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Rosemary Boy -- A Powerful New YA Novel Exploring Identity, Grief, and the Search for Belonging

Fair Play Publishing / Popcorn Press

Seventeen-year-old Jules Edwards always believed he was just an ordinary teenager. But a DNA test and a viral news story change everything: he was kidnapped as a baby. Now, Jules must leave behind the only life he has ever known and return to a family of strangers — the Rosemarys — who are still reeling from the loss of their son, Jules’s identical twin, Jack.

Suddenly, Jules is living in Jack’s shadow. He’s sleeping in his dead brother’s room, navigating Jack’s friends and ex-girlfriend, and dealing with a relentless media spotlight that dubs him “Rosemary Boy.” 

Yet beneath the headlines, Jules discovers that the Rosemarys are fractured, grief-stricken, and silent in ways that unsettle him. His new stepfather watches him too closely, his siblings walk on eggshells, and his mother can’t seem to bridge the gap between love and loss.

When Jules encounters Jasmine Morè — beautiful, distant, and connected to Jack in ways Jules doesn’t fully understand — the tension deepens. Drawn to her despite her hostility, Jules begins to unravel the truth about his brother’s life, and in turn, his own.

At its heart, Rosemary Boy is not just about a family secret. It is a tender and gripping coming-of-age story about identity, grief, and the cost of becoming someone you were never meant to be. It asks: who are we when the world insists on telling us who to be?

The novel also speaks to a new generation. Written by a Gen Z author, 26-year-old Amy Coomer, Rosemary Boy captures the intensity of growing up in a hyper-connected, media-driven world, where private pain becomes public property and questions of identity are magnified by viral attention. With authenticity and insight, Coomer reflects the voices and struggles of today’s teenagers while offering a story that resonates far beyond the YA audience.

Early readers have praised Rosemary Boy as “raw, moving, and unforgettable” — a novel that lingers long after the final page.

Rosemary Boy will be released on 28 October 2025 by Popcorn Press, the fiction imprint of Fair Play Publishing, in paperback and as an e-book. 

ENDS

See the trailer of Rosemary Boy here, produced by Amy Coomer: https://youtu.be/6oQy-Tj1Av8

About us:

About Amy Coomer

Amy Coomer is an author, actor, and producer based in Queensland, Australia. Her debut young adult novel, Boys on a Train, has reached readers in over thirteen countries and appeared on multiple Amazon bestseller lists.

About Popcorn Press

Popcorn Press is the Fiction imprint of Fair Play Publishing, which was established in 2016 by Bonita Mersiades, who is also the founder of the Manly Writers’ Festival. Fair Play Publishing has since published more than 80 books and is the biggest publisher of non-fiction books on football, as well as other sports, in Australia. As well as Popcorn Press, Fair Play Books is the principal imprint dedicated to sports non-fiction, and Pepper Press publishes books about life.

Contact details:

For review copies, interviews, or further information, please contact:
Amy Mack, [email protected] or 02 7229 4889