Bonding by Mariel Franklin (PRE-ORDER)

DATE OF RELEASE: 12 JUN 2025

'I absolutely loved it. Anyone interested in the relationship between tech, our bodies and our minds should bump it to the top of their queue immediately' - Zadie Smith, author of The Fraud'This bold and highly impressive debut novel has its thumb right over the sore spots of modern life' - GuardianMary is single, jobless, and on her way to Ibiza. There, at a party, she meets Tom, a brilliant chemist on the verge of launching a new drug that claims to cure the anxieties of modern life.

Back in London after a heady trip, Mary begins going out with Tom and working for her sort-of-ex Lara, who has created innovative dating app designed to revolutionize the industry. As tech and pharma collide, she is forced to question what love and success mean in a world that is hurtling out of control. 'Audacious, hot, deeply uncomfortable and genuinely thrilling' - Saba Sams, author of Send Nudes