I was very excited when I heard Libby Iriks was publishing a novel. Libby has been quiet for the past few years, but I recall enjoying her novella, The Game of Love, five years ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I heard her new book featured a woman with social anxiety, I knew I had to read it. Having ADD and social anxiety myself, I find reading books about characters who struggle with the same issues I do, seeing how they face the big and small of everyday life and navigate their challenges, can make me feel less ‘odd’ and alone in my struggles.

Beth was immediately relatable as she sat in the lunchroom at work with no one to talk to, wondering what it was about her that seemed to put people off wanting to get to know her, while at the same time shying away from letting anyone in, still hoping one person would make an effort to connect, pretending at the same time she’s content on her own.

“She often sat in the lunchroom when it was full of people but still managed to feel utterly alone”

When Beth arrives in Karlup in WA from Townsville QLD, a place she feels she’s finally made a life for herself, after receiving a call about an inheritance she knew nothing of, by an aunt she knew nothing of, she doesn’t expect the connections she makes with the locals to flip her life on its head and make her reconsider her future as well as take look at her past and what she had been led to believe by her nomadic mother.

Libby Iriks has done a great job of bringing Beth to life with all her quirks and hangups, and her at times, self-sabotaging decisions (I know all about these). I really enjoyed spending time with Beth as she navigated her way around, finding family and making friends who really ‘got’ who she was and loved her for exactly those reasons. And I felt for her as she battled to believe they really wanted her to stay, as she struggled to let go of her Townsville ‘dream’ and make new dreams. I also sympathised with her as she uncovered things about her mother that led her to realise she was neurodivergent. I empathised with her struggle to understand her new discovery and what it might mean going forward, and her belief that with this news, she would be too much for Noah and her new friends. I’ve been on her journey, am still on her journey, and though part of me wanted to shake her and say “don’t be silly”, I knew how she felt.

The cast of characters who open their hearts and lives to Beth are wonderfully varied, and I took pleasure in getting to know them and how they embraced Beth from the get-go. I enjoyed discovering the connections to her past and Flo’s connection to her unknown aunt, even as Beth struggled to come to terms with all this new information.

Noah was a great character (almost too good to be true, where can I find me a Noah?), I loved how patient he was with Beth and how he was willing to say how he felt, giving her space to work out her feelings and also being there for her, not just with the renovations to her house, but with everything. She just needed to learn to let him in.

“Karlup is a Noongar word that comes from the word ‘karl’ which means ‘fireplace’ or ‘hearth’ and the hearth was always considered the heart of the home. So, Karlup as a place name means ‘heart country'”.

Another important addition to this story was the inclusion of Aboriginal characters, especially Marge, and also a small piece of Aboriginal culture. I loved that Beth and Marge connected over their mutual connection to the land and animals around them, and each had an understanding of the other through this. The addition of the ceremony for Marge’s grandchild was so meaningful for me to read about, and for Beth to experience.

The land is an important part of the story, and Noah and Beth also find connection and understanding for each other through the land.

This was an enjoyable read, and whether or not you struggle with social anxiety, being neurodivergent or just not feeling like you fit in, I recommend you give this a shot. A story of discovering your place and embracing who you are.

4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

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Publish date 25th November 2025

About the book

A heartfelt small-town romance exploring themes of belonging, social anxiety and neurodivergence from a delightful new Australian voice. Perfect for readers of Rachael Johns and Mandy Magro.

She’s in town to claim an inheritance – but will she be strong enough to claim her future?

Beth dreams of putting down roots and finding a place to belong, and with a steady job in Townsville, she’s on her way to achieving that dream. But when the cute little cottage she’s rented for the past four years is put on the market, the stability she’s always craved is threatened.

News of a life-changing inheritance takes her across the country to a small town in Western Australia, where she discovers that the rundown old house her aunt left her might just be her saving grace. With plans to sell it so she can buy her beloved cottage, she hires Noah, a farmer-slash-wannabe-renovator, to help fix it up. But thanks to her self-preserving tendencies, she’s otherwise determined to keep her distance from everyone in town.

Despite her best efforts, Beth starts to form meaningful connections, and in Noah, she discovers a man who sees beyond her awkward shyness to the woman she is on the inside. Then, just as she finally feels at home in Karlup, she uncovers a shocking family truth that unravels her sense of identify and forces her to re-evaluate her biggest dreams and deepest desires.