Good Things Come and Go | with author Josie Shapiro

Caroline Barron and author Josie Shapiro unpick the themes of friendship, betrayal, ambition and grief in a new novel set on Waiheke Island. FREE tickets are available! Get yours now! Join Josie Shapiro in conversation with author Caroline Barron as they unpick the themes of friendship, betrayal, ambition and grief in Shapiro’s second novel, Good Things Come and Go. Three friends coming of age on Waiheke Island with closely bound dreams see their lives take different paths after a fateful decision. When the trio reunite as adults, the secrets they're each carrying can't continue to stay buried for much longer. Hear the inspiration behind this masterful study of heartbreak and an ode to taking risks, no matter the consequences, and a discussion of one of life’s more poignant questions - when things don’t work out the way we hope, where to from here? About the book: Good Things Come and Go is a novel of friendship, betrayal, ambition and grief, that follows Penny, Riggs and Jamie as loss, addiction and second chances reunite them, until buried secrets threaten their fragile peace. About the author and chair: Josie Shapiro is the bestselling author of Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, which won the inaugural Allen & Unwin Fiction Prize and was named one of the best books of 2023 by The Spinoff and the New Zealand Listener. A graduate of the University of Auckland's Master of Creative Writing, Josie was a Sargeson Fellow in 2024 and was named one of the 2025 New Voices of Aotearoa. She lives in Tāmaki Makaurau with her husband and two daughters. Caroline Barron is an award-winning author and presenter. Her memoir, Ripiro Beach (Bateman Books, New Zealand), won the 2020 New Zealand Heritage Literary Award, and her debut novel, Golden Days was published in 2023 (Affirm Press, Australia). With a Masters in Creative Writing and a journalism degree, and a past life owning a modelling agency, she is in demand for her dynamic workshops on storytelling, creativity and writing. Her work has been published in Condé Nast Traveller, North & South, Awa Wahine, Landfall, New Zealand Herald and more. Book signing and sales at the event: Borrow a Bestie or buy your own copy on the day - pay by EFTPOS or credit card. Josie and Caroline are looking forward to meeting everyone after the event - come up to get your books signed or just to say kia ora. Josie Shapiro: 📸 Photo credit - Ebony Lamb This event is presented by Auckland Council Libraries as part of We Read Auckland / Ka Pānui Tātou i Tāmaki Makaurau.