Genevieve Novak
No Hard Feelings
“No Hard Feelings is clever, funny and surprisingly sweet, and Penny captured my heart”
Harper Collins, 2022
Hungover, underpaid and overwhelmed, this isn't where Penny expected to be as she reached her late twenties. A sharp, smart and witty look at adulting - Fleabag meets Sorrow and Bliss with a splash of Dolly Alderton.
I exist on validation from emotionally unavailable men, biscuits, and cheap wine, and it's easier to get off with Max than a Tiny Teddy.
Penny can't help but compare herself to her friends. Annie is about to become a senior associate at her law firm, Bec has just got engaged, Leo is dating everyone this side of the Yarra, and Penny is just ... waiting. Waiting for Max, her on-again, off-again boyfriend, to allow her to spend the night, waiting for the promotion she was promised, waiting for her Valium to kick in. Waiting for her real life to start.
Out of excuses and sick of falling behind, Penny is determined to turn things around. She's going to make it work with Max, impress her tyrannical boss, quit seeing her useless therapist, remember to water her plants, and stop having panic attacks in the work toilets.
But soon she's back to doomscrolling on Instagram, necking bottles of Aldi's finest sauvignon blanc, and criticising herself with renewed vigour and loathing. As her goals seem further away than ever, she has to wonder: when bad habits feel so good, how do you trust what's right for you?
Genevieve Novak is a writer from Melbourne. She writes romantic comedies, content, and really long text messages. While studying creative writing at the University of Adelaide, she wrote essays, fiction, and film and music reviews for student magazine On Dit. She has worked as a copywriter, social media manager, and producer at various marketing agencies and public and private sector organisations in Adelaide, Sydney, and Melbourne. Genevieve loves croissants, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joni Mitchell, stories about complicated women and female friendships, and her dog, Viktor. She always has dog hair on her clothes. She hates being called Gen and has been on a lot of bad dates.
