The People I Know Now, Jasmine Donaldson
Published by Mary Egan Publishing
$30, paperback, 220pp, 5 x 8”
ISBN: 9781067087555
Publication Date: 7 October 2025
‘The People I Know Now’ is a powerful young adult novel about love, loss and finding the courage to move forward.
After enduring the most difficult year of her life, nineteen-year-old Lyla Strafford spends a summer living with her Aunt Caroline in the small seaside township of New Brooke. With the support of a group of new friends, Lyla begins to heal, and she finds herself opening up to a boy who seems to understand her better than anyone else.
But just when things appear to be getting back on track, Lyla is faced with a life-threatening experience that stems from the trauma of times gone by. Challenged by the concepts of love, loss, and the definition of family, Lyla begins to question what it means to move forward when she can’t seem to leave the past behind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasmine Donaldson is a 25 year old author from Auckland, New Zealand. She works at a library, and enjoys anything that sparks her creativity. She's always loved reading, and has a particular love for YA books. As a teenager she often found it difficult to find ones that captured her attention, and this is one of the reasons she decided to write her own. The People I Know Now is her debut novel.
To arrange interviews with Jasmine Donaldson or for any further information, please contact:
Sophia Egan-Reid
Mary Egan Publishing
sophia@maryegan.co.nz