'An extraordinary novel, spiny and delicate, scathingly funny and wildly moving'
Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies

'Sarah Thankam Mathews' prose is undeniable . . . she captures the sneaky, unsaying parts of longing'
Raven Leilani, author of Luster

'Some books are merely luminous . . . this one is iridescent'
Susan Choi, author of Trust Exercise

'This is not a story about work or precarity. I am trying, late in the evening, to say something about love, which for many of us is not separable from the other shit.'

This is a novel about being young in the 21st century.
About being called a 'rockstar' by your boss because of your Excel skills.
About staying up too late buying furniture online, despite the threat of eviction hanging over you.
About feeling like all your choices are mortgaged to the parents that made your life possible.
About the excitement of moving to a new city: about gay bars, house parties and new romances.
About a group of friends - about Sneha, Tig and Thom - and how that can become a family.
About love and sex and hope.
About knowing that all this could be different.

"A story of dreaming against the odds. The novel thrums with a hope for a better world, free of capitalism, racism, sexism and homophobia. The book perfectly illustrates the many ways life tears us down, and our friends build us back up. Delicate, moving, hilariously realistic" - The Voice

"One of the buzziest, most human novels of the year . . . breathless, dizzying, and completely beautiful" - Vogue

"Dazzling and wholly original . . . [written] with such mordant wit, insight, and specificity, it feels like watching a new literary star being born in real time" - Entertainment Weekly

"Beautifully written, lusciously felt, and marvellously envisioned. Resplendent with intelligence, wit, and feeling" - Kirkus

"What fuels All This Could Be Different is love, a force Mathews portrays not as a panacea . . . but as an instrument of change" - The New Yorker

"A darkly witty and finely wrought exploration of the struggle to embrace one's identity, this debut also illuminates the hardships of immigrant life, the elusiveness of lasting romantic love - and ultimately the joy and belonging that can come from a 'family' of friends" - People

"Sneha's equally vulnerable and cutting narration of new friendships, new romances, and generally figuring it out captures the queer, immigrant experience unlike any other." - Harper’s Bazaar

"Radiant . . . Mathews' writing is daring, sharp, and authoritative. She's a master in building rich characters that are imperfect and complicated, charismatic and lovable. At times, the prose felt luxurious and welcoming in the way that the scent of your favourite candle might slowly fill up an ever-expanding room" - Vox

"A beautiful, authentic rendition of the brown queer experience and immigrant dynamics, All This Could Be Different is a love letter to these communities." - Electric Literature

"Mathews has a big heart and a sharp tongue . . . [and] a wonderful eye for the things that make friendship and community just as valuable as romance" - The New York Times Book Review

"Engrossing . . . a moving immigrant's story and a heartfelt queer love story that tackles socioeconomic issues with nuance . . . its themes are universally relatable at any age" - Rolling Stone

"A wholly original exploration of queer friendship and the demanding, incredible realities of communal living, Sarah Thankam Mathews convinces the reader that yes, maybe all this could be different after all" - Vulture, 'The Best Books of 2022'

"[A] novel so good I was torn by the incompatible desires to never set it down and never finish it . . . [Mathews'] skillful alternating between lush imagery and straightforward, plain language makes All This Could Be Different pulsate . . . it is perhaps the greatest depiction of what chosen family really means without ever explicitly using those words" - Autostraddle

"[A] dazzling debut . . . There is so much here to chew on: economic and food insecurity, tenants' rights, coming into one's own, queer romance, immigration, and the vitality of friendship. All This Could Be Different is an epic and beautiful first novel from a writer to watch" - them