The Year I Turned Thirty

Three friends from Aotearoa New Zealand, their thirties looming. An impulsive flight to sunny Los Angeles. The road trip of a lifetime.

Bailey is a sweet and confused beagle owner, stuck in a dead-end job and reeling from a breakup with her partner of ten years.

Rach is a hyper-organised Instagram chef with body image issues, a boring marriage and a healthy dose of imposter syndrome.

Harper is a carefree, ruthlessly honest surfer, newly unemployed thanks to Covid-19 and struggling with her sexuality.

Each looking for their own escape, they spontaneously plan a three-month road trip across the United States. What follows is a string of deep and meaningful conversations, sweaty hikes and too many margaritas, set against a vivid backdrop of red desert, dense forest and electric cities.

Fuelled by burritos and bottomless coffee, they question themselves, their friendship and the societal pressures of adulthood. By the end of the trip, all three women will have left their twenties behind – and none of them will be the same.

Like a conversation with your best friend, The Year I Turned Thirty is a novel for anyone who has had their heart broken or wondered what the hell they’re doing with their life.