What do you think?
Rate this book
Worry Doll
From the author of the acclaimed Cherry Beach comes a thrilling exploration of love and desire — obsessive, all-consuming, and impossible to look away from.
On an ordinary day, two women meet on a train.
Heloise — the older woman — lives with her boyfriend in Melbourne.
Lacey — the other woman — is from Aotearoa and studies the clouds.
What follows is anything but ordinary, a passionate affair that will consume them both in mismatched and maddening ways.
Propulsive and lyrical, Worry Doll examines desire, memory, and the delusion of love.
On an ordinary day, two women meet on a train.
Heloise — the older woman — lives with her boyfriend in Melbourne.
Lacey — the other woman — is from Aotearoa and studies the clouds.
What follows is anything but ordinary, a passionate affair that will consume them both in mismatched and maddening ways.
Propulsive and lyrical, Worry Doll examines desire, memory, and the delusion of love.
210 pages, Paperback
Published June 30, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 335 reviews
June 12, 2026
I finished this book and immediately found myself asking whether I actually liked any part of it.
The answer is… not really.
The first half is told from Heloise’s perspective, and I found her absolutely exhausting to spend time with. Not in a fascinating train wreck kind of way. Not in a morally messy but compelling kind of way. I just genuinely disliked being in her head. Every interaction made me cringe, and I spent most of Part One wishing I was reading a different book.
Things improved somewhat when the story shifted to Lacey’s perspective, mostly because I found her more tolerable, but I still wouldn’t say I enjoyed reading it. By that point, I wasn’t invested in the relationship, and I wasn’t particularly interested in where the story was heading.
The ending didn’t help. Between the conflicting versions of events, the strange sexual encounter, the knife fantasy, and the baby tooth, I finished the book more confused than satisfied. Not confused in an intriguing way that made me want to think about it for days afterward. Confused in a “what was the point of all that?” kind of way.
I know this book will work for some readers, especially those who enjoy ambiguous literary fiction and deeply uncomfortable character studies. Unfortunately, I spent most of my time either irritated, uncomfortable, or bored.
This one was not for me.
The answer is… not really.
The first half is told from Heloise’s perspective, and I found her absolutely exhausting to spend time with. Not in a fascinating train wreck kind of way. Not in a morally messy but compelling kind of way. I just genuinely disliked being in her head. Every interaction made me cringe, and I spent most of Part One wishing I was reading a different book.
Things improved somewhat when the story shifted to Lacey’s perspective, mostly because I found her more tolerable, but I still wouldn’t say I enjoyed reading it. By that point, I wasn’t invested in the relationship, and I wasn’t particularly interested in where the story was heading.
The ending didn’t help. Between the conflicting versions of events, the strange sexual encounter, the knife fantasy, and the baby tooth, I finished the book more confused than satisfied. Not confused in an intriguing way that made me want to think about it for days afterward. Confused in a “what was the point of all that?” kind of way.
I know this book will work for some readers, especially those who enjoy ambiguous literary fiction and deeply uncomfortable character studies. Unfortunately, I spent most of my time either irritated, uncomfortable, or bored.
This one was not for me.
August 25, 2026
Australian 'weird' literary fic of this ilk is to me that cousin. You know the one, the child of a shitty aunt or uncle. You watch them try, do their best with what they're given, but there comes a point where you simply cannot make excuses for them.
The Australian publishing industry is a hellscape on all fronts. So much talent, so little support. Pass-the-parcel stories; short fiction and essays padded into novellas which are then stretched into that minimum word count that equals novel — sellable, hopefully.
Is this the case for Worry Doll? idk, but why else was this the way it was. Not long enough to give either perspective the development these characters and their relationships deserve. Too long to rely on evocative descriptions and vague inferences. It was a slog to get through 200 pages of this.
Intimacy and desire alter reality. Two women with vastly different recollections of their relationship. Who to believe? I love narratives of this kind, where 'truth' is malleable or maybe non-existent. But this novel entirely lacked a spark.
For some reason I keep thinking of that David Lynch interview. where he talks about how suffering hinders creativity. I could not feel any love in this writing, and it lacked an energy because of this. What I felt was an overwhelming fatigue, in the words themselves and the experience of reading them. The vagueness didn't even allow for catharsis. This disconnect was most obvious in the moments I did feel love and longing — in the women's relationship with their respective parents. I thought these moments were beautiful, and earnestly trying to figure something out. What it's like to watch your parent change and grow; to slow and falter, whilst still experiencing such newness of life. The guilt and tension in that.
I think my issue ultimately comes down to perceiving this as an attempt at perfect, and not pure expression. Sentences felt constructed to be dissected, by creative writing classes or paper reviews. The explicit sex was not erotic, the bodily descriptions fell flat, and the danger of the first section was entirely diffused in the second by a sequence of inconsequential events. I actually think I would have appreciated this more if the sections were flipped.
Can a writer write vulnerable, messy, risky characters if they themselves don't seem willing to give up control? Unfortunately in Australia publishers will not, often cannot, afford the hazard of legitimately challenging writing. The push is towards marketability and not creativity. The result is talent stuck in limbo. Writers and editors at the mercy of Bookscan.
A novel of desire that lacks danger. Pretty but pointless. That about sums up this book.
The Australian publishing industry is a hellscape on all fronts. So much talent, so little support. Pass-the-parcel stories; short fiction and essays padded into novellas which are then stretched into that minimum word count that equals novel — sellable, hopefully.
Is this the case for Worry Doll? idk, but why else was this the way it was. Not long enough to give either perspective the development these characters and their relationships deserve. Too long to rely on evocative descriptions and vague inferences. It was a slog to get through 200 pages of this.
Intimacy and desire alter reality. Two women with vastly different recollections of their relationship. Who to believe? I love narratives of this kind, where 'truth' is malleable or maybe non-existent. But this novel entirely lacked a spark.
For some reason I keep thinking of that David Lynch interview. where he talks about how suffering hinders creativity. I could not feel any love in this writing, and it lacked an energy because of this. What I felt was an overwhelming fatigue, in the words themselves and the experience of reading them. The vagueness didn't even allow for catharsis. This disconnect was most obvious in the moments I did feel love and longing — in the women's relationship with their respective parents. I thought these moments were beautiful, and earnestly trying to figure something out. What it's like to watch your parent change and grow; to slow and falter, whilst still experiencing such newness of life. The guilt and tension in that.
I think my issue ultimately comes down to perceiving this as an attempt at perfect, and not pure expression. Sentences felt constructed to be dissected, by creative writing classes or paper reviews. The explicit sex was not erotic, the bodily descriptions fell flat, and the danger of the first section was entirely diffused in the second by a sequence of inconsequential events. I actually think I would have appreciated this more if the sections were flipped.
Can a writer write vulnerable, messy, risky characters if they themselves don't seem willing to give up control? Unfortunately in Australia publishers will not, often cannot, afford the hazard of legitimately challenging writing. The push is towards marketability and not creativity. The result is talent stuck in limbo. Writers and editors at the mercy of Bookscan.
A novel of desire that lacks danger. Pretty but pointless. That about sums up this book.
July 1, 2026
I can’t articulate my feelings as I read these meaty, hefty, layered and overwhelmingly raw reads. They hit as they are designed. It reads as purely women.
I think of these: *The Knowing Madeleine Ryan. *How to Love The World Ilka Tampke. *Consider Yourself Kissed Jessica Stanley. They just know how to do it.
These female protagonists know their bodies, even if completely enmeshed, entangled and complicated. Confused, overwrought and unstable.
A completely consuming tale of, I can’t even say obsession, I’ll defer to the blurb and mention these two adjectives, mismatched and maddening. The narrative took a bend toward a woman I wasn’t expecting to hear from, and her back story. Continually full on.
Sometimes these stories confuse me a little, then I reflect that when I was the authors age we just didn’t know ourselves like this (I shouldn’t generalise), but reading creates my own looking back, to ponder and learn. This is what it’s about.
Smart and expectedly graphic, I also like that Laura knows how to write sex like she’s not even trying, I guess you could say this writing is unapologetically real.
I don’t think an average Goodreads rating counts with titles like this. The stories push boundaries and I believe they are nor compelled to fit the mould and nor they should.
Thank you, Scribe, for always holding us in the upper echelon of the arts with work such as this.
I think of these: *The Knowing Madeleine Ryan. *How to Love The World Ilka Tampke. *Consider Yourself Kissed Jessica Stanley. They just know how to do it.
These female protagonists know their bodies, even if completely enmeshed, entangled and complicated. Confused, overwrought and unstable.
A completely consuming tale of, I can’t even say obsession, I’ll defer to the blurb and mention these two adjectives, mismatched and maddening. The narrative took a bend toward a woman I wasn’t expecting to hear from, and her back story. Continually full on.
Sometimes these stories confuse me a little, then I reflect that when I was the authors age we just didn’t know ourselves like this (I shouldn’t generalise), but reading creates my own looking back, to ponder and learn. This is what it’s about.
Smart and expectedly graphic, I also like that Laura knows how to write sex like she’s not even trying, I guess you could say this writing is unapologetically real.
I don’t think an average Goodreads rating counts with titles like this. The stories push boundaries and I believe they are nor compelled to fit the mould and nor they should.
Thank you, Scribe, for always holding us in the upper echelon of the arts with work such as this.
June 6, 2026
What an odd little book. Did some binge reading and devoured this in a day!! Following the two sides of a sapphic affair this dabbled with ideas of self perception, fidelity, relationships, and most importantly obsession. I found this very easy to read- almost too easy in the sense that i did find the narrator monotonous- but it did hook me especially in regard to its genre. It’s more so fascinating to see the perspective shift from this relationship, almost like your eyes open but as the reader we still remain suspicious of reliability… A fun freaky read to kick off June happy pride!!!!
June 24, 2026
Review to come but I really don’t understand the 2.95 rating.
THE WHOLE BOOK IS ABOUT YEARNING AND MEMORY AND HOW DANGEROUS OTHER PEOLPE CAN FEEL!
DAMMIT PEOPLE IT’S A MASTERPIECE! I’m crashing out.
THE WHOLE BOOK IS ABOUT YEARNING AND MEMORY AND HOW DANGEROUS OTHER PEOLPE CAN FEEL!
DAMMIT PEOPLE IT’S A MASTERPIECE! I’m crashing out.
July 25, 2026
Was really hoping we’d find out where she put that damn ice cream
April 28, 2026
give me a book about queer obsession with an unreliable narrator and i am so there. i went into this relatively blind, my only understanding of the plot being that it follows the affair between two women who meet by chance on a train in melbourne. i don’t often pay too much attention to epigraphs in books, but the choice to have a quote from beverly farmer’s ‘alone’ really struck me having only read that book two or three months ago. it feels incredibly fitting for a novel that similarly follows a woman’s slow spiral as the result of a lesbian relationship. the second half of the book, written from the perspective of the younger, less involved woman in the dynamic really changed my understanding of the ‘truth’ of the other woman’s perspective, which is the first one we are given.
June 12, 2026
sapphic weird girl lit with EXTREMELY unreliable narrators. perfect pride month read imo
June 28, 2026
Respectfully wtf
July 24, 2026
I cannot overstate how awful this book is. I would have DNFed it early on and with great relish, except that I lack sufficient self-preservation and/or self-respect to DNF books. And it only got worse as I kept reading, not better.
Review of advance copy
Genuinely don’t know what to rate this. This took me so long to get through, and it was such a short book! It was really slow at times and just sadly not the most interesting. When it would get pretty good the chapter would wrap up and then something new would start up.
I liked the second part better but then it lost me 😭 I wanted to like this, the description seemed good but it just fell short.
I liked the second part better but then it lost me 😭 I wanted to like this, the description seemed good but it just fell short.
June 16, 2026
i am obsessed with this book. two unreliable narrators who are both intriguing and off-putting. brilliantly crafted metaphors. a general vibe that is somehow both calming and chaotic. gay. truly no idea what the ending is supposed to mean but i am here for it
August 23, 2026
Honestly, I have no idea what I've just read. I would have DNFd if it wasn't only 200 pages long.
Maybe I'm just not the audience for this book or don't understand it, but it felt like the book was trying to say something and ultimately ended up saying nothing. If there was a message in there somewhere, it went over my head.
Not for me, sorry.
*editing to 2 stars as the writing style was unique and stood out.
Here's a spoiler TL;DR of the whole book for anyone who's curious:
Maybe I'm just not the audience for this book or don't understand it, but it felt like the book was trying to say something and ultimately ended up saying nothing. If there was a message in there somewhere, it went over my head.
Not for me, sorry.
*editing to 2 stars as the writing style was unique and stood out.
Here's a spoiler TL;DR of the whole book for anyone who's curious:
June 20, 2026
This is a book about a stalker and somehow it still manages to be boring. Also, I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you don’t need to tell your readers every single time a character changes her tampon. They can just assume she’s doing so in a timely fashion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2026
This was the book of the month for a subscription I have and I would hate to have to read anything it beat to be that book.
Worry Dolls is not something I would ever choose to read but I’ve been in this situation and actually really enjoyed being exposed to something different. Not in this case. This story was full of unnecessary words and the words that were necessary were placed in an order that was almost unreadable.
To be frank, I’m not sure what this book was trying to say. If it was a study of the impact of unrequited love on fragile mental health, it missed the mark. By a long way. And the ending was beyond weird. It was ridiculous.
Fingers crossed for next month’s book being a lot better.
Worry Dolls is not something I would ever choose to read but I’ve been in this situation and actually really enjoyed being exposed to something different. Not in this case. This story was full of unnecessary words and the words that were necessary were placed in an order that was almost unreadable.
To be frank, I’m not sure what this book was trying to say. If it was a study of the impact of unrequited love on fragile mental health, it missed the mark. By a long way. And the ending was beyond weird. It was ridiculous.
Fingers crossed for next month’s book being a lot better.
June 7, 2026
when this book showed up on my doorstep, i couldn’t stop myself from instantly picking it up. i am forever grateful that book of the month had this as a june selection, so i could read this book before its release.
this novel is heartbreaking, mind-bending, and beautifully poetic. this is “lesbian weird girl lit fic” at its finest. i am enamored with this story and the author’s style.
i love how we see both sides of the story, and how drastically different they are. it is angering and completely understandable at the same time.
the cover really enticed me, and this book beyond lived up to my expectations.
this novel is heartbreaking, mind-bending, and beautifully poetic. this is “lesbian weird girl lit fic” at its finest. i am enamored with this story and the author’s style.
i love how we see both sides of the story, and how drastically different they are. it is angering and completely understandable at the same time.
the cover really enticed me, and this book beyond lived up to my expectations.
Review of advance copy
To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I got this book from Book of the Month, and it was marketed to me as a weird-girl sapphic literary novel with an unreliable narrator. Sapphic? Yes. Weird girl lit? Not really. And unreliable narrator? Not if we are going by the fundamental principles of what an unreliable narrator is supposed to be and how that operates as a literary device.
Weird girl lit fic is a genre I respect and am often interested in, even when the book is a miss for me. It is supposed to serve as a way for female characters to break the molds of what has been prescribed for them in the literary canon and often make a comment on the portrayal of women in the media landscape. A standard affair novel is not what I, personally, would describe as weird girl lit. There are ways to do it, but this felt more like a straightforward affair story.
What really drew me in was the unreliable narrator marketing point. Unreliable narrators have created some of my favorite characters and books to date- The Secret History, The Great Gatsby, and Gone Girl, to name a few. The unreliable narrator is a challenging literary device; it is meant to constantly bait and keep the reader guessing about what is fact and fiction while being presented primarily from the narrator's perspective. It is much harder to have an unreliable third-person perspective, and I think that is where it fell short in this book. I think both Heloise and Lacy would have benefited more from a first-person perspective, especially if Heloise is supposed to serve as our unreliable narrator. There weren't any points during her section that made me question whether she was reliable or not, because we didn't see her interactions with others that caused the logic to fracture. So when we shift to Lacy, we learn that many things were false in Heloise's perspective, but rather than confirming any doubts, we were just given information to fill in the blanks we didn't know existed.
I think if we played up the stalkerish aspect that started from the very end, it would have led more toward the unreliable narrator and weird girl lit that was in the book's marketing, at least from BOTM's perspective. And I think it would have shown us more into Heloise’s mindset and seen who she was. If we had her doing more than just texting in her narrative before we switched to Lacy, it would have raised readers' concerns about her and her memories and reality. That part was very interesting and would have added an extra layer to the standard affair story.
One other thing about the book that is a criticism I have a these types of weird girl lit books and maybe is more of a pet peeve or personal issue I have because I've not seen many critqiue it, but I find some of the ways they describe the female autonomy to be off putting at times as if they are trying to make it sound strange, for lack of better words, to make the book sound weirder and more out there. It just doesn't sit right with me with some of the ways the female body and automoy is described a couple of times in this book.
Weird girl lit fic is a genre I respect and am often interested in, even when the book is a miss for me. It is supposed to serve as a way for female characters to break the molds of what has been prescribed for them in the literary canon and often make a comment on the portrayal of women in the media landscape. A standard affair novel is not what I, personally, would describe as weird girl lit. There are ways to do it, but this felt more like a straightforward affair story.
What really drew me in was the unreliable narrator marketing point. Unreliable narrators have created some of my favorite characters and books to date- The Secret History, The Great Gatsby, and Gone Girl, to name a few. The unreliable narrator is a challenging literary device; it is meant to constantly bait and keep the reader guessing about what is fact and fiction while being presented primarily from the narrator's perspective. It is much harder to have an unreliable third-person perspective, and I think that is where it fell short in this book. I think both Heloise and Lacy would have benefited more from a first-person perspective, especially if Heloise is supposed to serve as our unreliable narrator. There weren't any points during her section that made me question whether she was reliable or not, because we didn't see her interactions with others that caused the logic to fracture. So when we shift to Lacy, we learn that many things were false in Heloise's perspective, but rather than confirming any doubts, we were just given information to fill in the blanks we didn't know existed.
I think if we played up the stalkerish aspect that started from the very end, it would have led more toward the unreliable narrator and weird girl lit that was in the book's marketing, at least from BOTM's perspective. And I think it would have shown us more into Heloise’s mindset and seen who she was. If we had her doing more than just texting in her narrative before we switched to Lacy, it would have raised readers' concerns about her and her memories and reality. That part was very interesting and would have added an extra layer to the standard affair story.
One other thing about the book that is a criticism I have a these types of weird girl lit books and maybe is more of a pet peeve or personal issue I have because I've not seen many critqiue it, but I find some of the ways they describe the female autonomy to be off putting at times as if they are trying to make it sound strange, for lack of better words, to make the book sound weirder and more out there. It just doesn't sit right with me with some of the ways the female body and automoy is described a couple of times in this book.
September 15, 2026
Odd and hot
Read
June 28, 2026erm....... i got so bored i read an entire fantasy book in the middle of this.... i thought the first part was ok, kind of like the 10-year affair but less good, i like that the protagonist didn't care to have all the answers, she was in this questioning space, trying to understand herself, her feelings, etc. obviously she's unlikeable and the relationship w/ Lacey seems really fishy to start with. i wasn't loving it but it was okay. then the second part lost me. lacey's mind was so annoying........ i love a lost person and a plotless book as much as the next girl but this was next level. and then it just got weird and creepy, but not in a way i found interesting. it was just a bit too boring for me. no stakes. also didn't love the writing.
June 14, 2026
I really tried to think about if I enjoyed even a small section of this book and I really don’t think I did. There was never a moment where this story hooked me. Despite only being 200 pages in length it felt like such a slog. The story never really seems to have any progress and even at the end I’m very unsure of why any of the events that occurred did or if I could say there even really were events. It was mostly just reading a very long form laundry list of daily activities and just really was a chore to read. Definitely disappointing.
Kudos to whoever designed the cover though, really solid art.
Kudos to whoever designed the cover though, really solid art.
August 22, 2026
3.75 stars I think - really liked the first half, second half took me longer to get through (until the very end). Loooove an unreliable narrator, humans really really are alone in our experiences, no one will ever perceive shared experiences the same and that is a little scary but I found it so intriguing to read. The ending however was ????
July 31, 2026
2.75⭐️ I don’t really know tbh. I don’t think I can think of a person I would actually recommend this to. Both too much and not enough going on, and just so unclear what the fuck was even happening by the end??
July 31, 2026
meh. i’m honestly not sure if i liked any of this😭 i finished it kind of confused?
June 23, 2026
Super boring story, super boring characters. Bummer
July 3, 2026
I am so bummed because the first part of the book was actually so good, but the second part was very confusing and the ending!? Even more confusing.
July 26, 2026
Appreciated how Wellington and Melbourne-coded the story was, easy read but bit too delulu for me
Did Not Finish
August 4, 2026I did not care for these characters and the story was just a lot of words that basically say nothing
July 21, 2026
2.75 Stars ----
Hmmmm. I'm not really sure how to rate this, a 3 feels to high but a 2.5 feels to harsh. I think the main problem I have with this is that it really walks the line between normal and weird girl lit. If you are a lover of the weird girl lit genre, this will not be weird enough for you. If you like normal litfic, it is a bit strange, maybe a bit uncomfortable. Unfortunately in this case, I am a weird girl lit LOVER and this just didn't do it for me.
The first character, Eloise, was written far stronger IMO. She was morally questionable, strange, unreliable narrator situation. I would have taken a whole book just from her perspective. I was disappointed when we switched over to Lacy for the rest of the book because I felt she was a bit boring. I don't think her character was written or fleshed out as well as Eloise. Any suspense from Eloise completely dissipated through Lacy's story and its kinda insane to say that considering she was literally getting stalked. It just wasn't written well :( The book would have been a solid 3.5-4 if the whole story had centred around Eloise, not every book needs to do the split perspective thing!!!
Hmmmm. I'm not really sure how to rate this, a 3 feels to high but a 2.5 feels to harsh. I think the main problem I have with this is that it really walks the line between normal and weird girl lit. If you are a lover of the weird girl lit genre, this will not be weird enough for you. If you like normal litfic, it is a bit strange, maybe a bit uncomfortable. Unfortunately in this case, I am a weird girl lit LOVER and this just didn't do it for me.
The first character, Eloise, was written far stronger IMO. She was morally questionable, strange, unreliable narrator situation. I would have taken a whole book just from her perspective. I was disappointed when we switched over to Lacy for the rest of the book because I felt she was a bit boring. I don't think her character was written or fleshed out as well as Eloise. Any suspense from Eloise completely dissipated through Lacy's story and its kinda insane to say that considering she was literally getting stalked. It just wasn't written well :( The book would have been a solid 3.5-4 if the whole story had centred around Eloise, not every book needs to do the split perspective thing!!!
Read
July 4, 2026Book of the Month Pick:
This book is a bit of a “slow burn” which is to say that it’s kinda boring. It’s about two women who hook up and leave with differing versions of events, and just as importantly, differing levels of patheticness. I think this has some interesting things to say about sex and the body, but I really struggle to come away with anything about fidelity or monogamy or identity that is interesting or novel. It takes chapters to establish what Tyler, The Creator said in like 3 minutes. There are a lot of these sort of “fake deep” lines. Like a good number of paragraphs here end like: “The saltine cracker fell on the floor. And in a way, that was life: it could break into a million pieces with just a little force.” I was entertained for a lot of this but then it just ends. Just like this here review
This book is a bit of a “slow burn” which is to say that it’s kinda boring. It’s about two women who hook up and leave with differing versions of events, and just as importantly, differing levels of patheticness. I think this has some interesting things to say about sex and the body, but I really struggle to come away with anything about fidelity or monogamy or identity that is interesting or novel. It takes chapters to establish what Tyler, The Creator said in like 3 minutes. There are a lot of these sort of “fake deep” lines. Like a good number of paragraphs here end like: “The saltine cracker fell on the floor. And in a way, that was life: it could break into a million pieces with just a little force.” I was entertained for a lot of this but then it just ends. Just like this here review
Displaying 1 - 30 of 335 reviews