See the Penguin Random House NZ books shortlisted for the 2025 NZ Booklovers Awards
We are delighted to share that we have 3 shortlisted books in the 2025 NZ Booklovers Awards
The Space Between by Lauren Keenan is shortlisted for Best Adult Fiction Book, The Night She Fell by Eileen Merriman is shortlisted for Best Young Adult Fiction Book, and Nine Girls by Stacy Gregg for Best Junior Fiction Book.
See what the judges had to say about each book below.
For more information and the full shortlist, visit the NZ Booklovers website
The Space Between Lauren Keenan
In some ways Lauren Keenan (Te Atiawa ki Taranaki) was uniquely qualified to produce this gripping historical novel. A writer in many formats, including creative non-fiction, she has a Master of Arts in Maori History and drew on (among many other resources) her father Dr Danny Keenan’s deep expertise in Taranaki history to tell the story of two women, settler Frances and local Mataria, whose lives become intertwined in surprising ways at the brink of the First Taranaki War in 1860. The excellence of Keenan’s writing is such, the judges agreed, that it is hard to believe this is her first novel, and she skilfully explores themes of love, resilience, and the search for belonging as she depicts people learning to straddle two cultures and shake off the classism – and worse – of Victorian England.’
The Night She Fell Eileen Merriman
‘Beautiful, confident, self-absorbed law student, Ashleigh, falls from the third floor of the flat she shares, and dies. What are the events leading up to her death and who is responsible? These are the questions which haunt this gripping and page-turning YA novel. The reader is taken into the authentically depicted world of university life where students strive for grades and status. Characters are vividly presented, the interactions and conflict between and amongst characters is utterly convincing and the novel is pacy and brim-filled with twists and tension.'
Nine Girls Stacy Gregg
‘When her father loses his job and the family is forced to move from their home in Remuera to Ngaruawahia, Titch experiences the loss of all that has been familiar. At first everything in the town seems strange and Titch longs for her old life back, but gradually, as she connects with whanau and begins to make friends, she begins to feel more at ease in her new life. Discovering her whakapapa and learning about the history of the Waikato and the town, alongside learning what it is to be Maori brings riches she has never before experienced or envisaged. This is a suspense-filled novel, with vivid and intriguing characters, which beautifully blends reality with myth.’
The Space Between by Lauren Keenan has won Best Adult Fiction Book at the 2025 NZ Booklovers Awards.
The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a unique celebration of the contribution New Zealand’s children’s authors and illustrators make to building national identity and cultural heritage.
The NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a unique celebration of the contribution New Zealand’s children’s authors and illustrators make to building national identity and cultural heritage.
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