An Observer Best Debut Novelist 2026

‘An electric portrait of teenage friendship and fandom, bubbling with rage and yearning . . . empathetic, addictive and feverish as a Nirvana gig’

Guardian

‘I loved this book . . . raw, grungy and frenetic’

Alice Slater, author of Let the Bad Times Roll

‘Part Virgin Suicides, part Veronica Mars’

Louise Hegarty, author of Fair Play

‘Effervescently paced and outrageously funny . . . jaw-dropping’

Luke Kennard, author of The Transition

‘I was totally absorbed . . . amazing and unlike anything else’

Saraid de Silva, author of Amma

The Bastards aren’t afraid of anything.

It’s the mid-nineties, and in the small, shitty coastal town of Vincent, four girls – each hailing from single-mother, multi-sibling families, form a band: The Bastards. Friends since they were children, they consider themselves ‘forgettable girls’ – distracted, disillusioned, and desperate to escape the fates of their mothers.

Winning the Battle of the Bands is their ticket out – they might not have talent, but they can play three chords and scream until their vocal folds burst out of their throats – and nobody wants it more than them.

But when lead singer Lily Lucid quits, and accuses their idolized music teacher of sexual assault, the three remaining girls are left with nothing. They’ll do anything to keep their dream alive, even if it means sacrificing school, Lily and their mothers. But how far out of control can they spin before there’s no turning back?