A Beautiful Family

LONGLISTED: JOHN CREASEY DAGGER FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

SHORTLISTED: NZ BOOKLOVERS AWARD FOR BEST ADULT NOVEL 2026

LONGLISTED: NGAIO MARSH AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL 2026

'I absolutely loved this page-turning family mystery and didn't want it to end. The author so effortlessly transported me to another place and time, and every character leapt off the page. An extraordinary, exquisitely written debut.' — Liane Moriarty, author of Here One Moment

'An absolutely riveting read. A Beautiful Family held me captive from the first page to the last, both through Trevelyan's uncanny ability to maintain inexorable tension throughout, and her wholly believable narration of a ten-year-old trying to make sense of the adult world around her. I loved it.' — Hannah Kent, author of Devotion

In the past we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother's preference. This year was different ...

As the summer holiday stretches ahead, with her mother disappearing on long walks, her father watching the cricket, and her sister only having eyes for the local lifeguard, the youngest in the family often finds herself alone.

Then her new friend, Kahu, tells her a secret. Two years ago, a girl went missing and everyone said she drowned. Suddenly, the summer has purpose—they will find the missing girl and become local heroes.

While hunting for clues, childhood curiosity soon gives way to a darker reality. As the summer heat peaks, their detective work brings to the surface shocking discoveries and dark secrets, even about her own beautiful family ...

Jennifer Trevelyan magnificently captures the confusion and frustration of childhood, the fraught but unshakeable bond between sisters, and the dangers that lurk in the white lies we tell—especially about the people we love most.

'Feels like an age since I sat down and read a book, cover to cover, so quickly. Loved A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan. Amazing!' — Jacinda Ardern

'Occasionally a book comes into the office and it's so good, I want to tell everyone about it. Jennifer Trevelyan's debut, A Beautiful Family, is that good. I've been telling everyone: you simply must read it. My heart was thumping hard as I read it. It's a thrilling book, and I really think you'll love it.' — Caroline Overington, The Australian

'Taut yet tender, A Beautiful Family examines the precariousness of childhood through the lens of a long, hazy summer of secrets. Proving the maxim that all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way, Trevelyan has crafted a coming of age story that perfectly balances the nostalgia of summer holidays with a looming sense of danger. Find a sun-lit corner and devour this sensational debut in one session (like I did).' — Jacqueline Bublitz, author of Before You Knew My Name and Leave the Girls Behind

'The haunting, captivating novel A Beautiful Family... Adored it.' — Clare Stephens, author of The Worst Thing I've Ever Done

'With her imperfect understanding of the adult world and her longing to keep her family together, Alix is the perfect guide to a story in which so many things are unspoken and unexplained. The book trundles along at a deceptively languid pace until you realise that Trevelyan has expertly set up multiple mysteries that converge, stunningly, late in the game.' — The New York Times

'Immersive ... Alix grasps at the truth of things, but her perspective means only the reader parses the more adult story unravelling around her. This framing is craftily handled, with Trevelyan building suspense as the underlying narratives coalesce, delving into familial ties, a child's desire for harmony, and the pinballing of a child on the brink of adolescence.' — Guardian

'A Beautiful Family is a clever and challenging book that manages to encompass a haunting depiction of innocence lost and a powerful family melodrama, while presenting us with a heinous crime and its discovery.' — Sue Turnbull, The Conversation

'Trevelyan's brilliant novel is at once a captivating mystery and a portrait of a family in crisis.' — Sunday Life