A Tantalising Romance: Read Our Review of The Love Contract by Steph Vizard

Can she (pretend to) love her neighbour?

Winner of the 2022 HarperCollins Banjo Prize for Fiction, Steph Vizard’s debut novel The Love Contract is a tantalising romance set in Melbourne that combines the classic enemies-to-lovers and fake-relationship-turned-real-romance narratives.

Single mum Zoe had the parenting thing all figured out with little Hazel until a childcare drought derailed her plans to return to work. Enter Will, Zoe’s nemesis and frustratingly handsome neighbour. When Will’s boss mistakenly assumes Will is Hazel’s father and insists he take parental leave, it seems like a simple white lie could get Zoe out of a jam and help Will to make partner at his law firm.

But life with an adorable toddler – and a growing attraction between Will and Zoe – is never as tidy as their agreement’s bullet points and dry clauses suggest. As they get deeper into the lie, the lines between truth and fiction blur. And Zoe’s hiding a secret… When it comes out, the consequences for all of them could be devastating.

If Pride and Prejudice’s Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy lived in contemporary Melbourne and were neighbours, you’d have the tone and cleverness of The Love Contract. You can see why this modern rom-com is an award-winner. It’s beautifully crafted and the romantic tropes are all perfectly executed. Writing with a superb dramatic irony that would do Jane Austen proud, Vizard quickly establishes Zoe’s situation, character, humour and world. The Love Contract is pacy without feeling frenetic.

In the midst of all its charm and fun, The Love Contract offers pertinent insights into single parenthood, life in your 30s, workplace equality and intergenerational wealth.

Vizard is a Melbourne local, with an impressive resume spanning law, publishing and a stint studying literature at Oxford University. I have a good feeling this is only the beginning for Vizard’s writing career – her debut has instant BookTok sensation stamped all over it.

A joyous read from beginning to end, this book is almost impossible to put down. I highly recommend it!

Buy a copy of The Love Contract here.