‘When we spoke, I never knew what Olive would reveal to me. There were nights where she would lie next to me and pour herself out into the darkness, and others where it seemed she was hardly there at all.’Millie is in her final year at a Catholic girls’ school, subdued by the conformity of her life and her parents’ quiet pain. But when her schoolmate Olive moves in next door, it marks the beginning of an intoxicating friendship that changes everything. In all the ways Millie feels unsure and half-formed, Olive, an aspiring actor from a devoutly Catholic family, seems at ease with her place in the world. On the precipice of freedom, the two young women seize nights out and a school retreat as opportunities to further their own increasingly uncertain ends. Olive urges Millie on in her sexual encounters, but Millie is only becoming more consumed by Olive. When they’re not staying up all night talking, they’re watching each other from their bedroom windows – their selves are becoming blurred, their lives intimately mirrored.That makes it all the more excruciating when, seemingly out of nowhere, Olive cuts off all contact. For all her efforts, Millie cannot understand what’s changed between them. Has she missed something? Or was their friendship, for Olive, just another performance?An emotionally charged novel of expectation, compulsion and desire, Lead Us Not charts the unseen currents of tension and control that shape a friendship.‘Lay’s prose is as clean and assured as a writer with many more books to her name. This could have been the beginning of either a great love story or a bitter rivalry, which is exactly what kept me turning the page.’ Allee Richards'Vividly captures the irresistible obsessiveness of first (queer) love and the claustrophobic impact of internalised homophobia . . . An extremely strong debut that reveals the inner life of an adolescent in love with rare mastery and grace.' Laura Pettenuzzo, Meanjin'The intoxicating push and pull between them will be recognised by anyone who has ever been a teenage girl (or devoured a Ferrante novel) – with an added layer of sapphic yearning that’s exquisitely drawn.' Steph Harmon, The Guardian'Erotically charged . . . the push and pull between the girls rings true, and the space between desire and antagonism drives the plot forcefully onwards.' Madeleine Gray, The Saturday Paper'An insular, intoxicating narrative that will keep you absorbed until the very last page.' Ruby Grinter, Readings'A powerful rendering of psychological unease, and fast, intimate friendships that suddenly vanish . . . One of those books that leaves you stewing over your own experiences.' Erin Stewart, ArtsHub'Lay weaves a deep sense of unease and uncertainty into this atmospheric novel, shading her closely observed portrait of adolescent intimacy with keen instincts for the way power relations and performative behaviour can influence social development.' Sydney Morning Herald

A moving story about two very different sisters, and a love letter to childhood, growing up, and the power of imagination—from the bestselling author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead and Interesting Facts About Space. Sigrid hates working at the Dollar Pal but having always resisted the idea of growing up into the trappings of adulthood, she did not graduate high school, preferring to roam the streets of her small town with her best friend Greta, the only person in the world who ever understood her. Her older sister Margit is baffled and frustrated by Sigrid’s inability to conform to the expectations of polite society. But Sigrid’s detachment veils a deeper turmoil and sensitivity. She’s haunted by the pains of her past—from pretending her parents were swamp monsters when they shook the floorboards with their violent arguments to grappling with losing Greta’s friendship to the opioid epidemic ravaging their town. As Margit sets out to understand Sigrid and the secrets she has hidden, both sisters, in their own time and way, discover that reigniting their shared childhood imagination is the only way forward. What unfolds is an unforgettable story of two sisters finding their way back to each other, and a celebration of that transcendent, unshakable bond.

They thought they knew everything about us. The kind of women we were. It was a place for women. A remote farm tucked away in the Kent Downs. A safe space. When Iris - newly single and living at home with her mother - meets the mysterious and beguiling Hazel, who lives in a women's commune, she finds herself drawn into the possibility of a new start away from the world of men who have only let her down. Here, at Breach House, the women can be loud and dirty, live and eat abundantly, all while under the leadership of their gargantuan matriarch, Blythe. But even among the women, there are power struggles, cruelty and transgressions that threaten their precarious way of life. When a group of men arrives on the farm, the commune's existence is thrown into question, hurtling Iris and the other women towards an act of devastating violence. Fierce and unapologetic, Spoilt Creatures is an intoxicating debut about transgression, sisterhood and the seductive nature of obsession. It pulls back the skin of patriarchal violence and examines the female rage that lurks beneath.

Sometimes friends hold you together.Sometimes they’re why you’re falling apart.Maggie, Harley and Róise are friends on the of triumph, catastrophe, or maybe just finally growing up. Their crumbling Belfast houseshare has been witness to their roaring twenties, filled with questionable one-night stands and ruthless hangovers. But now fault-lines are beginning to show.The three girls are still grieving the tragic death of their friend, Lydia, whose room remains untouched. Their last big fight hangs heavy over their heads, unspoken since the accident. And now they are all beginning to unravel.Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'Hare is a blazing, bittersweet, bitingly funny, and painfully relatable story about the friendships that endure through the very best and the very worst of times.

The house breathes. The house contains bodies and secrets. The house is visited by ghosts, by angels that line the roof like insects, and by saints that burn the bedsheets with their haloes. It was built by a small-time hustler as a means of controlling his wife, and even after so many years, their daughter and her granddaughter can’t leave. They may be witches or they may just be angry, but when the mysterious disappearance of a young boy draws unwanted attention, the two isolated women, already subjects of public scorn, combine forces with the spirits that haunt them in pursuit of something that resembles justice. Layla Martínez’s eerie debut novel Woodworm is class-conscious horror that drags generations of monsters into the sun.

This cozy debut science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars Welcome to the Grand Abeona home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system to system, pampering guests across the furthest reaches of the milky way. The last word in sub-orbital luxury—and an absolute magnet for intrigue. Intrigues such Why are there love poems in the lobby inbox? How many Imperial spies are currently on board? What is the true purpose of the Problem Solver’s conference? And perhaps most pertinently— who is driving the ship? Each guest has a secret, every member of staff a universe unto themselves. At the center of these interweaving lives and interlocking mysteries stands Carl, one time stowaway, longtime manager, devoted caretaker to the hotel. It’s the love of his life and the only place he’s ever called home. But as forces beyond Carl’s comprehension converge on the Abeona, he has to face one final when is it time to let go?

Finalist for the 2025 British Fantasy Award for Best Anthology! The twinks are among us. Loving, lying, sashaying, betraying. Storming the tower of Belzarian the Sorcerer, wandering the eldritch streets of Shoggothtown, or seizing power on Bavarrón Eleven. Since the dawn of time, a cry has rung out across the stars… …I WANT THAT TWINK OBLITERATED! Featuring stories from British Fantasy Award winner James Bennett, Nebula Award winner Aliette de Bodard, GLAAD Award winner Anthony Oliveira, Adam Sass, Bailey Maybray, Brent C. Lambert, Caleb Roehrig, Charlie Winter, Christopher Caldwell, Derrick Webber, John Berkeley, Julie Danvers, Kieran Craft, Malcolm Schmitz, Rien Gray, William C. Tracy, and Ng Yi-Sheng! For too long, queer voices have been kept at the margins of pulp science fiction and fantasy. Now, seventeen brave authors take up their pens to right that wrong and push the boundaries of excess, masculinity, and good taste. Join the adventure today!