I added this to my list after seeing it on a few Australian bookstagrammers’ feeds and I was delighted when, earlier this year, someone in marketing sent me a PDF to order some proofs. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: getting free books – but not actually having to read said books unless I want to – is the best part of my job.

Love & Virtue is about Michaela, a first-year student at a prestigious university in Sydney, and her friend Eve, who’s wealthy, opinionated and oblivious in that way only rich people can be. Diana Reid is the kind of writer I like best: her writing was sharp and subtle and full of such wonderful character observations. Eve in particular was a thrill to read. I loved the parts of this book that were just about friendship and academia and settling into university life; the discussions the characters had about politics and ethics felt so real and natural, and like discussions I’ve had with family and friends. Reading this really just cemented how much I love slice-of-life books, the kind that are just about ordinary people doing ordinary things, because it was when this book got a bit plotty that I started to enjoy it less. Discussing these elements involves divulging spoilers, but I wasn’t convinced that certain plot points were set up early enough, which made me notice some gaps in the story, which made me feel like Love & Virtue was two different books merged (less than cohesively) into one. But this was a minor complaint amidst all the good stuff and didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this great book. Diana Reid is a fantastic writer and I really hope she continues to be published over here.