It’s a Bit More Complicated Than That by Hannah Marshall

Can a broken friendship ever be fixed? When Zelle returns to her hometown after three years away, she and her former best friend Callum are forced to confront the tragedy that tore their friendship apart. But both are struggling - Zelle is in denial about her escalating alcohol use and Callum is facing the fallout from a disastrous university interview and a failed romance. However, as circumstances push them into each other’s lives again, they realise they can’t keep running from their grief and guilt.

It’s a Bit More Complicated Than That is an emotionally charged and beautifully written debut novel. Told in alternating chapters from both Zelle and Callum’s perspectives, this YA novel is a raw exploration of friendship, loss and the process of healing. The characters aren’t perfect; they’re messy and relatable, so you feel their struggles and hopes on every page. Themes of friendship, love, grief, addiction and coming-of-age pressures are woven seamlessly throughout, with representation of LGBTQI+ experiences adding further depth.

Hannah Marshall has an MA in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. She won the Best Unpublished Author category in the Storylines Tessa Duder YA Award 2024. This is her first novel.

Reviewer: Andrea Molloy

Allen & Unwin