A profoundly relatable debut novel about chasing your dreams and losing your ambition from a stunning new Australian voice.

What happens when overnight the Next Big Thing becomes a nobody?

Twenty-six-year-old Evelyn is well on her way to becoming an international opera star. . . until one night, mid-performance, when she inexplicably loses her voice. With no cure in sight, she's forced to put her dreams on pause, flying back to her hometown to wait out her recovery.

Stuck in limbo, Evelyn balances her time attending overpriced doctor's appointments and accidentally-on-purpose running into her ex on the street outside his apartment. Then she discovers her old high school is hiring a debating coach (no experience needed!) and realises this might just be her ticket back to relevance.

While re-entering the gates of her alma mater is a welcome reminder of the glory days, being faced with a bunch of starry-eyed teenagers who haven't had their dreams blown to pieces yet makes clear just how thin the line can be between drive and delusion—forcing Evelyn to consider whether she could ever be truly satisfied living a life away from the spotlight.

A deeply funny novel about chasing your dreams and losing your ambition, Very Impressive for Your Age explores the mid-twenties crisis that occurs when you learn that who you always wanted to be when you grew up isn't quite what you imagined.