It's a Bit More Complicated Than That

Author(s): Hannah Marshall

Children & Young Adult | Kete Winter Reading Guide

Zelle and Callum used to be best friends, but they haven't spoken in three years: not since the tragedy that wrenched them apart, and Zelle moved away. But now Zelle is back, and their lives are about to get a whole lot more complicated.


Zelle is in denial about her alcohol use that threatens to spiral out of control, and she's deeply annoyed at having to leave the city. Callum's future is thrown into jeopardy after both a disastrous uni interview and his budding romance turning sour. But they can't keep running from the past forever, and circumstances force them to examine their grief and guilt and find a way through.


 With beautifully assured story-telling, this is an emotionally tense page turner that leaves you on the edge of your seat.

General Information

  • : 9781991006943
  • : A&U Children's NZ
  • : A&U Children's NZ
  • : 17 June 2025
  • : books

Other Specifications

  • : Hannah Marshall
  • : Paperback
  • : English
  • : 320

More About The Product

Winner of the Best Unpublished Author manuscript in the Storylines Tessa Duder YA Prize 2024

'Prickly, messy, deeply human characters.' Rachael Craw, bestselling author

Hannah Marshall has an MA in Creative Writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. She's been a winner of the Maurice Gee Prize in Children's Writing and a recipient of an NZSA CompleteMS Manuscript Assessment, and she won the Best Unpublished Author category in the Storylines Tessa Duder YA Award 2024. It's a Bit More Complicated Than That is her first novel.