Three compelling new novels offer fresh perspectives on modern relationships, exploring the complex dynamics of family, friendship, and partnership in contemporary society. Each book presents a unique take on how people navigate emotional connections, secrets, and the passage of time.
Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray
Following her hilarious 2024 debut Green Dot, Australian author Madeleine Gray returns with Chosen Family, a wise and moving exploration of friendship evolving into something deeper. The novel centres on best friends Eve and Nell, who first connected at an all-girls school where neither felt they truly belonged.
The narrative skillfully moves between different periods in their lives, tracing their journey from school days through university and into adulthood. After a period of separation, Eve and Nell reunite and make the significant decision to have a baby together, intending to co-parent as friends.
However, the story reveals the complex emotional landscape that develops between them, with unspoken tensions gradually building as they navigate their new roles. Gray demonstrates particular insight into how long-term friendships can transform into family relationships, creating bonds that are both chosen and deeply meaningful.
You & Me and You & Me and You & Me by Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees
This inventive novel presents a fascinating exploration of marriage and nostalgia through the story of Adam and Jules, a couple approaching their twenty-fifth anniversary who have lost the spark in their relationship. Their daily routine involves vegetating on separate sofas with minimal intimacy, creating a portrait of marital stagnation that many readers will recognise.
The narrative takes an unexpected turn when an encounter with an old friend's lavish lifestyle triggers a significant argument between the couple. Seeking solace in his shed, Adam discovers an old mix tape from 1989 - the year he and Jules first met - and finds himself unexpectedly transported back in time to his teenage self.
When Jules experiences the same phenomenon, the couple establish rules about not interfering with past events, but soon find themselves breaking their own agreements. The time-travel device serves as a clever mechanism for exploring how revisiting shared history can reshape understanding of present relationships.
Like Family by Erin White
Set against the picturesque backdrop of Radclyffe, a small town in New York's Hudson Valley, Like Family presents a sweeping saga about parenthood, partnership, and the secrets people keep within seemingly close relationships. The novel follows three couples - Caroline and Mike, Ruth and Wyn, and Evie and Tobi - who are neighbours and friends raising young children together.
Despite their apparent closeness and shared experiences of long-term marriage, each character harbours significant secrets from either their partner or the wider group. The narrative builds tension as these hidden aspects of their lives gradually surface, particularly following a death in their rural community that forces long-buried resentments into the open.
White demonstrates remarkable skill in portraying family dynamics and creating characters that feel authentically real. The novel offers an enjoyable yet thoughtful exploration of modern family life, examining how relationships evolve and what happens when carefully maintained facades begin to crack under pressure.
Together, these three novels provide rich, nuanced perspectives on contemporary relationships, offering readers both entertainment and insight into the complex ways people form connections, navigate challenges, and redefine what family means in the modern world.
