In her eagerly awaited follow-up to her debut YA novel Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal – which was shortlisted for the 2021 Children’s Book Council of Australia ‘Book of the Year’ Award – Anna Whateley has delivered an insightful, sincere and stirring representation of young women searching for belonging, love and friendship in a chaotic world.

Tearing Myself Together follows Hilzy, a Year 12 student navigating an invisible illness, fractured friendships and financial strain, as she struggles to hold her life together. As she reconnects with love and confronts past betrayals, she must redefine identity, trust and resilience in a world that rarely accommodates the whole person and lives that don’t fit expectations.

Anna Whateley holds a PhD in Young Adult fiction and has worked extensively in literature and education. She has contributed to numerous anthologies on disability and autism, and this launches from the page with genuine frankness.

While written for a YA audience, Tearing Myself Together reaches far beyond those restraints. Its comedy, empathy and heart will resonate deeply with readers in their 20s and 30s who could well recognise fragments of their own lives in Whateley’s sharply crafted characters.

It is candid, raw and will tug on the heart like few other novels. Gorgeous; in every sense of the word.

Reviewed by Samuel Bernard
Age Guide 13+

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anna lives in Meanjin on Turrbul and Yuggera land. She has always worked in literature and education and holds a PhD in young adult fiction. As an author, Anna writes young adult fiction and has contributed to multiple anthologies on disability and autism.

Read more about Anna Whateley’s work here.

Follow Anna Whateley on Instagram here.

Visit the publisher’s website here.