Golden

by Jade Timms

A life-affirming, upbeat story about friendship, loss, first love, what it is to be an artist, and life in an idyllic Australian beach town-from an exciting new YA voice.

I play around with the colours for a few minutes, mixing them with the white. The colours I end up with aren't perfect, but they'll do. I don't know why I like pastel colours so much. My life would be easier if I could get into dark colours, but what can I say? My heart is made of pastel confetti.

Golden is a warm-hearted optimistic story about friends and friendship and art and beauty-and the power of letting yourself be loved...

When you work in the juice bar of your small coastal town.

When your twin brother is the fun one with all the friends.

When something happened a year ago that you can't talk about, but everything makes you remember it.
When it might have been all your fault.

When going to the beach, to that beach, takes all the air out of your lungs.

When you're training for the town's annual Mud Run that you're not even sure you want to enter.

When you're drawn to colours and pencils and paint, but you're not an artist.

When the new guy in town, the one who makes you feel you're charged with electricity, seems to want to hang out with you.

When it comes time to let your friends back in.

Genres: Young Adult, Friendship, Contemporary, Australia, Family, Grief, Art

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2025

Reviews

[hannah!]

wow. i will be thinking about this book for a long time.

this book was amazing. gonna be honest, the first thing that drew me in was the cover. it is so stunning, and i love the simplicity and the colours!! the next thing i liked was the vague blurb. it was just the right amount of info and made me super excited to read this book, which is something i like never ever say.

as an aussie girlie, it was so refreshing to read a summer that was set in proper summer (i.e. dec-feb), because after growing up with sarah dessen/morgan matson summer stories, which i love, dont get me wrong, it felt nice to actually relate and see myself in this story.

this was definitely a five-star read because of a couple things:

- the description of the area that eddie lives. the break, and the town were described so well, i thought i was there. no joke. i fell asleep thinking i was in some beachfront nsw town, when in fact i am about 15 hrs and like 1,300 km away. it reminded me of my summer roadtrips down the coast, and that feeling in summer where you just go to the beach, run around, make new friends, and repeat it all the next day and the next day and then for like six more weeks. i crave that right now tbh. gonna be so honest, this book made me look at bikinis to buy and made me start mentally planning my summer holidays that are in another 6 months, mind you.

- i loved the music. like seeing rage against the machine on the first page? thats when you know this is quality writing. we had baker boy references, taylor swift, and like the aussie indie i grew up on. this is my comfort music, and im so glad it made its way into this novel.

- the way this dealt with grief and the symbolism of the mud run actually made me cry. even though at the start i was a bit confused because no characters were introduced, i loved how the story unraveled as i read on. the growth eddie went through was amazing, and i loved seeing her become more comfortable with her old crowd.

- also her and pat's arc did make me cry. it was so lovely to read about and i loved how they reconciled in the end and how everyone worked it all out and now they can hang out and be cool forever, right?

- i am a sucker for fun names, and howl is actually too cool! i also loved the eddie representation bc the lil girl i babysit is called eddie and its such a cutie name! as well as stevie, rads, viv, pat, and blaze. like it just sums up aussie teenagers so well, you know?

i am now off to beg someone to buy this gorgeous, gorgeous novel for me for my birthday because i want to just reread and reread and reread it again. this book might be my highlight of 2025 so far. i cant wait to see what jade timms does next!

update - i begged my friend eden and she bought it for me for my bday, so im gonna annotate it asw as reread many many times. im also working on a playlist that ties in!

reread tally - i think it’s been 13 times now?

as i read this book again and again, i find little crossovers and ideas that are mentioned at the start of the book and then towards the end that signify eddie‘s journey. the mud run, the hill, the track to the break, it all signifies her growth and it’s just another reason i love this book so much.

[Leah]

I just really love these types of quiet, quintessentially Aussie YA contemporaries. Reminds me of beach summers and lifeguarding days and surf trips with friends and the messiness and imperfection that was growing up, before life stomped me into the ground. This was beautiful and sad and filled with nostalgia and I just loved it so much.

[Rebecca]

Three years after the tragedy that changed Edwina’s family, she living with purpose and intention.

Eats clean, exercises, crafts, cares for those around her and spends her summer working a part-time job at the local juice bar. But she hardened her heart, not even her twin brother can connect with her, let alone school friends and peers.

The local mud run and summer in a small coastal town provide the setting of Edwina’s reckoning.

A stunning #LoveOzYA coming-of-age novel with characters you’ll miss after putting the book down.

[K.]

Content warnings: death of a loved one (in the past), grief, mental health, shitty parenting, drowning

This was kind of a slow burn for me. Like, I wasn't DISLIKING the story, not by a long shot. But I kind of struggled with it. And then somehow, it crept up on me and I ended up crying my way through the last 50-odd pages. It's a beautiful depiction of grief, and while there were elements of the romantic subplot that didn't really work for me, I'm ultimately extremely glad I read it.

[Trisha]

Terrific narrative voice. Lots of messy complicated relationships to sort through.

[Clare Snow]

"I don't know how to fix it, and maybe I can't. Maybe something in me is broken forever."

[Uolota Manuofetoa]

This book caught my eye at our local thrift store. The cover also caught my attention, the beautiful colours, the sunset/ sunrise. The people on the car made me want to read the book even more.

I didn’t know anything about the book, so when I first started it and realised that it was an Australian author it made me excited. Being from the same place in the book (the goldcoast) it was cool knowing all these little niche references the author was making.

I really enjoyed this book, I’m happy that this was my first book for 2026. It showed moments of love, grief, determination, despair, and uncomfortable feelings. I was hooked from the beginning the way the story unfolds made me very entertained, learning the back story, confronting difficult situations and finding herself made me relate to her on a deeper level. Overall the book was amazing I really loved the settings, character and plot.

CHARACTER TALK (spoilers)

Eddie: miss girl you did make me mad throughout the story a little, like just open up but I’m glad you finally did, I’m happy you got back with howl, I’m happy you fixed your relationship with pat, I’m happy you were able to come to terms with Jackson passing, I’m happy how you respect viv wishes and she’s know that you love her, I’m happy that you could finally talk to your dad again, I’m happy that you are building a relationship with your mum, I’m happy that you reconnected with hazel, I’m happy you made a new good friend Jose, I’m happy that you were able to upgrade your friendship George, I’m happy that you made lots of new friends and I’m happy that you were able to complete the mud run. Also why did you have so much nicknames like ed, Edwin, Eddie like how could one person have so much made me confused at first 😂.

Pat: his character confused me at first like he was always so “rude” to Eddie but then realising he was doing that because he thought Eddie was mad at him made me feel bad for him. I really enjoyed his goofy side and serious side. I loved it when he finally opened up to Eddie made me tear up a little.

Dad: I wished Eddie wasn’t so hard on her dad, he always wanted to be there for her but she made it difficult. I’m happy that they were able to reconnect again.

Vivian: had a soft spot for her with what she went through I would be the same I love how Eddie and her kept their relationship strong even when Jackson died and how viv didn’t blame Eddie for his death just really showed how deep their connection was.

Joss: loved her from the start, I knew Eddie and her was gonna be good friends from the start, it was funny how reluctant Eddie was to joss but slowly lowered her walls towards her.

George: kinda annoyed me from time to time but was happy when Eddie and her stopped fighting and how Eddie actually wanted to be best friends instead of surface level friends.

Howl: such a cutie pie his love for Eddie was so sweet he always listened to her and allowed her to feel seen and loved was sad when they had a break but so happy when they got back together.

[Ruby Blacka]

Wow I loved this! Could not put it down, was so captivating. The sense of place was really cool and I loved the balance of exploring serious stuff but without being too heavy.

[Ruby Pike]

Wayyy better than I thought it was going to be, very thoroughly enjoyed it

[Kate]

CBCA shortlist - I loved it. I didn't want to put this one down, it's a very easy read. I loved the characters & it made me cry.

[Anna Davidson]

A heartwarming coming of age story about family, friendship and navigating grief. Beautiful exploration of first relationships and intimacy in a non-graphic way.

[Text Publishing]

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing, publisher of Golden:

‘A deeply moving tribute to the power of friendships and sibling relationships. Heartbreaking and heart healing—and it's funny, too. What a gem of a book!’
Miranda Luby

[Sandra]

Young Adult novel set in a coastal Australian town. Tells the story of Eddie and how she deals with the death of her brother-in-law three years ago. Friendships lost, family fractures and first love and unresolved grief.

[Amy]

went in w pretty low expectations but actually quite good and sweet!! found the first few chapters were heavy on the exposition but once we got into the swing of things that became less of an issue and really enjoyed it

[Alicia]

I found this one quite difficult to get into, because the characters were all vague and I just wanted some solid lines to figure them out in my head. Case in point: I spent about three chapter trying to figure out if Eddie (our MC) was a boy or a girl. Or a neither, I don’t care, I just want to know to establish the story. In the end: Eddie, George, Stevie, Joss: all girls. Howl, Radz, Blade, whatever the twin was: boys. Was not a fan of the names. (Howl was just the most ridiculous given name for a poor child).
So this book really didn’t wow me at the start. It’s very slow, and hinted and something that takes way too long to be properly mentioned, and our MC is actually truly dislikeable and concentrates way too much on smoothies. There’s a minimum four count mention required every chapter, and we get it. You like liquid food. Good on you.
Ninety percent of the conflict can be resolved if the MC just actually uses her words. But…
She’s just carrying wo much trauma. And as the end crept nearer this book fully destroyed me. Like soul crushing, uncontrollable sobbing, box of soggy tissues devastating. How did it even pull those emotions from me?

[Jennie]

Set in a quiet seaside town in Australia that only comes alive in the summer season, Golden centres on Eddie, a teenager dealing with grief and her separated family, and her predominantly toxic relationships. A past tragedy taht is gradually revealed, has twisted Eddie's view of her relationship with her twin brother and her friends -which she has shut out. Only her older sister, also caught up in grief and depression draws out her compassionate side.

Gradually, Eddie starts to make friends again and move on with her life, but hse is still haunted by past traumas. Timms builds tension and interest as different people are drawn into Eddie's circle, but she continues to block out the past and not deal with the PTSD that she so clearly suffers from.

A believable and engaging story that explores a family barely coping with unresolved grief and depression. Timms does not sugar coat the issues but concludes with obvious progress in relationships and emotional well-being that is satisfying and realistic.

CBCA 2026 Older Reader Notable title.
CBCA 2025 Older Reader Shortlist title.

[Aanya Goyal]

THIS NOVEL WAS SO SWEEET!!! I loved all of the characters and the growth of each character in the story was incredible! I felt that Eddie came from a place where she was neglected and not taken care of and eventually found her own family that loves her no matter what and brings a smile to her face. Both Pat and Eddie were so wholesome and I adored how they came together at the end. I also enjoyed how the story did not feel rushed at all and the backstories and flashbacks were well thought of!!! #ILOVEALLOFTHEMMMM💕💕💕

[Sarah]

I haven’t cried over a book in a long time but this one got me. I am in love with this small town and all the characters. This is a story about dealing with grief that is beautifully told and with real moments of joy. Such a nice change from other stories in this genre where the main character magically gets better but doesn’t go through much growth, you can really see the main characters journey and you are cheering for them to succeed. Couldn’t put it down!

[Nivedya]

I actually enjoyed this book...
I would give it a 3.5, only because this is the first type of book i have read in this genre.
Omg,but I did like how interestingly the author portrayed the life of Eddie throughout, showing her ups and downs.I really like how she developed and got over her fears and trauma.
I also loved the ending.
I just wished the character was a bit more understanding, and talked to someone, but in the end everything came together welll, so I actually enjoyed this book!!!

[Danielle-Kate Wilson]

I didn’t think I would like this as I usually don’t enjoy YA books, but this one just hit different. Maybe it’s because it’s an Aussie story by an Aussie author. Regardless, first five star read for 2026. Read it in one day.

[Polly Frost]

An easy and addictive read to find out what happened to Jackson and what stopped the strong twin link. I loved the ending and the messages about remembering the good times, making ammends and being yourself.

[bolbo boggons]

Melina Marchetta for gen alpha

[Eddo]

It was good at the start but the ending was weird

[Zelma Tolley]

I absolutely loved this. I will be thinking about it for a really long time. I judged a book by its cover this time and took it home with me because it was so pretty! But the guts were even better.

[Elisha]

Made me laugh and tear up. Bought back memories of all the teenage angst.

[hayles!!]

4!

[Izzy]

I was bored. And sick of it 20 pages in. I genuinely cannot connect with books set at the beach. I don't care that you have sand and water, stop making it your book's only personality.

[Georgia Bennett]

Very heartwarming & very Aussie! Loved all the characters and the depiction of teen friendships. It was a fairly light hearted read - would recommend!

[Sam]

I can appreciate the story

[Bectoria]

Seventeen year old Eddie in ‘Golden’ is grappling with grief, abandonment and shifting friendships, plus her family who are also trapped in their own worlds of loss. Set in a coastal town over the summer holidays there is first love, really hard lessons and the balm of art, cooking and exercise (a mud run!) I would love her to make me a smoothie. I cried.

Mistakes happen and it’s not the end of everything. There is hope! And good friends mean so much.