1
of
1
Lila Mackay is Very Misunderstood
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 23 ratings, 10 reviews)
Brief Description
The No.1 bestselling author of the Why Mummy series is back with her very first book for young YA readers! 📔📚💜📔📚💜📔📚💜 Fourteen-year-old Emily is gloomily spending the summer with her mum’s best friend Uncle Tom, helping him renovate his house, instead of being at home hoping...
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2000
$2299
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY
Found a better price? Request a price match
Lila Mackay is Very Misunderstood
$2000
$2299
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
The No.1 bestselling author of the Why Mummy series is back with her very first book for young YA readers! 📔📚💜📔📚💜📔📚💜
New for 2025, the hilarious diary-style clean teen romance comedy – the first YA novel from Sunday Times best-selling author of The Why Mummy series
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
The No.1 bestselling author of the Why Mummy series is back with her very first book for young YA readers! 📔📚💜📔📚💜📔📚💜
Fourteen-year-old Emily is gloomily spending the summer with her mum’s best friend Uncle Tom, helping him renovate his house, instead of being at home hoping the gorgeous Toby will ask her out. Worse, she’s broken her phone and left her iPad at her dad’s house. How is she supposed to survive without her tech, her BFF and her social life? No one understands her despair, least of all the boomers.
Then she finds her mum’s old diary. MASSIVE CRINGE. But as Emily starts to read, she’s stunned to discover that her mum was once a teenager too. A nineties teenager called Lila MacKay, who was VERY MISUNDERSTOOD. It’s a long-forgotten era of weird fashions, TV shows and music Emily’s never heard of. There are boys too, notably cute Park Boy Tom and her mum’s dorky neighbour Weird Nicky. And as she becomes more and more invested in Lila’s teenage life, Emily begins to wonder if perhaps she and her mother are not so different after all…
Perfect for fans of Geek Girl and readers who are that next age up from Lottie Brooks.
Readers LOVE Lila Mackay is Very Misunderstood!
“I can't wait to find out what happens next for Lila as I know there are more diaries to read! Perfect for fans of Lottie Brooks. I was looking for a new series to get into!!” – Nia, 13
“Absolutely brilliant!"
“Every time I put it down, my 16-year-old daughter picks it up and reads it!”
“I am clearly not the demographic for this novel (but can identify greatly with it as I was a teenager in the nineties) – however, my daughter IS, and she genuinely really, really loves it!"
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780008513788
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 14 August 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Electric Monkey
Audience: Teenage
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 22.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 240g
Pages: 352
About the Author
Gill Sims is the author and illustrator of the hugely successful parenting blog and Facebook site 'Peter and Jane'. She lives in Scotland with her husband, two children and a recalcitrant rescue Border Terrier, who rules the house. Gill's interests include drinking wine, wasting time on social media, trying and failing to recapture her lost youth and looking for the dog when he decides to go on one of his regular jaunts.
Also by Gill Sims
View all-
Why Mummy Drinks at Christmas
I romped through Why Mummy Drinks at Christmas, and I absolutely adored it – Jilly Cooper Tis’ the season to get trollied! Mummy has always loved Christmas. Sure, the kids turn into demons, the dinner gets burnt to a crisp and Aunt Louisa’s general staggering inappropriateness sends Mummy reaching for the nearest maximum-strength festive tipple, but nevertheless, for her, Christmas...Paperback$2399Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Why Mummy Drinks
The smash hit Sunday Times bestseller. Tuesday 8th SeptemberFirst day back at school. I am going to 100% nail being a school mummy this year. I can totally do this. Yes, this year is definitely going to be much better – I am absolutely not going to shout at the children, let them stuff their faces with crisps or goggle...Paperback$2200Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Why Mummy Swears
The hilarious second novel, and Sunday Times No 1 Bestseller, from the author of the smash hit Why Mummy Drinks. Monday, 25 July The first day of the holidays. I suppose it could’ve been worse. I brightly announced that perhaps it might be a lovely idea to go to a stately home and learn about some history. As soon as...PaperbackSold Out
More from Young Adult
View all-
New ReleaseSong of the Saltings
On the isolated island of Brack, the people live by an ancient bargain: every year, a sacrifice must be made to the Glimm, the creature that haunts the salt marshes. Eight years ago, it should have taken Lotta. Instead, the monster spared her and claimed her pony, shattering tradition and anointing her both folk hero and object of suspicion. Now...Paperback$2499Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseTell Me with Kisses
From New York Times bestselling author and Wattpad sensation Mercedes Ron comes the English translation of the third in the Tell Me series, where Kamila Hamilton is caught between the two Di Bianco brothers after they burst back into her life. From New York Times bestselling author and Wattpad sensation Mercedes Ron comes the English translation of the third in...Paperback$2399Elsewhere:$2800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Release Me
The searing second volume in a new series set in the #1 global bestselling Shatter Me universe ten years after the fall of The Reestablishment. Rosabelle Wolff had a plan. Now she wants revenge. To save her sister she needs to get back home and destroy the system that created her. Rosabelle’s greatest strength is her ability to deaden her...$2200Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
A Language of Dragons
The most exciting debut of 2025 – an incredible fantasy Dark Academia, perfect for fans of Babel, Fourth Wing, and the Scholomance trilogy. EVERY FIRE STARTS WITH A SINGLE SPARK. Welcome to Bletchley Park… with dragons. London, 1923. Dragons soar through the skies and protests erupt on the streets, but Vivien Featherswallow isn’t worried. She’s going to follow the rules,...Paperback$1700Elsewhere:$2299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Shatter Me: Shatter Me series 1
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is a gripping dystopian novel that plunges readers into a world where society is on the brink of collapse. At the heart of this chaos is Juliette, a 17-year-old girl with a fatal touch—literally. For 264 days, Juliette has been imprisoned in solitary confinement, her only crime being an accidental touch that resulted in death....Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Cozy Corner
Relax and unwind with this adorable colouring book – it’s time to get cozy! Step into a world of calm and comfort with Cozy Corner, featuring 45 beautiful hand-drawn pages ready for you to colour in. Settle into your very own cozy corner with these brand new colouring pages! This follow-up to Coco Wyo's beloved Little Corner promises a new...Paperback$1700Elsewhere:$2100Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Bunny vs Monkey: The Great Big Glitch (a Phoenix Comic Book): the instant number one bestselling book from Jamie Smart, Illustrator of the Year
When Bunny, Monkey and friends discover a glitch in reality, life gets even crazier than normal: Bunny declares himself The Woods' Magical Protector, Pig becomes a superspy, plus there's complete metal Monkey mayhem! Experience the laughs and chaos in Bunny vs Monkey: The Great Big Glitch (a Phoenix Comic Book), the instant number one bestselling book from Jamie Smart, Illustrator...Paperback$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Summer I Turned Pretty
The Summer I Turned Pretty is now a major new TV series on Amazon Prime! If you loved The Kissing Booth and Jenny Han's smash-hit Netflix movie series To All the Boys I Loved Before, then you'll adore this gorgeously funny, romantic story! Everything that happened this past summer, and every summer before it, has all led up to this....Paperback$2400Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is the New York Times No.1 bestselling YA crime thriller that has captivated readers globally. Now adapted into a major BBC series, this intricately plotted and intensely gripping novel is being lauded as a modern classic in young adult literature. Pippa Fitz-Amobi, an intelligent and determined high school student, is looking...Paperback$1800Elsewhere:$2299Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Powerless
OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD! THE INSTANT NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON. ‘Nothing short of epic’ - Rosie Talbot, bestselling author of Sixteen Souls ‘A thrilling fantasy with the most delicious slow-burn romance’ - M.A. Kuzniar, bestselling author of Midnight in Everwood ‘[A] titillating debut’ - Publishers Weekly ‘A masterpiece’ - Goodreads Reader Review ‘Everyone needs to read it’ -...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2899Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Free Gift
The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks
Louise Rennison for the Dork Diaries generation - hilarious, relatable and full of heart. The first book in the hilarious new series for children by the bestselling creator of Hurrah For Gin. The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks follows Lottie Brooks, who is 11 and feels like her life is already officially over. Not only is she about to...Paperback$1799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Free Gift
Lottie Brooks's Totally Disastrous School-Trip
The fourth book in this hilarious bestselling series full of friendship, family, and first experiences from the creator of Hurrah for Gin. Lottie Brooks's Totally Disastrous School-Trip continues to navigate the many perils of growing up in this fantastically funny illustrated series for a 9-12 audience, filled with friendship, embarrassing moments, and plenty of lols. Woe is me. So much...Paperback$1900Elsewhere:$2100Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Young Adult lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lizzy's listYoung Adult
Emily's YA Recommendations
The amazing Emily visited Book Hero and made a list of some of her favourite reads - perfect for ages 12 and...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lizzy's listYoung Adult
Lizzy's Favourite Young Adult Romance
In this list there really is a bit of everything - coming of age stories, magical stories about enemies to lovers, boarding...View the list
