Just So Stories

Hachette Australia

9780734424501|July 2026|RRP $19.99

Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books

I confess that I can be a bit of a sucker for a good rom-com and this new YA romance from Zanni ticked all the right boxes for me because it was not only a sweet romance but had serious moments as well as some vicarious London sightseeing, art references and miniatures (about which I am quite dotty at times).

Stevie Jones has never been much of an adventurer nor has she been a social butterfly. She’s certainly never excelled in any particular direction. Instead, she’s been perfectly comfortable as the sidekick for her much-loved and far more outgoing and talented friend, Bella.

When Bella tragically is killed in a car accident, Stevie is completely distraught and at a loss for direction but makes up her mind to tick off Bella’s post-school bucket list. London and visiting Bella’s most-desired sights and places becomes Stevie’s new passion. But it’s not that alone.

Since she was 12 Bella has grown a business called Miniature Worlds – creating tiny scenes captured in glass containers and since almost the beginning she has corresponded with one of her customers – a guy from London, Theodore. Stevie can’t bring herself to let Theodore know that Bella is dead in an email. She truly believes that they had a long-distance love match that would have eventuated in reality had Bella gone to London.

What Stevie finds when she takes herself to London to break the news to Theodore and tick off those sightseeing musts, is an utterly captivating romance for herself. It doesn’t come without guilt and complications though, and Stevie’s foray into independent travel, discovering her own gifts and realising that grief can be both despairing but also a way of moving forward makes for a completely engaging read.

I ate it up over two sessions and loved it. Zanni’s characters are engaging and likeable and there is just the right amount of pathos, difficulty and drama to pep up the course of true love. Stevie’s year of Bella’s Memorial looks like turning into a much longer London life and readers will clap their hands at the very thought of it (and probably want to emulate it!). It’s a delightful 5 💂💂💂💂💂from me for readers from Year 7 upwards.