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The Good Losers
Callie March is fascinated by human absurdity, including the habits of the upper class. So when she pushes her screen-addicted teenage son to join a local rowing club, she is thrilled to discover a whole new world of odd behaviours, irrational obsessions and riverside rooting.
Thrust into a support crew and a very silly uniform, Callie has inadvertently volunteered for a season of pre-dawn parenting, endless fundraising, and pandering to insufferable dickheads. But she also finds friendship, intrigue and lust, while her son might just find love.
Callie is torn between enchantment and repulsion, until a trail of corruption and scandal leads to deep suspicion. There’s something fishy in the rowing shed, and Callie is determined to find out what lurks behind the closed doors of this sports club. In doing so, she will rock the boat – or better still, capsize it altogether.
This novel is set in northern Tasmania. It contains profundity, profanity, heart-ache, bum chafe, terrible winners and very good losers.
Praise for Meg
‘a boisterous tale of music, friendship and women’s rights’ - Books+Publishing
‘a feminist grenade disguised as a book’ - Rebecca Sparrow
Thrust into a support crew and a very silly uniform, Callie has inadvertently volunteered for a season of pre-dawn parenting, endless fundraising, and pandering to insufferable dickheads. But she also finds friendship, intrigue and lust, while her son might just find love.
Callie is torn between enchantment and repulsion, until a trail of corruption and scandal leads to deep suspicion. There’s something fishy in the rowing shed, and Callie is determined to find out what lurks behind the closed doors of this sports club. In doing so, she will rock the boat – or better still, capsize it altogether.
This novel is set in northern Tasmania. It contains profundity, profanity, heart-ache, bum chafe, terrible winners and very good losers.
Praise for Meg
‘a boisterous tale of music, friendship and women’s rights’ - Books+Publishing
‘a feminist grenade disguised as a book’ - Rebecca Sparrow
435 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2025
64 people are currently reading
731 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
August 12, 2025
Three years ago, I read Bignell’s wonderful The Angry Women’s Choir which turned me into a fan.
The The Good Losers features Callie March, a 48-year-old single mother, who’s fed up with her teen boy’s addiction to computer games and worries about their lack of communication and distancing - a common issue. To get her boy away from gaming, she enrols him into the rowing club. That involves becoming a support team member, with early starts, lots of driving and entering the covenant of support mothers who are fierce, determined and great fund raisers. It all gets very involved and energy draining.
Callie is a keen observer, after all she spent over two decades being a private investigator. She’s also got a wicked sense of humour. As with most human endeavours, there’s collaboration, conflict, politics, power trips. I’ll leave it at that, as this novel is best enjoyed knowing as little as possible.
Funnily enough, Harry Styles makes an appearance. Swoon. 😉
Bignell's fourth novel was fun, quirky, relatable, and had some surprising turns.
The The Good Losers features Callie March, a 48-year-old single mother, who’s fed up with her teen boy’s addiction to computer games and worries about their lack of communication and distancing - a common issue. To get her boy away from gaming, she enrols him into the rowing club. That involves becoming a support team member, with early starts, lots of driving and entering the covenant of support mothers who are fierce, determined and great fund raisers. It all gets very involved and energy draining.
Callie is a keen observer, after all she spent over two decades being a private investigator. She’s also got a wicked sense of humour. As with most human endeavours, there’s collaboration, conflict, politics, power trips. I’ll leave it at that, as this novel is best enjoyed knowing as little as possible.
Funnily enough, Harry Styles makes an appearance. Swoon. 😉
Bignell's fourth novel was fun, quirky, relatable, and had some surprising turns.
April 25, 2025
What in the actual ever living hell have I just read? I can’t remember the last time a book made me so angry.
I wasn’t sure about this one, but since I ended up quite enjoying The Angry Women’s Choir, I decided to give it a go, and I was, at first, pleasantly surprised . I was immediately drawn into the world of the Levin-Bell Rowing Club and the extreme personalities of the teenage athletes and their parents.
I was even more intrigued once Callie, a private investigator turned wildlife ranger and rowing mum, discovered that the club was keeping some life-altering secrets. With the help of her sister, the investigation was underway. Now, I was really enjoying the change in vibe from Bignell’s previous book. This seemed like a genuine mystery with some major repercussions and some big bads to take down. This couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Once all was revealed, the “twist” was just astoundingly ridiculous to me. It was completely unrealistic and as Callie and the reader were given each new piece of information, it just became more and more ludicrous. You mean to tell me that an elitist and wanky Tasmanian rowing club is the front for a secret global social welfare organisation that is in cahoots with the government, the police, and the navy? And that their methods for hiding this organisation include a secret room behind a bookcase, making the rowing club off limits on Wednesdays, and *checks notes* tasering a suspected old lady who tries to blow the whistle on what she thinks is a load of rich men raping and killing women?
And don’t even get me started on the Harry Styles of it all. I genuinely threw my book down in frustration once I finally finished this atrocity. 3 stars though because the first three quarters was actually enjoyable.
I wasn’t sure about this one, but since I ended up quite enjoying The Angry Women’s Choir, I decided to give it a go, and I was, at first, pleasantly surprised . I was immediately drawn into the world of the Levin-Bell Rowing Club and the extreme personalities of the teenage athletes and their parents.
I was even more intrigued once Callie, a private investigator turned wildlife ranger and rowing mum, discovered that the club was keeping some life-altering secrets. With the help of her sister, the investigation was underway. Now, I was really enjoying the change in vibe from Bignell’s previous book. This seemed like a genuine mystery with some major repercussions and some big bads to take down. This couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Once all was revealed, the “twist” was just astoundingly ridiculous to me. It was completely unrealistic and as Callie and the reader were given each new piece of information, it just became more and more ludicrous. You mean to tell me that an elitist and wanky Tasmanian rowing club is the front for a secret global social welfare organisation that is in cahoots with the government, the police, and the navy? And that their methods for hiding this organisation include a secret room behind a bookcase, making the rowing club off limits on Wednesdays, and *checks notes* tasering a suspected old lady who tries to blow the whistle on what she thinks is a load of rich men raping and killing women?
And don’t even get me started on the Harry Styles of it all. I genuinely threw my book down in frustration once I finally finished this atrocity. 3 stars though because the first three quarters was actually enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2025
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
The Good Losers by Meg Bignell is super enjoyable! This was a highly interesting and witty look into team sport at an elite rowing club where parents are very hands on and involved. 🚣
The characters were messy, fun, full of secrets and scandal. Loved the club politics and the parent involvement, this story has a bit of everything and is set in Tasmania, the surroundings creating a wonderful landscape and atmosphere to the story.
Our main female character is Callie a mum and ex-Private Investigator who persuades her son to join a rowing club in order to drag him away from his bedroom and his computer games.
If you love chaos, fun, community, mystery, teenage parenting and family you’ll love this one! A great story about losing and winning and a special appearance by Harry Styles, loved it!
Publication Date 01 July 2025
Publisher Imprint Penguin
Thank you so much Penguin Books Australia for a copy of the book
The Good Losers by Meg Bignell is super enjoyable! This was a highly interesting and witty look into team sport at an elite rowing club where parents are very hands on and involved. 🚣
The characters were messy, fun, full of secrets and scandal. Loved the club politics and the parent involvement, this story has a bit of everything and is set in Tasmania, the surroundings creating a wonderful landscape and atmosphere to the story.
Our main female character is Callie a mum and ex-Private Investigator who persuades her son to join a rowing club in order to drag him away from his bedroom and his computer games.
If you love chaos, fun, community, mystery, teenage parenting and family you’ll love this one! A great story about losing and winning and a special appearance by Harry Styles, loved it!
Publication Date 01 July 2025
Publisher Imprint Penguin
Thank you so much Penguin Books Australia for a copy of the book
July 24, 2025
Big thanks to Penguin for sending us a copy to read and review.
Humans are interesting when they are in a group, all types of personalities and traits rise to the surface like cream.
The rowers, parents and officials of the Levin Bell Rowing Club are prime examples of this.
Through adversity, turmoil and consideration they battle to compete, win and perhaps unify.
Among the cohort are alphas, the tumultuous and the complicit.
Their interactions are at times barbed, funny, caring and beneficial.
Early mornings, camping trips to isolated lakes and regattas all test and enhance the status quo.
Pretension and scandal are never far away in a sport renowned for its prestige and ability to allow social climbing.
A Tasmanian setting is enhanced by a comedic element and touch of profanity.
Everything about this narrative was authentic and influenced by personal experience.
The main POV was colourfully offset by group chat text dialogue which as well as we all know is another dimension of human interaction.
The conflict between two ladies was funny and the ever so efficient self proclaimed leaders commentary and demands was great too.
Humans are interesting when they are in a group, all types of personalities and traits rise to the surface like cream.
The rowers, parents and officials of the Levin Bell Rowing Club are prime examples of this.
Through adversity, turmoil and consideration they battle to compete, win and perhaps unify.
Among the cohort are alphas, the tumultuous and the complicit.
Their interactions are at times barbed, funny, caring and beneficial.
Early mornings, camping trips to isolated lakes and regattas all test and enhance the status quo.
Pretension and scandal are never far away in a sport renowned for its prestige and ability to allow social climbing.
A Tasmanian setting is enhanced by a comedic element and touch of profanity.
Everything about this narrative was authentic and influenced by personal experience.
The main POV was colourfully offset by group chat text dialogue which as well as we all know is another dimension of human interaction.
The conflict between two ladies was funny and the ever so efficient self proclaimed leaders commentary and demands was great too.
October 8, 2025
*https://www.instagram.com/mrsb_book_r...
🚣♀️2025 Tasmanian Literacy awards people choice winner Meg Bignell, makes a wonderful return thanks to the release of her fourth novel, The Good Losers. A story of belonging, community, connections, participation, sacrifice, obsession, class, love, suspicion and underhanded actions, this is a fascinating tale from Australian novelist Meg Bignell.
🚣♀️Having reviewed Meg Bignell’s previous titles, I was excited to delve into her new novel. I opted to listen to this one via Borrowbox in audiobook format. I loved the fact that The Good Losers was narrated by the author, which made it a unique listen. There is definitely something special about hearing a story relayed in the exact voice it was written in—it added plenty of truth, heart and honest emotion to the unfolding tale.
🚣♀️From the opening, I was taken in by the messy lives and humorous world of the characters who populate the Levin-Bell Rowing Club. Bignell’s narrative exposes the truth behind the rowing community complete with the early starts, cold mornings, club politics, crazy fundraisers and a few intriguing scandals. The Good Losers covers it all and more, it definitely opened my eyes up to a whole new sporting and club based experience.
🚣♀️For me personally this book’s strength was the stunning Tasmanian setting. I lapped up the sense of place that was rendered extremely well by Bignell’s writing. I felt the cool river mornings, the beautiful Tassie backdrop, the crisp air and the small-town undercurrents. Bignell ensures that her landscape acts as an additional layer to her narrative, lining her story perfectly.
🚣♀️Cast wise, Callie, who is the story’s accidental club recruit, was very authentic and relatable. I’m sure many readers out there will enjoy her dry wit, awkward moments and her efforts to juggle the demands of parenting, romance and club chaos. This is a story that had me alternating between sympathy, mystery solving and laughter.
What I appreciated the most about this one and what I gained from listening to the story unfold was the rowing club culture, the importance of acts of goodwill that often go unnoticed, belonging, resilience and kinship. It was a book of surprising eventualities!
Huge thanks to Meg Bignell for allowing me to be a part of the crew and for narrating it in a way that made me feel part of the adventure.
🌟🌟🌟🌟💫4.5 stars
🚣♀️2025 Tasmanian Literacy awards people choice winner Meg Bignell, makes a wonderful return thanks to the release of her fourth novel, The Good Losers. A story of belonging, community, connections, participation, sacrifice, obsession, class, love, suspicion and underhanded actions, this is a fascinating tale from Australian novelist Meg Bignell.
🚣♀️Having reviewed Meg Bignell’s previous titles, I was excited to delve into her new novel. I opted to listen to this one via Borrowbox in audiobook format. I loved the fact that The Good Losers was narrated by the author, which made it a unique listen. There is definitely something special about hearing a story relayed in the exact voice it was written in—it added plenty of truth, heart and honest emotion to the unfolding tale.
🚣♀️From the opening, I was taken in by the messy lives and humorous world of the characters who populate the Levin-Bell Rowing Club. Bignell’s narrative exposes the truth behind the rowing community complete with the early starts, cold mornings, club politics, crazy fundraisers and a few intriguing scandals. The Good Losers covers it all and more, it definitely opened my eyes up to a whole new sporting and club based experience.
🚣♀️For me personally this book’s strength was the stunning Tasmanian setting. I lapped up the sense of place that was rendered extremely well by Bignell’s writing. I felt the cool river mornings, the beautiful Tassie backdrop, the crisp air and the small-town undercurrents. Bignell ensures that her landscape acts as an additional layer to her narrative, lining her story perfectly.
🚣♀️Cast wise, Callie, who is the story’s accidental club recruit, was very authentic and relatable. I’m sure many readers out there will enjoy her dry wit, awkward moments and her efforts to juggle the demands of parenting, romance and club chaos. This is a story that had me alternating between sympathy, mystery solving and laughter.
What I appreciated the most about this one and what I gained from listening to the story unfold was the rowing club culture, the importance of acts of goodwill that often go unnoticed, belonging, resilience and kinship. It was a book of surprising eventualities!
Huge thanks to Meg Bignell for allowing me to be a part of the crew and for narrating it in a way that made me feel part of the adventure.
🌟🌟🌟🌟💫4.5 stars
October 2, 2025
It starts out like a teenage boys book written for middle aged women. Absolutly. Fucking. Hillarious.
The middle gets a little darker but still with fun stuff going on.
And the final part is nothing but downright wholesomeness.
A fun read
The middle gets a little darker but still with fun stuff going on.
And the final part is nothing but downright wholesomeness.
A fun read
September 13, 2025
There were elements of this I really enjoyed but it just took too long!
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
June 30, 2025
I devoured this!!
August 3, 2025
I’m baffled again by Meg Bignell’s writing. The characters (and their names!!) are completely nutty, the plot bizarre .. but somehow amidst the absurdity there is so much depth and meaning. A lot like life really!
August 3, 2025
I absolutely loved Angry Women’s Choir I had high expectations of this book. I did enjoy it, but didn’t feel it had the depth and smart wit.
November 20, 2025
Meg Bignell’s books are always full of wonderful, quirky & a little bit wicked humour.
THE GOOD LOSERS gives Meg a large cast of characters to play with & she takes full advantage, creating heroes & villains, mysteries & truly zany personas. This was a chaotic read!
I enjoyed the mystery element of the story, though the twist really came from left field and felt a bit implausible. I know I need to relax my disbelief muscle more when I read fiction. The 2 main twists at the end both left me surprised and I probably would have enjoyed a deeper dive on both reveals, just so they were more firmly embedded in the world of this little rowing community.
Meg is a wonderful writer. The pages turn themselves with all her books and in THE GOOD LOSERS, she really brings the community of rowing club members to life - perhaps too well, as the book left me mostly glad I’m not involved in the politics of a rowing club!!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.
THE GOOD LOSERS gives Meg a large cast of characters to play with & she takes full advantage, creating heroes & villains, mysteries & truly zany personas. This was a chaotic read!
I enjoyed the mystery element of the story, though the twist really came from left field and felt a bit implausible. I know I need to relax my disbelief muscle more when I read fiction. The 2 main twists at the end both left me surprised and I probably would have enjoyed a deeper dive on both reveals, just so they were more firmly embedded in the world of this little rowing community.
Meg is a wonderful writer. The pages turn themselves with all her books and in THE GOOD LOSERS, she really brings the community of rowing club members to life - perhaps too well, as the book left me mostly glad I’m not involved in the politics of a rowing club!!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.
September 26, 2025
Loved this. Based on her own experiences as a rowing parent. I didn't want it to end. She provides sharp observations on human nature.
November 25, 2025
Funny and fun and clever. Ugh I loved it so much.
November 22, 2025
I love Meg Bignell, and I love rowing. Winning combo.
October 22, 2025
This was bordering as a waste of time.
Characters were in bred toffs who think 'their shit don't stink'
I skimmed.
Who really cares about so waspish rowing club...and the story certainly did NOT warrant 400pp +.
I am pondering reading The angry women's choir on kobo when overseas.....
Characters were in bred toffs who think 'their shit don't stink'
I skimmed.
Who really cares about so waspish rowing club...and the story certainly did NOT warrant 400pp +.
I am pondering reading The angry women's choir on kobo when overseas.....
December 16, 2025
Hilarious! Love it!
July 6, 2025
What a joy! I loved that it was narrated by the author (audiobook obviously) so the characters were voiced as they would have been intended. It was such a fun book, some serious issues dealt with as well as some ridiculousness, but it all made for a highly entertaining read.
August 20, 2025
“The smell of anything mass produced makes me sneeze”.
Where do I start with this review?
Callie forces her son to join the local rowing team, and they are thrown into a whole new world of entitled children, competition, upper class shenanigans, secrets and very odd people.
The support crew group chat was so far from the norm I was laughing out loud! Oh my goodness, I couldn’t imagine parents speaking like that to each other!!
What a wild ride The Good Losers was! I didn’t expect what was uncovered behind those secretive closed doors that’s for sure! I’m not even sure that part of the story was needed.
In all the hilarious moments, elite sports satire and profanity, there were actually some tender, sweet moments about family, parenting, love and friendships.
My favourite character was definitely Bright, my gosh was she a hoot! The one liners were just on point, and ones I’ve never heard before (and will never repeat again 😂).
Thank you so much @penguinaus for sending this copy my way.
Where do I start with this review?
Callie forces her son to join the local rowing team, and they are thrown into a whole new world of entitled children, competition, upper class shenanigans, secrets and very odd people.
The support crew group chat was so far from the norm I was laughing out loud! Oh my goodness, I couldn’t imagine parents speaking like that to each other!!
What a wild ride The Good Losers was! I didn’t expect what was uncovered behind those secretive closed doors that’s for sure! I’m not even sure that part of the story was needed.
In all the hilarious moments, elite sports satire and profanity, there were actually some tender, sweet moments about family, parenting, love and friendships.
My favourite character was definitely Bright, my gosh was she a hoot! The one liners were just on point, and ones I’ve never heard before (and will never repeat again 😂).
Thank you so much @penguinaus for sending this copy my way.
June 30, 2025
I loved every single word of this book! I don’t think I have ever laughed so much and loved so many characters in one book before. The actual plot was really well crafted and I thoroughly enjoyed the twists that it provided. This book had me hooked right from the start. I absolutely loved everything about it. What a read!
July 27, 2025
Way too much swearing. This wasn't very believable - I've never met any parents' groups where people swear (especially so much). It wasn't really necessary - didn't really add anything to the book. 🤷♀️
September 11, 2025
Meg Bignell's writing is hilarious. Her characters, descriptions, and narration are all very witty, so I was constantly laughing as I read this book. Like Angry Women's Choir, this story blends a bit of ridiculousness/melodrama with very mundane/believable elements of human nature and social commentary. At times this is really great, because it makes the book feel relevant and punchy; at other times it gets a bit too on-the-nose, and makes me want the fun escapism of fiction rather than a dreary reminder of the problems with reality.
Bignell's characterisation is excellent - layered and realistic. Even her antagonists have depth (with the exception of the misogynists). Callie, Pip, Bright and Phoebe are all brilliant sparks who leap of the page with realism. I want to be Bright's friend, and probably Callie's as well.
I liked the recurring metaphor of 'Platform Six', from which we can gain a bit of distance from life and poke fun at ourselves and others. The celebration of the absurdity in life. In much this same vein, the plot of this novel gets pretty bonkers at times and you can either throw the book across the room for being a bit TOO ridiculous, or you can just go with it and enjoy the ride.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it did make me squirm at different points when I felt like the humour passed me by, or the raging feminist undertones came on a bit too strongly, or my suspension of disbelief came too close to snapping. All in all, it's a good book, and it definitely gave me a good chuckle from my own reader's Platform Six, but it's definitely an oddball.
Bignell's characterisation is excellent - layered and realistic. Even her antagonists have depth (with the exception of the misogynists). Callie, Pip, Bright and Phoebe are all brilliant sparks who leap of the page with realism. I want to be Bright's friend, and probably Callie's as well.
I liked the recurring metaphor of 'Platform Six', from which we can gain a bit of distance from life and poke fun at ourselves and others. The celebration of the absurdity in life. In much this same vein, the plot of this novel gets pretty bonkers at times and you can either throw the book across the room for being a bit TOO ridiculous, or you can just go with it and enjoy the ride.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it did make me squirm at different points when I felt like the humour passed me by, or the raging feminist undertones came on a bit too strongly, or my suspension of disbelief came too close to snapping. All in all, it's a good book, and it definitely gave me a good chuckle from my own reader's Platform Six, but it's definitely an oddball.
September 7, 2025
Well written and pretty compelling story about a woman in Launceston Tasmania, enrolling her son in a close-knit upper class rowing team. This worked surprisingly well as both a ‘fish out of water’ view of the way ‘the other half live,’ and in its own way as a slowly unfolding mystery. Story had a wonderfully compelling introduction to this new world for main character, almost instantly destroying a highly valuable boat on her first day. Characters are brought to life quite well, although I do have to say that (though amusing), the WhatsApp messaging sections had a pretty hyperreal aspect to them that undermined some of the humour for me. Main character was fun to spend time with, I loved how unapologetically sexual she was. But the standout was easily her son’s new friend Bright, who lit up any scene she was in. She was so great. More Bright might have made things much brighter.
All that said, as the mystery unfolds I have to say its conclusion really didn’t sit very well with me. I think something about the light unreality that was given to what’s a very sensitive subject, though I absolutely see was created with all the best intentions, really felt off to me. And so overall I think this is a 3.5* book, but given that off vibe I got from the conclusion of the mystery I reckon rounding down feels right to me. Bit of a shame. But for the most part this was a pretty enjoyable book.
All that said, as the mystery unfolds I have to say its conclusion really didn’t sit very well with me. I think something about the light unreality that was given to what’s a very sensitive subject, though I absolutely see was created with all the best intentions, really felt off to me. And so overall I think this is a 3.5* book, but given that off vibe I got from the conclusion of the mystery I reckon rounding down feels right to me. Bit of a shame. But for the most part this was a pretty enjoyable book.
September 1, 2025
A very long time ago, I lived in Launceston, in northern Tasmania. As a member of the lower classes, the realm of rowing was totally foreign to me. Except, sometimes, I saw the upper classes (mostly private school boys) rowing on the Tamar River. So, both setting and the opportunity to learn something about the elites caused me to pick up this book.
And now that I have read this novel, I find that there is not much I can say that won’t venture into spoiler territory. Suffice to say that Callie March, acting in what she considers to be the best interests of her screen-addicted teenage son Pip, bites off more than she can chew when she pushes him into a local rowing club. Likewise, the members of the rowing club find that Callie March is a force to be reckoned with.
This novel has it all: over-the top-action, helicopter parenting, examples of both dreadful and heart-warming behaviour. From the blurb: ‘It contains profundity, profanity, heartache, bum chafe, terrible winners and very good losers.’
If you object to profanity, this may not be a novel for you. But there are plenty of laugh out loud moments, an abundance of family drama together with lashings of angst (both teenage and adult) and an ending which is, to my mind, perfect.
This is the first of Ms Bignell’s novels I have read: I’ll be seeking out the others.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
And now that I have read this novel, I find that there is not much I can say that won’t venture into spoiler territory. Suffice to say that Callie March, acting in what she considers to be the best interests of her screen-addicted teenage son Pip, bites off more than she can chew when she pushes him into a local rowing club. Likewise, the members of the rowing club find that Callie March is a force to be reckoned with.
This novel has it all: over-the top-action, helicopter parenting, examples of both dreadful and heart-warming behaviour. From the blurb: ‘It contains profundity, profanity, heartache, bum chafe, terrible winners and very good losers.’
If you object to profanity, this may not be a novel for you. But there are plenty of laugh out loud moments, an abundance of family drama together with lashings of angst (both teenage and adult) and an ending which is, to my mind, perfect.
This is the first of Ms Bignell’s novels I have read: I’ll be seeking out the others.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
September 9, 2025
4.5 🌟 Rating from Me
This story had me hooked from the very beginning. It felt as though a best friend was sitting beside me, sharing her life with all the oohs, aahs, laugh-out-loud moments, and the ups and downs of navigating single motherhood with a teenage son—so relatable!
I love the way the author writes. You’re completely immersed in the characters, their lives, and even the world around them - "The lake was wearing sequins..." - you simply don’t want to leave.
The story begins with Callie, a mother trying to get her typical teenage son, Pip, involved in rowing—surely better than endless screen time, right? But it quickly develops into so much more: new friendships (and even a touch of romance), Pip stepping up as a bit of a hero, and Callie leaning on her professional skills when she senses something is NQR at the rowing club. What she uncovers turns out to be far from what she expected.
Along the way, there are also lessons in setting things right and swallowing a little humble pie.
Overall, I loved this immersive, must-read story. It’s full of relatable characters, witty banter, and just enough twists and turns to keep you eagerly turning the pages.
This story had me hooked from the very beginning. It felt as though a best friend was sitting beside me, sharing her life with all the oohs, aahs, laugh-out-loud moments, and the ups and downs of navigating single motherhood with a teenage son—so relatable!
I love the way the author writes. You’re completely immersed in the characters, their lives, and even the world around them - "The lake was wearing sequins..." - you simply don’t want to leave.
The story begins with Callie, a mother trying to get her typical teenage son, Pip, involved in rowing—surely better than endless screen time, right? But it quickly develops into so much more: new friendships (and even a touch of romance), Pip stepping up as a bit of a hero, and Callie leaning on her professional skills when she senses something is NQR at the rowing club. What she uncovers turns out to be far from what she expected.
Along the way, there are also lessons in setting things right and swallowing a little humble pie.
Overall, I loved this immersive, must-read story. It’s full of relatable characters, witty banter, and just enough twists and turns to keep you eagerly turning the pages.
June 23, 2025
What a wonderful tribute to the power of sporting clubs, parents and athletes.
Meg Bignell has used her humour to show us behind the scenes of a rowing club with all it's good (and bad) sides. She reminds us all that kids sport is a place for them to learn and grow, with their parents full support and love. She shows us that there is a dark side to the same groups with competitiveness and bullying still a large factor.
I loved the writing style with the mix of humour and anger, also with a moment of sadness (tears made their way down my cheeks) - when you read it, you will know. I think this is a fantastic look behind the curtain at the way sports can build up and tear down our kids. How parents and coaches can do the exact same thing, and let's not get started on team mates with their own opinions on their abilities.
There is a dark side story with a human heart that helps us understand and relate to some of the characters. It shows us that even when we are trying with all our heart to do good, sometimes, we go about it the wrong way.
Thanks PRH for my advanced copy.
Meg Bignell has used her humour to show us behind the scenes of a rowing club with all it's good (and bad) sides. She reminds us all that kids sport is a place for them to learn and grow, with their parents full support and love. She shows us that there is a dark side to the same groups with competitiveness and bullying still a large factor.
I loved the writing style with the mix of humour and anger, also with a moment of sadness (tears made their way down my cheeks) - when you read it, you will know. I think this is a fantastic look behind the curtain at the way sports can build up and tear down our kids. How parents and coaches can do the exact same thing, and let's not get started on team mates with their own opinions on their abilities.
There is a dark side story with a human heart that helps us understand and relate to some of the characters. It shows us that even when we are trying with all our heart to do good, sometimes, we go about it the wrong way.
Thanks PRH for my advanced copy.
July 22, 2025
For the first time, I’m stumped to write a review that goes anywhere near conveying the absolute brilliance of a book. You’ll just have to trust me when I say that this one is. Tassie author Meg Bignell writes like no other I know. (In fact, SHE is like no other I know.) Meg’s in a genre all of her own. And this one, her latest, is IMHO her best ever. When it starts with ‘Don’t be a dickhead’, ends with ‘… Choo-choo, mother-fucker!’ and one of the reading group notes asks, ‘Where would you like to leave a graffitied cock and balls?’, well, you know the author is pushing the boat out, so to speak. I promise you’ll be bent double with laughter at what goes on in the boat shed amongst a range of the most lovable and outrageous characters, but - don’t be fooled - the hilarity and profanity is also a vehicle for dealing with some big and nasty issues, cleverly calling out some of the very worst examples of ‘fuckwittery’ displayed by the most despicable of ‘knob shiners’. So many stars …
September 12, 2025
𝙰𝚑𝚑𝚑𝚑 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍! 𝙰 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚎𝚗!!
𝙼𝚎𝚐 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎-𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜; 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝?! 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝟷𝟶𝟶 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗!
𝙷𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝙸 𝚐𝚘𝚝!!
𝙰 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 - 𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚜, 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚋 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚕𝚜, 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 ’𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚂𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎𝚜’ 𝙸𝚈𝙺𝚈𝙺! 😉 (thanks for re-awakening my obsession 🥵)
𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 ’𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚢 𝚆𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚛’ 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜!
𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝙸𝚃 𝙽𝙾𝚆!!
(𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: 𝐈 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 ’𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞’ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭)
𝙼𝚎𝚐 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎-𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜; 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝?! 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝟷𝟶𝟶 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗!
𝙷𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝙸 𝚐𝚘𝚝!!
𝙰 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚗𝚎 - 𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚜, 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚋 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚕𝚜, 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 ’𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚂𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎𝚜’ 𝙸𝚈𝙺𝚈𝙺! 😉 (thanks for re-awakening my obsession 🥵)
𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 ’𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚢 𝚆𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝙲𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚛’ 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜!
𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝙸𝚃 𝙽𝙾𝚆!!
(𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: 𝐈 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 ’𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞’ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭)
July 25, 2025
Ok - so yes there were a few points of incredulity.
But around that was an incredibly engaging fun story. The characters honestly had me laughing. And it was a story that looked at toxic masculinity and its flow-on effects. And then it shot that toxicity in the guts and then examined what happens next. It’s the what happens next that really impressed me.
The book is also set in my home state and I recognised much of the geography and character under the story.
All very delightful.
I am coming to really enjoy Meg’s examination of women and the patriarchy and all the little ways women are taking control of their stories.
But around that was an incredibly engaging fun story. The characters honestly had me laughing. And it was a story that looked at toxic masculinity and its flow-on effects. And then it shot that toxicity in the guts and then examined what happens next. It’s the what happens next that really impressed me.
The book is also set in my home state and I recognised much of the geography and character under the story.
All very delightful.
I am coming to really enjoy Meg’s examination of women and the patriarchy and all the little ways women are taking control of their stories.
November 27, 2025
DNF at 25%
I would never have picked up this book on my own, but it was this month’s book club pick… so here we are.
Callie drove me up the wall. For a 40-year-old woman, she reads like a moody teenager who’s been handed a diary and too much free time. Every decision, every thought, every reaction felt immature, overdramatic, or just plain irritating. I kept waiting for her to grow up, but after a quarter of the book, it was clear that wasn’t happening.
At 25%, I realised I was forcing myself to care — and failing miserably. Life is too short, my TBR is too long, and this book wasn’t giving me a single reason to keep turning pages.
DNF. No regrets.
I would never have picked up this book on my own, but it was this month’s book club pick… so here we are.
Callie drove me up the wall. For a 40-year-old woman, she reads like a moody teenager who’s been handed a diary and too much free time. Every decision, every thought, every reaction felt immature, overdramatic, or just plain irritating. I kept waiting for her to grow up, but after a quarter of the book, it was clear that wasn’t happening.
At 25%, I realised I was forcing myself to care — and failing miserably. Life is too short, my TBR is too long, and this book wasn’t giving me a single reason to keep turning pages.
DNF. No regrets.
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