Amra Pajalic

‘The Good Daughter is a delightful, honest novel about identity and friendship. I’ve just found out from the author’s website that there will be a sequel and I absolutely can’t wait to read it!‘ Chicklish review

‘Sammie has quite a distinctive voice, which stands strong throughout the novel and despite the culturally-centric themes of the story, Sammie is such an identifiable character and easily endears herself to the reader. I also really enjoyed reading about the friendship of Sammie, Brian and Jesse, especially the way their friendship largely stemmed from a love of books and reading.’ Girl Friday review

‘Despite my concerns that this might be jumping on the band wagon of recent young-Muslim-women-growing-up-in-the-West novels, The Good Daughter is readable, the coming-of-age plot is fresh, and the secondary plots are relatively substantive…The Good Daughter is certainly accessible to a wider audience, and I’m interested to see what she writes next.‘ THE BOOKISH BLOG

‘Serious teen fiction at its best. Honest and unique with characters that are both realistic in their portrayal as well as being extremely likable…The Good Daughter is written with contemporary class, simple yet extremely effective at telling the story…There are a lot of dark themes hidden throughout this clever, humorous story. Things such as mental illness and sex play major parts in the development of the story so I would recommend it to readers over fifteen. However, Pajalic has written in such a way that such themes are not as confronting (and disturbing) as other novels of this genre.’ Sharnie, 16, Gold Creek School

‘The Good Daughter would be excellent for class study as it concerns matters of modern Australian multiculturalism, the question of belonging and issues of identity. Many school students will relate to Sabiha’s situation, and many more could learn from the novel about the immigrant experience, developing an understanding of the Muslim culture and the tolerance necessary in a multicultural society.’ FICTION FOCUS

‘The Good Daughter is alternately hilarious and insightful, touching not just on issues of identity and mental illness, but also on bullying, homosexuality, teen relationships and more, with a voice and plot which teens will engage with.’ AUSSIE REVIEWS

‘Pajalic takes on a weighty issues without being heavy-handed. She knows what she’s writing about and as a result the story comes across as sincere and insightful… Much like the work of fellow young adult authors Melina Marchetta and Randa Abdel-Fattah (both of whom provide glowing endorsements on the book’s cover), The Good Daughter offers a glimpse int one of the many communities that make up Australia’s rich and often confusing multicultural population. It’s a promising debut from a writer who should only get better as her confidence grows.’ SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

‘ Throughout the novel, Sammy grows in sensitivity in her insight into herself and others; we too gain insight into her mother’s struggles with personal relationships, exacerbated by her bi-polar condition, as well as the struggle to be accepted by a community of Bosnian refugees, themselves in search of a new identity…An engaging read.‘ READ PLUS BLOG

‘The Good Daughter is a candid, insightful story and a realistic portrayal of a teenager in crisis.’ MAGPIES

‘A funny and challenging debut novel that has been described as the Bosnian answer to Looking for Ali Brandi.” “The Good Daughter is a gritty and enjoyable novel, at times unflinching and dramatic.’ CANBERRA TIMES

‘The Good Daughter is the debut novel from new Melbourne author Amra Pajalic and it’s one you won’t want to miss! It’s a funny and honest story about Sahiba, a teen girl growing up in Melbourne’s western suburbs who’s trying to deal with family traditions and her own desire to do what she wants. (5 stars).’ GIRLFRIEND MAGAZINE

‘..a great challenging story… A great read.’ BOOKS AND READING BLOG

‘Amra Pajalic writes with such honesty every young adult will empathise with her… While dealing with some ordinary “stuff” Pajalic’s observations are sincere and often hilarious.’ BENDIGO ADVERTISER

‘This multi-cultural story is frustrating, funny and sad with an ending that promises there is still much more to tell about Sabiha’s life. I hope so. Loved it. Want more!‘ THE READING STACK

‘Insightful… A spirited debut novel.’ HERALD SUN

‘Written with a light and comic touch… Pajalic brings a fresh voice to Australian Young Adult fiction through a funny, endearing, tough and ultimately resilient, first-person narrator.’ VIEWPOINT

‘Rewarding, poignant and occasionally chuckle-out-loud funny.’ BOOKS BUZZ

‘Pajalic has written a uniquely Australian tale about grappling with teenage-dom. This could be stockstanded YA fare but it isn’t. She’s depicted a world in all it’s glory with a honesty and humour that compelled me.’ PERSNICKETY SNARK BLOG

‘A raw and honest story about duty and the desire to run free. A strong new voice in Australian fiction.’
MELINA MARCHETTA

‘I love The Good Daughter. It had me in stitches. Hilarious, poignant, gutsy and real.’ RANDA ABDEL-FATTAH

‘Funny, sharp and insightful.’ SIMMONE HOWELL