Novel Feelings
Episodes
December book club: Alone With You in the Ether (S4E6)
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Two people meet in the Art Institute by chance. Prior to their encounter, he is a doctoral student who manages his destructive thoughts with compulsiv...
October book club: Freshwater (S4E5)
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our latest book club discussion is about Freshwater, a semi-autobiographical novel by Nigerian writer, Akwaeke Emezi. We talk about multiplicity and t...
Jodi McAlister on An Academic Affair | Author Interview
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Romance author and academic Dr Jodi McAlister shares her insights on her latest release, an Academic Affair. Meet academic rivals Sadie and Jonah; whe...
July Book Club: I Want to Die, But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki (S4E4)
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Recording her dialogues with her psychiatrist, and expanding on each session with her own reflective micro-essays, Baek begins to disentangle the feed...
Neal Shusterman explores All Better Now and a virus of happiness | Author interview
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We sit down with Neal Shusterman to discuss his latest Young Adult novel, All Better Now, which speculates on what could happen if there was another p...
Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist talk The Glass House
25 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a fascinating interview with Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion, authors of the Menzies Mental Health series – i.e. The Glass House and The O...
May book club: Get a Life, Chloe Brown (S4E3)
11 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with six directi...
March Book Club: Hospital (S4E2)
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A daring literary account of a young woman’s experience of psychosis by Bengali-Australian writer Sanya Rushdi.This March, our book club discussion ...
Tara Calaby on spiritualism, representation, and grief l Author interview
23 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tara Calaby joins us on today's episode to discuss her latest novel, The Spirit Circle: a speculative historical fiction on the intersection of spirit...
Growing out of Y.A. Fiction
02 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we get on the mic to discuss an unexpected identity crisis: we seem to be growing out of Young Adult (YA) fiction. We try to define what ex...
Book club: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (4.1)
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, wher...
We're diversifying your bookshelf in our 2025 book club
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You are invited to join Novel Feelings' 2025 Book Club (a.k.a. season 4!) in collaboration with Amplify Bookstore. Tune in to learn about how the book...
50th episode spectacular
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're celebrating our 50th podcast episode! Join us for a retrospective into the inception of Novel Feelings, as we celebrate what we've ac...
Danielle Binks on writing middle grade, school refusal, and the power of sad stories | Author interview
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We were thrilled to sit down with Danielle Binks to talk all about her latest novel, Six Summers of Tash and Leopold: a big, hopeful, coming-of-age mi...
Nina Kenwood on life stability, 30s anxieties, and wedding drama | Author interview
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this interview, we welcome author Nina Kenwood back to the show, where we will be discussing her new book - and her first book for adults - The Wed...
Emma Lord talks grief, trauma, and the apocalypse l Author interview
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Priscilla and Elise sit down with Emma Lord to discuss her debut novel, Anomaly. The novel follows teenager Piper Manning, who wakes up after an apoca...
Alice Robinson: grief, parenting and an uncertain future | Author interview
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Author Alice Robinson joins Elise and Priscilla for an insightful interview about her new release, If You Go. The novel follows protagonist Esther, wh...
Ariane Beeston explores mental illness and motherhood | Author interview
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Elise and Priscilla chat to author Ariane Beeston on her memoir, Because I'm Not Myself, You See, which traces her experience with motherhood and ment...
Interview with Sarah Sasson
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Priscilla interviews clinician-author Dr Sarah Sasson about the newly released Tidelines, a tender coming-of-age novel about growing ...
Interview with Sara Shepard
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody said fifth grade was going to be easy, and Penny Lowry has a million questions going through her mind all the time. The Penny Draws series by S...
3.6. Girl in Pieces | Self-harm, PTSD, & Recovery
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you pick up the pieces after life has served you enough trauma for a lifetime?Charlotte, aged 17, is trying to recover in a world that owes her...
Interview with Megan Williams
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Life is pretty good for sixteen-year-old Abby. When new girl Chloe arrives, Abby is pleased to be the one to show her around, to welcome her to ...
3.5 My Year of Rest and Relaxation | Depression, self-medication, & avoidance
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is it possible to hibernate your problems away?Our main character - privileged, vain, and traumatised - chooses to sleep for a year to take a break fr...
Interview with Robyn Dennison
31 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Dale stumbles into a bedroom at a party and sees a drunk girl being undressed by a group of guys, he backs away and runs. He’s pretty drunk him...
3.4 Challenger Deep review | Schizophrenia, medication, & group therapy
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you come back from the depths of your own mind? Neal Shusterman is one of our favourite authors, so it was a no brainer for us to dive into a b...
Interview with Margo Candela
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Three sisters. Three sisters. Three vastly different lives. A maelstrom of family secrets.The Neapolitan Sisters is riotous, provocative tale of famil...
Interview with Ashley Kalagian Blunt
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When our whole lives are online, how can we keep things private... and safe? Dark Mode delves into the terrifying reality of the dark web, and th...
3.3 Queenie review | Trauma, racism, and consent
28 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are plenty of dates in this story, but Queenie is not about romance.Queenie Jenkins navigates life after a long-term relationship break-up. The ...
Interview with Elfy Scott
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If we don't talk about complex mental health conditions, how can we expect things to change? Journalist, presenter, and producer Elfy Scott joins us t...
Interview with Anne Buist
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our latest author interview, we talk with Anne Buist, author and psychiatrist. Anne recently published the fourth novel in the Natalie King Series,...
Interview with Allayne L. Webster
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this special interview, we chat with Allayne L. Webster, who recently published her tenth novel, Selfie. In Selfie, we meet year 8 student Tully, w...
3.2 Tiger Daughter | Domestic abuse, suicide and grief | ft. Interview with Rebecca Lim
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last episode was prompted by Elise's recommendation. This time, it's Priscilla's. Tiger Daughter tells the story of Wen and Henry, and what happens wh...
Interview with Dr Jac den Houting
05 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everything we know about autism is wrong... or is it? In this special interview, we chat with Dr Jac den Houting, research psychologist and Autistic a...
3.1 I'm Glad My Mom Died | Family trauma and disordered eating
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're baaaaack! To kick off Season 3, we're covering the very hyped memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. We discuss Jennette's experience ...
We want YOU to join us in Season 3!
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are thrilled to announce that a new season will launch on January 7, 2023.And we're mixing things up! Listeners will have the opportunity to read a...
Interview with Nina Kenwood
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this special interview, we chat to author Nina Kenwood, who has been working in books and publishing for over a decade. Her first novel, It Sounded...
Interview with Miranda Luby
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this special podcast episode, we chat to the author of Sadie Starr's Guide to Starting Over: Miranda Luby, award-winning author, freelance journali...
Interview with Graeme Simsion
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this special interview, we chat to Graeme Simsion, the internationally bestselling author of The Rosie Project trilogy, The Best of Adam Sharp, The...
Our favourite reads of 2021
30 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Well, 2021 has certainly been a year. We're still on hiatus, but popping up to say 'hey, we read some cool books this year!' In this special bonus epi...
Season 2 Wrap & Announcement
30 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the last episode of Season 2. We had such a wonderful time putting this season together. In this episode, we reflect on the process of reco...
2.8 A Monster Calls | Anticipatory grief
16 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean when a monster shows up at your window? For our final review episode of Season 2, we discuss A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness with sp...
Interview with Kay Kerr
03 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, we chat to Kay Kerr, author of Please Don't Hug Me and the newly released Social Queue. Topics include: autism representation...
2.7 Darius the Great is Not Okay | Depression and connection
18 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What can you do when you feel disconnected from your family, and your culture? Darius is a 'fractional Persian', and speaks better Klingon than Farsi....
2.6 You Should See Me In a Crown | Anxiety, friendships, and Black joy
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Would you run for prom king/queen? There is nothing Liz Lightly would like less, but she's willing to do whatever it takes to win a scholarship, even ...
2.5 Picture Us in the Light | Family, identity and survivor guilt
21 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How much do you really know about your parents? In Kelly Loy Gilbert's Picture Us in the Light, Danny Cheng grapples with the mysteries of his family'...
2.4 A Duke by Default | ADHD
07 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Portia Hobbs, 'perpetual hot mess', meets Tavish McKenzie, gruff Scottish swordsman. Sparks fly, and self-discoveries abound. We discuss the book's po...
2.3 Cry Blue Murder | Collective trauma
24 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How can you stay safe when there's a serial killer on the loose? Can you be best friends with someone you met online? Cry Blue Murder tells the story ...
2.2. It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake - Self-esteem and body image
10 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What would life look like if you only focused on the things that bring you pleasure? Noni Blake is about to find out. This episode, we are joined by S...
2.1 Thirteen Reasons Why | Bullying, depression and suicide
26 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
CW: suicide. Welcome to Season 2 of Novel Feelings! We're kicking things off with Thirteen Reasons Why, in all its controversy. We talk about the book...
Novel Tropes 3: Bad therapy
29 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This final episode of Novel Tropes (for now) focuses on a trope we're passionate about - passionately against, that is. Yep - it's bad therapy. From t...
Novel Tropes 2: Violence and mental health issues
24 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our second entry in Novel Tropes, our mini-series, focuses on the 'people with mental health issues are violent' trope. Elise puts on her researcher h...
Novel Tropes 1: Commitment issues (ft. Bridgerton rants!)
27 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing our new mini-series: Novel Tropes is all about taking a closer look at tropes involving mental health issues in fiction. This episode, we ...
Bonus review: A Court of Silver Flames | Trauma, rage and healing
06 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do you help some who seems determined to push you away? Join Elise for a bonus (solo) review of A Court of Silver Flames, the latest book by Sarah...
Interview with Wai Chim
20 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This month, we welcome a very special guest! We chat to author Wai Chim about her book, The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling. Topics include: writi...
How to set (and smash) reading goals
23 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We are kicking off the year with a bonus episode all about getting back into reading, setting goals, and smashing them. We discuss a bunch of differen...
Our favourite reads of 2020 & Season 1 Wrap
26 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're pretty keen to say goodbye to 2020, but before that happens, we wanted to spend some quality time rambling about other books - not just those th...
1.6 Fight Club | Dissociative identity disorder and insomnia
19 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's our Season 1 finale and, guess what? We break the first rule of Fight Club! (yes, that is a very new, unique joke). Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniu...
1.5 Small Spaces | Trauma, gaslighting and bad therapy
12 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What if the things you remember never happened? More importantly, what if no one believes your version of events? We discuss Small Spaces by Sarah Eps...
1.4 The Kiss Quotient | Autism, anxiety and romance
05 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Can you practice romance? Stella thinks so. In this episode, we talk about The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang. It tells the story of Stella, an econome...
1.3 A Court of Mist and Fury | PTSD in a fantasy setting
28 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Even faeries experience trauma. This episode is all about the novel A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J. Maas. ACOMAF explores what happens after a b...
1.2 The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling | Family, culture and psychosis
21 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Just as there is power in a good dumpling, there is power in good representation. Today we're reviewing The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling, by Wa...
1.1 Turtles All the Way Down | OCD and anxiety
14 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's our debut review episode! In the words of Aza Holmes: the problem isn't losing your mind; it's that it's inescapable. In this episode, we cover J...
Intro: what is Novel Feelings? | Meet Priscilla and Elise
14 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Novel Feelings! In this quick episode, we introduce ourselves, talk about how Novel Feelings was born, and give you an idea of what to expe...
Novel Feelings Trailer
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Novel Feelings is a podcast where two psychologists and book nerds discuss representations of mental health issues in fiction, one novel at a time. Se...