‘No Hard Feelings is clever, funny and surprisingly sweet, and Penny captured my heart’ Toni Jordan

I exist on validation from emotionally unavailable men, biscuits, and cheap wine, and it’s easier to get off with Max than a Tiny Teddy.

Penny can’t help but compare herself to her friends. Annie is about to become a senior associate at her law firm, Bec has just got engaged, Leo is dating everyone this side of the Yarra, and Penny is just … waiting. Waiting for Max, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, to allow her to spend the night, waiting for the promotion she was promised, waiting for her Valium to kick in. Waiting for her real life to start.

Out of excuses and sick of falling behind, Penny is determined to turn things around. She’s going to make it work with Max, impress her tyrannical boss, quit seeing her useless therapist, remember to water her plants, and stop having panic attacks in the work toilets.

But soon she’s back to doomscrolling on Instagram, necking bottles of Aldi’s finest sauvignon blanc, and criticising herself with renewed vigour and loathing. As her goals seem further away than ever, she has to wonder: when bad habits feel so good, how do you trust what’s right for you?

Praise for No Hard Feelings:

‘Genevieve Novak will inevitably be compared to other authors, but the truth is, she is herself and herself alone – and that’s a good thing. Funny, biting, vulnerable and unflinching, Novak’s novel is like an ocean dip: a bit salty, very refreshing.’ Lauren Sams

‘Scaldingly funny and bitingly real, No Hard Feelings deserves a warning label: danger, may induce binge reading. With her sly wit, Genevieve Novak’s debut demonstrates a brilliant eye for observing the little things in life, which together can be the biggest things of all.’ Tori Haschka, author of Grace Under Pressure

‘No Hard Feelings is a gratifying, warm and funny debut‘ Books+Publishing

‘Novak has perfectly captured the self-doubt and total horror of having to be happy and functional in your twenties. It would have you crying into your chipped manicure if it wasn’t so darn funny.’ Kimberley Allsopp, author of Love and Other Puzzles

From larger-than-life adventures to vivid and poignant tales of the imagination, Highways and Byways is a collection of stories taking readers on an enthralling tour (complete with the odd detour) through the raucous, well-lived life of one of this country’s most successful and beloved artists.

Told with Jimmy’s signature verve and flair, and richly coloured by his distinctive voice and wit, Highways and Byways sees him sharing a 1970s Texas stage with a dream line-up of US musicians; flirting with disaster in a Hawaiian high-rise; discovering a life-changing cassette tape; unearthing shattering family secrets in Glasgow; encountering charismatic and not-so-endearing superstars, ghosts of the recent and distant past, superfan traffic cops and shady salesmen; and confronting his own mortality – while pondering the more amusing effects of hospital medication.

Charming, personal and poignant, Highways and Byways is a collection that celebrates Jimmy’s Scottish heritage, family, friends, music and the adventure of a grand life.