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The Brink cover art

The Brink

By: Holden Sheppard
Narrated by: Nic English, Josh Anderson, Maddy Withington
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Publisher's Summary

Whoever survives the week will never be the same again.

A group of school-leavers: free at last, ready to party, expectations high. A remote island on the Western Australian coast wasn’t exactly the plan, but they’re not going to let that hold them back.

Leonardo, geeky, asthmatic, shy and prone to anxiety, has landed with them. He’s terrified—he’s definitely not part of this cool gang. Super high-achiever Kaiya is trying to forget her frustration with her drug-addicted sister as well as dealing with pressure from the popular girls to lose her virginity. Mason, footy jock with the physique to match, is coming to terms with his secret desire for his best mate, Jared. And Jared wants a week off from his relationship with Val so he can have sex with as many girls as possible.

But the party takes a dangerous turn when Val is drugged and a man is later found dead on the beach. Blame, fear, mistrust, coverups, power plays and dark secrets tear the group apart and expose the deadly tensions beneath the surface.

The Brink is a raw, powerful novel that pulls no punches in its authentic exploration of masculinity, sexuality, mental health, drug and alcohol use, relationships and sex. Holden Sheppard takes the teenage experience to the next level.

©2022 Holden Sheppard (P)2022 W. F. Howes Ltd

Critic Reviews

"Sheppard writes with unflinching honesty and an eye for authentic detail." (Weekend West)

What listeners say about The Brink

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wow..

Omg, loved it. I was so wrong with my thoughts on what had happened to a main character. Then once I finished I spent ages thinking, its 2025 Mason wanders into some Perth club to see Zeke (yeah cross over) behind the bar covering a shift whilst uni is on a break. Hammer is at a table chatting to Charlie about Charlie's latest single.

Loved every minute of both books. Thank you for the words you write.

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What a ride!

Superb performances, and an utterly incredible story. Theres a little Leonardo in all of us!

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Gripping!

I listened to this with high expectations after ‘Invisible boys’ and I wasn’t disappointed. A story of a group of leavers in Western Australia, I was hooked into the story straight away. I really enjoy stories with multiple narrators, and the story was well told using this style. Despite a couple of mis-pronunciations of local place names, the narrators did a good job. Thoroughly recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent!

Brilliant novel that explores themse such as masculinity, coming of age, mental health and accepting yourself that has been adapted beautifully to audiobook.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wow! What a story

What an incredible story, with twists and unexpected turns

Definitely one to enjoy and read again

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A new take on Leavers celebrations

A different coming of age story. Enjoyed it and found it relatable. Some characters are a little stereotypical but the subject matter covered is vital. Give it a go.

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On the brink of my seat

Thought I would know how this story went and gave it a go anyway, was beyond surprised and taken aback. So many twist and turns, genuinely loved it.

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Really enjoyed this book

A great “coming of age” story with twists galore. Not just for young people, this oldy loved it.

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Empowering

The narration of the story was great, using the 3 different voice actors. the storyline was engaging all the way through.

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  • Overall
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Gritty, intriguing and surprisingly deep for a story about Leavers

Bit of a slow burn but once it gets it’s feet underneath it, a great story with a surprising degree of nuance.
Enjoyable on the surface, ripe for a deeper examination as well. Well performed with each POV well defined but with other characters voice still clear and in character despite multiple readers.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.