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What Is Left For Us
Rebecca thinks the past is behind her.
She has spent the last ten years working as a lawyer at an insurance firm in London, but she's unfulfilled in her job, and her boyfriend, the one she didn't even care about, has just dumped her. And then comes an email from Hannah, the sister she hasn't spoken to in a decade.
On the surface, Hannah has it all.
A perfect house, a high-flying husband, an adorable daughter. But the facade is crumbling. Forced to reunite with Rebecca when they jointly inherit their grandmother's clifftop house in Bondi, Hannah is reminded of the life she gave up all those years ago.
Over two weeks, everything the sisters think they know about each other changes forever.
With fierce and complicated family dynamics and a suspenseful edge, What Is Left For Us will have you switching and dividing allegiances until the last page.
She has spent the last ten years working as a lawyer at an insurance firm in London, but she's unfulfilled in her job, and her boyfriend, the one she didn't even care about, has just dumped her. And then comes an email from Hannah, the sister she hasn't spoken to in a decade.
On the surface, Hannah has it all.
A perfect house, a high-flying husband, an adorable daughter. But the facade is crumbling. Forced to reunite with Rebecca when they jointly inherit their grandmother's clifftop house in Bondi, Hannah is reminded of the life she gave up all those years ago.
Over two weeks, everything the sisters think they know about each other changes forever.
With fierce and complicated family dynamics and a suspenseful edge, What Is Left For Us will have you switching and dividing allegiances until the last page.
- GenresContemporary
Audible Audio
Published March 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 27, 2026
Is it possible for a book to be two opposing things simultaneously?
WILFU is modern and contemporary yet nostalgic and steeped in memories of the past (some absolute fav references that triggered so many of my own memories: Richard Mercer and love song dedications 🎶; deep fried mars bars 🍫; teapot cocktails at World Bar 🫖 - among so many others!)
It’s fast-paced and sizzling with tension yet lingers in those moments of reflection and contemplation that make the characters feel so real 💔
The backdrop of Sydney itself is a character deeply intertwined with the characters and their backstories - not so much the famous landmarks of the harbour bridge and opera house, but those smaller details that only someone intimately acquainted with the setting would notice: from Bondi’s gentrified streets and the creeping emergence of identical duplexes, to the rain-slicked CBD and the constant La Niña downpour with which every Sydneysider will be familiar 🌧️ ☔️
Deeper themes of environmental impact, overdevelopment, and coastal erosion are deftly explored and woven into metaphor, while the sisters’ eroded relationship is the central mystery that kept me turning the pages💞
Sophie’s authorial voice is so fresh (and with the perfect hint of humour) that it’s hard to believe this is her first book!
Congrats on your amazing debut, Sophie!
WILFU is modern and contemporary yet nostalgic and steeped in memories of the past (some absolute fav references that triggered so many of my own memories: Richard Mercer and love song dedications 🎶; deep fried mars bars 🍫; teapot cocktails at World Bar 🫖 - among so many others!)
It’s fast-paced and sizzling with tension yet lingers in those moments of reflection and contemplation that make the characters feel so real 💔
The backdrop of Sydney itself is a character deeply intertwined with the characters and their backstories - not so much the famous landmarks of the harbour bridge and opera house, but those smaller details that only someone intimately acquainted with the setting would notice: from Bondi’s gentrified streets and the creeping emergence of identical duplexes, to the rain-slicked CBD and the constant La Niña downpour with which every Sydneysider will be familiar 🌧️ ☔️
Deeper themes of environmental impact, overdevelopment, and coastal erosion are deftly explored and woven into metaphor, while the sisters’ eroded relationship is the central mystery that kept me turning the pages💞
Sophie’s authorial voice is so fresh (and with the perfect hint of humour) that it’s hard to believe this is her first book!
Congrats on your amazing debut, Sophie!
March 16, 2026
I was ENTHRALLED the whole way through! We follow two estranged sisters, who are brought back together to sort out their childhood home in Bondi. It's a gripping and emotional read about reckoning with the past, the cost and pain of keeping secrets and what it means to return home. Well paced, with razor-sharp and well layered characterisation made me fly through this one!
March 13, 2026
A BEAUTIFUL STORY of SISTERS AND FAMILY!! 🥰
One of the most beautiful books I've read about sisters, family, and the quiet ways we're shaped by the people we grow up with. I don't think I've ever moved through a book this quickly, I was completely immersed and genuinely a bit sad that I finished it.
Every character carried something relatable, and the author has an incredible ability to bring unspoken emotions to the surface, those we've sensed but never quite able to articulate.
As someone with a sister and a life largely shaped by my family, this story felt especially personal and meaningful.
One of the most beautiful books I've read about sisters, family, and the quiet ways we're shaped by the people we grow up with. I don't think I've ever moved through a book this quickly, I was completely immersed and genuinely a bit sad that I finished it.
Every character carried something relatable, and the author has an incredible ability to bring unspoken emotions to the surface, those we've sensed but never quite able to articulate.
As someone with a sister and a life largely shaped by my family, this story felt especially personal and meaningful.
April 23, 2026
This was really good as an audiobook- the slight voice difference made it feel more authentic. It's a very slow burn story but the writing was great and the sydney setting was a nice change from all the English and American novels I end up with.
Surprised how few reviews this has- it was a book club pick and it definitely feels like it should be way more popular than it is, given how much people typically love the 'complicated family history' plot.
Surprised how few reviews this has- it was a book club pick and it definitely feels like it should be way more popular than it is, given how much people typically love the 'complicated family history' plot.
March 10, 2026
Love love loved this debut! The nuances of family dynamics are so beautifully portrayed and the sister characters wonderfully written. The settings are fabulous, too! Highly recommend this one 🙏💕
March 25, 2026
i'd call this a soap opera, but those are generally entertaining and this was not.
the protagonists feel like hallmark movie stock characters - the high powered business woman in the big city, and the submissive suburban house wife. no one in this book acts like a real person. i kept waiting for the tropes to be subverted in an interesting way, but they never were. the huge betrayal that was set up was disappointing too: they were just into the most mid man you could ever imagine and can't communicate to save their lives. joy.
there were multiple moments that made me feel gross. a woman in her thirties complimented another woman in her thirties by saying she looked like a nineteen year old - yuck. there are multiple moments where women are really judgemental and mean to each other, and its treated like normal behaviour. i kept waiting for this to be flipped into a critique or challenged in any way, but that never came.
the prose is also very clunky. people say 'show don't tell' and neglect to say the worse thing you can do is both simultaneously. scenes will be shown, often nicely, then instead of letting us read between the lines, it is the awkwardly explain, as if readers can't put 2 and 2 together.
for positives, i guess the setting is well developed and the themes are well intentioned. i thought the car crash and flooding were impactful story beats too, but most of the book drags.
there are a lot of books out there like this but actually good, so I'd give this a miss. its not terrible, but its not worth reading. you might be better off reading Suits fanfiction
the protagonists feel like hallmark movie stock characters - the high powered business woman in the big city, and the submissive suburban house wife. no one in this book acts like a real person. i kept waiting for the tropes to be subverted in an interesting way, but they never were. the huge betrayal that was set up was disappointing too: they were just into the most mid man you could ever imagine and can't communicate to save their lives. joy.
there were multiple moments that made me feel gross. a woman in her thirties complimented another woman in her thirties by saying she looked like a nineteen year old - yuck. there are multiple moments where women are really judgemental and mean to each other, and its treated like normal behaviour. i kept waiting for this to be flipped into a critique or challenged in any way, but that never came.
the prose is also very clunky. people say 'show don't tell' and neglect to say the worse thing you can do is both simultaneously. scenes will be shown, often nicely, then instead of letting us read between the lines, it is the awkwardly explain, as if readers can't put 2 and 2 together.
for positives, i guess the setting is well developed and the themes are well intentioned. i thought the car crash and flooding were impactful story beats too, but most of the book drags.
there are a lot of books out there like this but actually good, so I'd give this a miss. its not terrible, but its not worth reading. you might be better off reading Suits fanfiction
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2026
Disclaimer - This isn’t the type of book I usually read and the book was recommended to me by a work colleague who happens to be the author’s husband.
I picked this up and related to the character of Rebecca straight away. I recognise this character, with her workaholic nature and boring life. I don’t relate to Hannah but I recognise her as well, all surfaces and perfection and beige. I have frequently wondered how these people love their lives and now I have the answer - unhappily.
I found the story addictively page turning and an easy read. I wished there had been a little more depth in some of the other characters (what was Nan like? What about mum? Was Max really that shallow?) but I was engaged all the way through to the fairly satisfying ending. Great debut by Sophie Stern.
I picked this up and related to the character of Rebecca straight away. I recognise this character, with her workaholic nature and boring life. I don’t relate to Hannah but I recognise her as well, all surfaces and perfection and beige. I have frequently wondered how these people love their lives and now I have the answer - unhappily.
I found the story addictively page turning and an easy read. I wished there had been a little more depth in some of the other characters (what was Nan like? What about mum? Was Max really that shallow?) but I was engaged all the way through to the fairly satisfying ending. Great debut by Sophie Stern.
March 22, 2026
What Is Left For Us is an emotionally charged novel by Sophie Stern, exploring the fractured bond between sisters Rebecca and Hannah.
Ten years ago, Rebecca abruptly left Bondi for London, leaving behind more than just her home—she left Hannah with questions that were never answered.
Now, an unexpected email forces Rebecca to return. Their grandmother’s clifftop home has been left to them both, and settling the estate means facing each other again.
But the house holds more than memories. As old tensions resurface and long-buried truths begin to unravel, Rebecca and Hannah must confront the past that tore them apart.
A gripping and deeply moving story of sisterhood, loss, and the fragile ties that bind us—What Is Left For Us asks: how do you rebuild a relationship when so much has been left unsaid?
Ten years ago, Rebecca abruptly left Bondi for London, leaving behind more than just her home—she left Hannah with questions that were never answered.
Now, an unexpected email forces Rebecca to return. Their grandmother’s clifftop home has been left to them both, and settling the estate means facing each other again.
But the house holds more than memories. As old tensions resurface and long-buried truths begin to unravel, Rebecca and Hannah must confront the past that tore them apart.
A gripping and deeply moving story of sisterhood, loss, and the fragile ties that bind us—What Is Left For Us asks: how do you rebuild a relationship when so much has been left unsaid?
April 4, 2026
What a wonderful book - I was taken to Bondi with such lush and specific description that, even though I'd never been there, the neighbourhoods were brought to life through the eyes of Rebecca and Hannah - two sisters who see-sawed between love, resentment, jealousy and misunderstanding. Every character - major or minor, bricks and mortar - sang off the page, with the two sisters always at the epicentre. Relationships are real: warm and beautiful in their complexity and depth. You never quite know who you are rooting for throughout - sometimes one sister, sometimes the other - until the end, when you realise you were rooting for them both, just in different ways!
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
April 19, 2026
Very engaged in the book from the start. I enjoyed the storyline, its narrative and the themes it explored. I feel like I was left wanting more at the end, as it felt kinda unfinished in some ways. This may have been done deliberately to leave it to interpretation, which I think could also be done based on how the chapters are written leading to the end. I think I just wanted to see those storyline’s play out a little more.
Otherwise easy and enjoyable read!
Otherwise easy and enjoyable read!
April 29, 2026
At first l thought this was a cliche, two sisters, and one man. However l really enjoyed how layered this book was. A few cliche moments, but the twist was really confronting.
A book about familial relationships, loss and love, grief. Very reflective of reality.
Love the authors writing style and her ability to bring the characters to real life. Both sisters had depth and were complex individuals and l love it.
Looking forward to reading more of this authors books.
A book about familial relationships, loss and love, grief. Very reflective of reality.
Love the authors writing style and her ability to bring the characters to real life. Both sisters had depth and were complex individuals and l love it.
Looking forward to reading more of this authors books.
April 17, 2026
Super engaging book with beautiful writing all the way through. I loved the story and the themes it explored, and the characters only added to it. I’m usually not a fan of booked based in Australia but I loved this one and the little descriptions it mentioned which I could visualise with ease due to relatability.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
April 23, 2026
I loved this debut from Sophie Stern. The relationship between sisters is often fraught and a rich ground to mine for a story. I loved the setting having lived in this area and Sophie brought it to life beautifully. Her descriptions were innovative and her characters were interesting. I'll never look at a man in a half peeled wetsuit without thinking of bananas again. Well done Sophie. I'm really looking forward to your next book. Bring it on!!
March 22, 2026
Great book with fascinating characters - so good to read a book set in Sydney
April 8, 2026
This really was a surprise read from an Australian author. Really enjoyed it. Very well written, it flowed really well and was quite riveting. Unexpected storyline twist too.
April 8, 2026
A family saga set in Bondi Australia. Lots of heart. Humour. Twists and turns. I was compelled from the first page and enjoyed every part of this book.
April 14, 2026
Nice easy read - loved the descriptions of Bondi and the sisters relationship - but the story finished too early for me - there was lots more to be told.
April 19, 2026
Loved this book so much!! Clifftop house? Check! Family dynamics? Check! Life-affirming? Check! Brilliant? Ab-so-lutely!!
April 29, 2026
Sisters, a past, secrets, an inheritance…..lots to love about this book. Set in modern day Sydney with flashbacks this wasn’t as cliched as I thought it would be. Definitely put it on your tbr list.
May 17, 2026
This book made me desperately want to hug my sister and never let go.
April 8, 2026
Well written with a compelling plot, the characters unfold in surprising ways as the novel develops. Always engaging, an outstanding debut.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews