COMP CLOSED | Book Giveaway | Zoe & Mila

Zoe and Mila
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We are very pleased to be giving away two copies of Jodie Shelley’s book, ‘Zoe & Mila’, to our GrownUps members.

All you need to do to enter the draw is be a GrownUps member, make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter and fill in your details near the bottom of the page!

Zoe and MilaAbout Zoe & Mila

A medalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards, Jodie Shelley releases her third engaging Kiwi novel in as many years. This time, she is challenging societal beauty standards with her trademark humorous style.

In a comical Kiwi adventure, a group of bad-ass women band together to reclaim stolen property, confront societal beauty standards, and navigate the chaos of drugs and gangs they are exposed to by their next-to-useless receptionist.

Zoe owns a boutique recruitment agency and is struggling to manage the awful young man she hired as her receptionist.

Her best friend Mila finds herself accidentally pregnant with her fifth baby, despite her husband’s vasectomy and her initial plan to have just one child.

Meanwhile, bold, buxom babe Layla lives life as a solo mum, experimenting with a series of hilarious and disastrous cosmetic procedures.

Their lives take a turn toward the chaotic with the theft of the company foosball table, some hidden drugs, and a gang member named Rage who would really like them back. An entertaining and fast-paced adventure combining a light-hearted examination of the futility of the ‘beauty duty’, the value of friendship, and the importance of loving ourselves just the way we are.

Praise for Jodie’s Previous Novels:

‘The Tūī Has Landed is an engaging, feel-good read reminiscent of books by Marian Keyes with its lively characters and sense of humour, but also the way it explores some deeper underlying themes.’ NZ Booklovers

For fans of Marian Keyes, readers are in for a treat when they pick up Jodie Shelley’s second novel, which expertly walks the tightrope between humour and real-life issues.’ VERVE Magazine.

Author Note

‘The inspiration for this novel emerged following discussions with a friend about the unique attractiveness of every individual and the futility of subscribing to one form of standardised beauty. The story revolves around friendship, marriage, and managing underperforming employees. There are moments of high adventure, there are gang members, drugs, pubs, and plenty of acerbic office banter.

This novel is lighter than my last. My previous novel, A Thousand Paper Cups, explored homophobia and family harm, and my latest novel challenges societal beauty norms in a humorous and undemanding way.

This is my third novel. My first, The Tūi Has Landed, was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Awards, while my second attracted a bronze medal in the same awards. The awards are judged by regular readers based in London and Stockholm. It is great to see kiwi novels have an international appeal.’

About the Author

Jodie Shelley is an emerging Kiwi author, based in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, where she lives with her husband and son. She has been releasing a book a year since she emerged on the writing scene with her debut novel, The Tūi Has Landed, in 2023. She released her second book, A Thousand Paper Cups, in 2024, and her most recent release, Zoe & Mila, is out in 2025. This is not the end, however. Shelley has a fourth novel well underway for release in 2026. Fans of her writing have plenty to look forward to.

Shelley began writing her first novel after following an Instagram live series by Irish author Marian Keyes in 2021. The series was called, simply, So You Want to Write a Novel? Shelley combined her learning from that series with her innate ability to weave humour into stories with grittier underlying themes to create her very readable Kiwi novels.

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Terms and conditions

    1. You must be a GrownUps member and receive our newsletter to be eligible to win.
    2. Competition closes on the 27th August 2025, winners will be notified via email by 28th August 2025.
    3. It is your responsibility to ensure you correctly enter a New Zealand postal address where the prize can be sent. GrownUps will not take responsibility for prizes sent to incorrect addresses.
    4. Winners are drawn at random by the GrownUps administration team.
    5. GrownUps employees and family are not eligible to enter.
    6. By entering the giveaway, you approve for GrownUps to use your name on social media as winner of the competition.
    7. One entry per household.
    8. Prize in non transferrable.
    9. You must reside in New Zealand – the prize can only be redeemed within New Zealand.
    10. You must be over 50 years of age to enter, please check your details are correct in your membership dashboard.