Maisy Hayes is Not For Sale

By Allayne L Webster

Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey

Maisy Hayes and her ideals are not for sale. But maybe she should be. There’s never enough money at home, she can’t go anywhere with her friends, and she can’t even land a scholarship to the school of her dreams. Her mum works hard but it’s not enough to pay bills and buy food. Her sister is big-deal sick. Her brother gets bullied at school. And payments from her dad are barely a drip in the dry lake. Still, Maisy waits for the better life she’s certain she was born for. So when her dad invites her to visit, not only is his lifestyle luxurious, his promises to help by throwing money at Maisy and her sister have her reconsidering.

The latest novel from Award-winning South Australian author Allayne L Webster, Maisy Hayes is Not For Sale is the heartwarming and heart-wrenching story of a young teen coming to terms with life on the lower rungs of the social and economic ladders. Authentic and honest, it will have you slapping your forehead in shared embarrassment and fist-pumping with unbridled pride in equal parts.

While Maisy puts on a good show of neither needing nor wanting her father, who has been absent for more than half her life, deep down she hopes he will come good and provide the financial support her family needs. Seeing how he lives is a slap in the face, but he swears he’s ready to help make life better for Maisy and her older sister Luka, who is trying to convince Maisy everything is not what it seems in Melbourne. But Maisy swoons at the idea of having her dad in her life and reaping all the benefits of his executive lifestyle. It’s tempting and feels easy to just dive in. But back home, when real life comes knocking again, Maisy needs to decide where she belongs, and who she really is.

A wonderful read that feels straight from the heart and head of so many fourteen-year-old girls on the brink of finding out what adult life is really like, Maisy Hayes is Not For Sale ticks all right the boxes. Perfect for readers 12-years and older, this is also suitable for older tweens chasing more mature story-lines and themes.

Text Publishing 2025

Allayne L Webster