cover image Get It Together, Delilah

Get It Together, Delilah

Erin Gough. Chronicle, $16.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-4521-5187-8

Year 11 has not been kind to Australian teenager Delilah Green. Jilted by popular student Georgina, Delilah becomes the target of near-constant harassment. With her mother away with her new boyfriend, and her father off trying to find himself, Delilah is left to fend for herself. Avoiding school and dodging a persistent teacher, Delilah focuses on saving the failing family cafe with the help of her fickle-hearted friend Charlie and her not-so-secret crush, Rosa. Cynical and strong-willed, Delilah knows who she is and what she wants. It’s her frustration with less self-aware people around her that creates the majority of the conflict in Gough’s debut novel, originally published in Australia. Delilah’s interactions and conflicts with her family and friends feel deeply real, but the romance between Delilah and Rosa is disappointingly shallow. Delilah’s openness about her sexuality and Rosa’s fear of coming out is addressed candidly and thoughtfully, but the characters lack meaningful chemistry. It’s Delilah’s complex relationships that give the story its depth. Ages 14–up. (Apr.)