Good Intentions

by Jessy Wu

THE BIGGEST STORY WAS ALWAYS THE ONE BETWEEN THEM

In the cramped basement office of their university newspaper, Jake and Nadia break a huge story that exposes a decade of institutional corruption. In the quieter hours, they also fall in love.

Then Nadia leaves.

A decade later, she returns from New York, once a fast-rising finance hotshot, now exiled after a deal gone wrong. Back in Sydney, Jake has forged a reputation as a crusading reporter whose by-line regularly brings down the rich and powerful.

Battlelines are drawn when they're each pulled into the orbit of a biotech visionary whose startup becomes Nadia's big break and the target of Jake's latest investigation. As old wounds flare, both must decide how far they'll go to come out on top.

Clear-eyed and taut, Good Intentions asks if it is possible to be a good person in a morally grey world, and what happens when someone you once loved with your whole heart threatens to topple everything you've built.

Genres: Fiction

Audible Audio

Published June 30, 2026

Reviews

[k · Rating 1 out of 5]

devastated to see crappy wmaf stories have made it to the sydney scene. sick of descriptions of almond eyes, smelly lunchboxes and a weird inconsistency in the use of mandarin (qiezi, baobei) and cantonese (gwei lo when the mandarin pinyin is gui lao - which perhaps betrays the author’s intended audience for this book).

also jane street ny is in downtown, not midtown and von neumann’s weighted coin is described as the “ban school uniforms” of maths interview questions (why on earth did old mate pull out python?!?).

separately, “henderson versus the monitor” … come on …

[Jiadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually inhaled this because I was so invested in the main characters after the first half. But then the legal drama took me completely out of it - it was an unrealistic depiction of how a proceeding runs in Australia. I think the author needed to do some research.

Despite that, I’m updating this to 4 stars though as, on reflection, the emotions, the relationship between the main characters and the tension were all effective and definitely left an impression on me.

[nihaarika · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

not super sure about the accuracy of the legal proceedings in the last half of the book, but overall good intentions was a really compelling & gripping read. a stellar debut from jessy wu!!

longer rtc!

[Chloe Marks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I really loved the writing of this book and found myself not wanting to put it down. However, if you work in the law, the legal drama and process are a bit jarring! I will say this is the first book I’ve read that to has somehow been able to weave in FOI and procurement lol

[Alice Roundhill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the main characters and setting of this book, and liked that the key conflict was based on their personal moral compasses and how that impacts your career/ job choices. But I felt there was too much focus and detail on the cases they did, giving up time to actually develop the characters a bit further.

[Danny Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was provided an advance copy by Pan Macmillan - and boy was I glad to read this. Pacy, punchy, profound. Good Intentions is modern. Looking away from it is difficult. Jessy Wu gives us a story about love and friendship and Sydney and youth and maturing. The characters stay with you after reading. The central questions - about how we are to act in a world that incentivises looking the other way - are hard to shake. I loved this book so much.

[Valerie, a bookeater]

disclaimer: lowkey featured some of my friends so that was awesome

Recently, I heard a priest actually deliver a good homily going into detail about how good intentions are not enough, but it's about how you translate your intentions into action. Going into this, I was really pondering about that and was excited. I enjoyed part two more than part one even though I have direct experience with a student newspaper. Obviously the author wanted to get the conflict of the modern workplace when they were older and so part one was quick. A part of me wished it was longer or its own book, with part two as a sequel. I think we could have spent more time with these protagonists and gotten to know them more. It's alright though, I related to the Asian parents of it all though and loved workaholic representation.

There was a bit towards the end which felt very American movie running through the airport core, but it was very sweet and even as I saw it coming I still loved it. However, I'm sorry to say I kind of shipped Felicity from PR and Jake, and I want to see that novel because that would present a lot of tension. Think of it as press releases versus analysis pieces but in romantic form. The COI and the emails would be insane...

All-in-all, more Australian fiction like this should pose questions about ethics in finance, technology and journalism, 'pragmatism' and wanting to change systems from the inside versus instigating pressure from the outside. It's not just about the story, it's about what you're trying to say and this novel makes you rethink your own career and romantic choices. That is a must in this day and age. Sidenote I like the US cover more?

[Lehan · Rating 1 out of 5]

We don’t need more academia-adjacent poorly written smut slop trash can litfic, even if it’s set in Sydney

[Keely · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank god that’s over - only completed it as I suggested it for book club after having it recommended on instagram and TikTok. So cringey and slow. Do not rec

[Bonnie Roche · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just didn’t hit unfortunately
Also friends, come to StoryGraph!

[Aislin Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ★ — in a world full of novels written entirely by AI, this author makes the brave new choice to supplement about 30% worth of original content with only 70% sounding like regurgitated chatgpt-speak! credit where credit is due though because the premise was fun and the bits that didn’t sound like AI really were quite good

[Rochelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you went/go to usyd, this would be great. For anyone who didn’t go to usyd, and find honi and the clique insufferable, this is not for you.

[Gay Harding]

Just not very interesting. If it’s going anywhere it’s taking too long at 90 pages.

[ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

packed with punch but lingers … just like the romance… really enjoyed! very sydney!! strikes at the heart of many questions about work and what shapes us

[Bojana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Intentions by Jessy Wu is a compelling David and Goliath story that explores what happens when ordinary people (the journalists) find themselves up against powerful systems and institutions (looking at you venture capitalist and biotech)
What impressed me most was the pacing. It’s consistently engaging without ever feeling rushed, making it difficult to put down.
The subject matter touches on areas that many readers may not know much about, but Wu has a real talent for breaking down complex topics into something accessible and easy to understand. The writing is clear, sharp, and incredibly readable.

[Indiah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me captivated from start to finish - dare I say, this is my most favourite read in a long time. The nuances between choosing what is right morally and the desirability of a stable job, with a belief that you can change the systems is a feeling that resonates with so many of us. I enjoyed the depth that was given to the background of each characters and compelling reasons as to why they chose certain paths and the driving forces behind these choices. This book effortlessly captured the cost of choosing love and a career, and the blurred lines between what is “right” and what is “wrong”. This book describes the lengths that we go to for our corporate jobs and the roles we play in these corporations. It felt as though the story kept exploding into something bigger and bigger as the main characters worlds collided and they had their full circle moment at the end. The tension of the unfinished business between them had me hooked and I read this in one sitting!

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't fault it. Laughed out loud, felt like I was right there with the characters. Felt like this book was written just for me and my enjoyment. Incredible. The audiobook was so well cast and read as well.

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn’t love, but didn’t hate. Like beer. Or bad sex.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written debut on issues that felt very relevant for our times. It explores the friction between people’s values and integrity and their ambition as well as the practicalities of living in the real world, all wrapped up in a cohesive and engaging plot. The two main characters, Nadia and Jake, were compelling and authentic and their chemistry was palpable on the page. I especially liked the insights into their relationship with their parents as it heavily informed their points of view. I was engrossed and slowed down my reading towards the end as I didn’t want to leave this world. 5 stars!

[BekWilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, easy read!

[Rachel Baillie]

Basically catnip in book form for a corporate square like me. I loved the corporate drama and behind-the-scenes look into the investment industry, very similar to the TV show Industry but without the insane characters. Jake and Nadia were very believable and their romance was so enjoyable to follow along.

[Zoe Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly loved this book

[Becky Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I think I maybe wasn’t going to like this after the first 20 pages or so? Yep. Did I then accidentally stay up until 2:30am utterly captivated to basically inhale the whole story like I had been deprived of oxygen? Also Yep.

[Kirsty (wanderingbookishsoul) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have such strong feelings around this book.

Based in the shady dealings of the corporate world, this story highlights that the road to hell is often paved with good intentions. How do you be a good person in a morally grey world built around profit and greed, without destroying yourself, your life and your career? Can you live with yourself while being complicit in remaining silent and doing nothing to stop it.

This story hits so hard. If you have ever worked in corporate, you know what I mean. Most of us have experienced, at the very least, the tiniest taste between doing the right thing and upsetting the apple cart, and it's not a great feeling. Nadia and Jake present this on a much bigger scale that is far more personal and so much more devastating.

This was a really great read. It speaks to a lot of truths about the world we live I and they are worth knowing and taking on board as we travel through life.

[Gen Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally hit the nail on the head. Me in a book ❤️

[Guy S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good Intentions (2026) is the closest a novel has come (so far) to mirroring my life. Jake Sullivan in particular mirrors many of my biographical details, a hippie family, debating, student journalism, law, Newtown. Nadia less so - but I know Nadia's. People often speak of being comforted by books they can relate to - and I certainly echo that. But I'm not sure Good Intentions is for me.

Every story beat in this novel propels the narrative forward with military-band consistency. The characters never dwell, or reflect, or have small vignettes that are ancillary to the plot but develop characters or themes. Every-time something happens, it emerges into a plot-line. The first big story at the newspaper is the big story. The first big VC deal is the VC deal. The undulations of the plot are entirely contained in those moments, so that it feels the world the characters inhabit is incredibly flat and narrow. It also makes the story predictable, with every beat announcing itself a chapter ahead.

I don't recognise Jake and Nadia at all, particularly Jake. They call each other by their last names like two blokes from Riverview? I thought the side characters, from Camilla (is that her name, Lucille, Michael etc were more clearly depicted). Some character choices only make sense if you read them in a subversive light, like maybe that Felicity didn't like Jake that much anyway and thought she could get rid of him - otherwise her final choice is beyond baffling is the type of ostentatious self-sacrifice to tee-up a story beat that saps a character of texture.

Other scatterbrained thoughts
- The novel tries to place itself in Australia and then jarringly adopts American jargon at points, my job title is ASSOCIATE (would accept tipstaff as well) not clerk.
- Why was the lawyer a caricature of a flamboyant gay man.
- Miles Salvatore, anti-Italian discrimination…?
- Absolutely no way you could pull off a biotech scheme like this one in a country as over-regulated and sclerotic as Australia (which is why this country is awesome)
- Why not just set this at USyd when it is so obviously based there… is that really a legal issue?
- Thought the romantic scenes were a bit flat.
- Everything came too quickly and easily in the journalistic investigations - not enough build-up.
- At random points the author starts writing AFR opinion columns, stood out pretty easily.
- Why is a man of Jake's Sullivans woke credentials using the word 'tosser'

Stuff I liked
- The trivia scene was heartwarming
- I liked when they mentioned Ariana

[Holly S]

This book is one that stays with you after it’s finished. It sits with you. It’s patient while you move on to other reads, yet it has a quiet way of making you remember.

It brings you back to your ideals and beliefs you carried into young adulthood and has you considering if they still align with where things sit today.

It has you looking at news headlines and politics and accepting that that are often far more complex than is ever revealed in words of the story.

We watch Nadia and Jake live this, grapple with it and try and figure out a way through it. We see them navigate their lives through their own good intentions while bearing witness to the destruction in their wake.

The depth of these characters was so authentic it felt lived rather than learned. The story was compelling and complex and incredibly well executed.

Some of my highlights were the cartoons on coffee cups. The therapy cactus. The way our upbringing forms such an indisputable part of who we are and how we see the world. How the moral high ground often carries a cost. Every single thing about Caroline (please Jessy, she needs her own book!)

“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥.”

The same can be said about this book.

And excuse me while I gloat for a minute because I was lucky enough to win this stunning ARC from @macmillanaus which has been carried around everywhere for a couple of weeks and is now showing the telltale signs of being well read and well loved (no dog ears this time I swear!!). Biggest of thanks to Macmillan and Jessy Wu for delivering one of my most memorable reads of the year. 💛

[Joey Chalita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was part of a student publication once, so I was never going to be a neutral reader of this. Wu writes the basement-office years with an accuracy that stings: the deadlines, the certainty that the story you're chasing matters more than anything, the friendships that only make sense as friendships while you're still inside them.

It's a labour of love to the people we meet young at such formative years, and to the lesson that you don't get to understand any of it until much later, years later.

She ends her chapters beautifully. Each one closes on a note she strikes and then lets ring out over everything that came before it. I don't see it done often, or done well, but Wu finds the right key, the right question, the right feeling every time. That's probably part of why a lot of us couldn't put it down.

The Sydneys she builds, awakening from the ideals of youth to the harshness of adulthood and the moral grey of it all where you want to repay parents who gave up more than they'll ever say out loud. You want a house in a city that has already decided you can't have one. You carry debts that aren't strictly yours and feel responsible for them anyway.

So you take the job that pays, you make your own world safe first, and you promise yourself you'll fight the good fight once you're standing on solid ground. That promise is the good intention.

That’s why we knew to connect with our Jake’s the ones that showed us more, the ones that are consistent, the good.

For anyone who has loved and lost, who is/was idealistic in an office without natural lights, this is for you.

So yes, 5 stars. My book of the year.

[Lakinloveslit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gorgeous story. We meet Nadia and Jake when they are University students who work together at the student newspaper. They get a reputation for writing important stories that expose corruption and the like, but behind the scenes they fall in love. They're both offered a cadetship with a major newspaper and Jake is ecstatic at the idea they will continue to break huge stories that cause change, but Nadia is offered an amazing finance job in New York and decides to take it. Jake feels she's selling out, but Nadia feels she can make a change to systems by working on the inside. A decade later, Nadia returns to Australia as an exiled finance hotshot. Jake is a formidable journalist and their paths cross when a biotech visionary's startup becomes Nadia's redemption investment and the subject of Jake's latest investigation.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a fantastic contemporary love story, but I got so much more than I was expecting (in the best way). I would say this is a contemporary fiction novel with a love story at its core, but it's certainly not a romance. It asks some really interesting moral questions and made me think about how everyone has different ideas of what it means to be a good person, and how we can reconcile our own ideas alongside others'. Jake and Nadia both had strong voices and reasons for doing the things they did and I enjoyed getting to read from both POVs. The brief chapters were had from the POV of some of the side characters were also excellent and I think the way this was written was really smart - I almost felt like I was reading a piece of investigative journalism about Jake and Nadia's relationship! There are some beautiful lines in this that really hit me in the feels and I actually found myself putting the book down and just pondering multiple times which is very unlike me! I will admit some of the finance world stuff went right over my head (a finance bro I am not lol) but it was really interesting. Overall I thought this was a beautiful story and it is definitely one I would recommend!

[Kelly Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that sneaks up on you. Good Intentions follows Nadia and Jake from their early connection into very different, high pressure careers, and it really nails that feeling of being young, ambitious, and slowly realizing things aren’t as clear-cut as you thought.
The writing is clean and smart, and you can tell Wu did her homework, especially around journalism and corporate/biotech worlds, which feel realistic without being overwhelming. It adds a lot of weight to the story.
It’s not super dramatic or emotional, more quiet and reflective, but that actually works. The book is more about the messy gray areas, how people justify their choices and what “being good” even means when success is on the line.