Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher battle against the bureaucratic University, a proper love story is formed.