Everything She Wanted, by Martinette Williams, is a semi-autobiographical tale of a romance that blossomed before it "came crashing down".
Set in 2012, the novel recounts an experience she had as a University of Otago student.
Williams said while some parts of the story were fictionalised, much of it was a true account based on contemporary sources, including a journal she had kept at the time.
As well as "harvesting" memories from her journal, she also delved into sources such as text messages and social media posts.
"I did read back over messages that I was sending at that time, which was really enlightening, like Facebook messages, you know, ’cause they are all still on there."
That helped put her back into the mindset she had as a 21-year-old.
The narrative follows a romance that began with her believing he was the man she would marry.
"But at the end, it all kind of came crashing down around me and I did not know that was going to happen."
Although she is now happily married with two children, the experience stayed with her and 10 years later, in 2022, she began reflecting on that early relationship.
"I started thinking about it a lot and thinking about everything that I went through with this guy and I had not really fully processed it yet."
"So it just came out of me really fast."
A unique aspect of the work is that, as a singer-songwriter, Williams included a series of songs she recorded at the time.
Readers can scan a QR code to hear the tracks while following the printed lyrics.
"It fits into the book because I was writing them at the time that this was all happening."
The novel is at times searingly honest, and Williams hopes it will help readers who have experienced or are experiencing a similar troubling partnership.
"I already struggle with depression, so it was making me more depressed and it was making me more insecure, like all of the negative traits that I have."
Writing the novel helped her gain closure on that part of her life.
It also helped her rediscover positive sides of her younger self, including songwriting and performing.
"It is a relief, it is also scary to have it out there, because it is very honest."
• Everything She Wanted, by Martinette Williams, is available at the University Book Shop.
