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Augusta Pine Does Not Exist
  • Published: 9 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9780241772409
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 320

Augusta Pine Does Not Exist

Formats & editions
Paperback
14 July 2026
EBook
9 July 2026
Pre-order from…
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Everyone thinks she's dead. Turns out she went undercover.

An edge-of-your-seat reverse heist thriller about a teen spy who must outsmart a team of criminals in order to free a building full of innocent hostages . . . and herself. Masterfully weaving together the undercover secrecy and thrills of The Naturals series, the killer twists and turns of Five Survive and the futuristic setting of Cyberpunk 2077.

Everyone thinks she's dead. Turns out she went undercover.

An edge-of-your-seat reverse heist thriller about a teen spy who must outsmart a team of criminals in order to free a building full of innocent hostages . . . and herself. Masterfully weaving together the undercover secrecy and thrills of The Naturals series, the killer twists and turns of Five Survive and the futuristic setting of Cyberpunk 2077.

‘An incredibly fun, fast-paced blend of a spy thriller mixed with speculative elements. A fantastic, immersive read.’ Ravena Guron, author of This Book Kills

In the near future, to combat identity theft, paper and plastic IDs have been replaced with permanent biometric tattoos. But governments still need people to work in the shadows. These people are called wraiths.

THEN
When she was fifteen, Augusta Pine (alias) hacked a car’s autopilot and accidentally killed her first crush. She was given two options: 1) Spend twenty years in prison for manslaughter or 2) serve ten years in the Identity Security Division as a wraith – an undercover spy with no official existence. Augusta chose the second.

NOW
Eighteen-year-old Augusta has no fixed home and all her family think she died in the car crash. Her only friends are her coolly professional handler, Prefect, and a snarky sentient Al spybot called Edgar. On a rare weekend to herself, she decides to rent a room in a smart apartment complex and makes grand plans to do nothing but relax . . . until six cyber criminals hack the building and imprison all the residents.

To save everyone, Augusta will have to rely on her wits and her own criminal skills to stay one step ahead of the killers. For the first time in her life, could it pay to not exist?

PRAISE FOR AUGUSTA PINE DOES NOT EXIST:

‘Thrilling, clever and wickedly funny – Augusta Pine is the heroine we deserve.’ Kara Thomas, author of The Cheerleaders

‘Masterfully blends classic, adrenaline-pumping action with futuristic tech and next gen espionage. This is the future of thriller books – literally.’ Kayvion Lewis, author of Thieves’ Gambit

‘Bold, clever and original. A twisty, tense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more.' Kathryn Foxfield, author of Good Girls Die First

‘A tense thrill ride of a book. Augusta Pine is the fearless anti-heroine we all need.’ Benjamin Dean, author of How to Die Famous

‘Clever, twisty and very funny. I absolutely inhaled the book.’ Emily Barr, author of The One Memory of Flora Banks

‘Big thrills, stunning twists and heaps of fun, this is a wickedly smart, fast-paced, up-all-night thriller.’ S. J. Green, author of Noah Can’t Even

‘Utterly unputdownable. Get used to being on the edge of your seat! A twisty, clever and compelling thriller.' Emily Cooper, author of Season of Fear

‘A super-smart, speculative spy thriller with a kickass main character.' J. L. Simmonds, author of Run Away With Me

‘A high stakes, high adrenalin, high-tech spy thriller that grips you from the explosive first page and does not let go.’ Kate Francis, author of Circle of Liars

‘Fresh, futuristic and filled with suspense. A technology drenched thriller with heart and humour that has you hooked until the very last page.’ Isabella Galbraith, author of The One

‘Spy novels are SO back. A darkly funny, futuristic thrill.' Beth Tomlin, author of To Hell With You

‘The fun and adventure of Mission Impossible meets the emotional grit of The Girls I've Been. This book was a thrill ride from start to finish!’ Kalyn Josephson, author of This Dark Descent
  • Published: 9 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9780241772409
  • Imprint: Penguin eBooks
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 320
Categories:

About the author

Emily Lloyd-Jones

Emily Lloyd-Jones is a former bookseller turned author of middle-grade and YA novels. She lives in Northern California, where she enjoys wandering in redwood forests, playing with her cats and indulging in video games.
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Praise for Augusta Pine Does Not Exist

‘An incredibly fun, fast-paced blend of a teen spy thriller mixed with speculative elements. Augusta Pine is a complex hero, highly competent and deeply layered, and this was a fantastic, immersive read.’

Ravena Guron, author of This Book Kills  

‘Thrilling, clever and wickedly funny – Augusta Pine is the heroine we deserve.’

Kara Thomas, author of The Cheerleaders

‘Augusta Pine Does Not Exist masterfully blends classic, adrenaline-pumping action with futuristic tech and next gen espionage. This is the future of thriller books – literally.’

Kayvion Lewis, author of Thieves’ Gambit

‘Bold, clever and original, Augusta Pine Does Not Exist is a twisty, tense thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more. I can’t wait to read it again.’

Kathryn Foxfield, author of Good Girls Die First

‘A tense thrill ride of a book. Augusta Pine is the fearless anti-heroine we all need.’

Benjamin Dean, author of How to Die Famous

‘Augusta Pine Does Not Exist is clever, twisty and very funny. It’s fast paced but also packs an emotional punch (part Die Hard, part We Were Liars). I absolutely inhaled the book and can’t wait to read whatever Emily writes next.’

Emily Barr, author of The One Memory of Flora Banks

‘Big thrills, stunning twists and heaps of fun, this is a wickedly smart, fast-paced, up-all-night thriller which I raced through. And hats off to any writer who can made me care so deeply for an AI spybot!’

S. J. Green, author of Noah Can’t Even

‘Utterly unputdownable. Get used to being on the edge of your seat! A twisty, clever and compelling thriller. Augusta Pine may not exist, but my love for this book is real and undeniable.’

Emily Cooper, author of Season of Fear

‘A super-smart, speculative spy thriller with a kickass main character – it has everything I love in a YA book!

J. L. Simmonds, author of Run Away With Me

‘Augusta Pine Does Not Exist is a high stakes, high adrenalin, high-tech spy thriller that grips you from the explosive first page and does not let go. Augusta is a smart, funny, kick-ass heroine with skills that give James Bond a run for his money. The twists are relentless, and the locked-down apartment-building setting is tense and claustrophobic. It's The Naturals meets Die Hard and is perfect for fans of Holly Jackson.’

Kate Francis, author of Circle of Liars

‘Fresh, futuristic and filled with suspense. Lloyd-Jones crafts a technology drenched thriller with heart and humour that has you hooked until the very last page.’

Isabella Galbraith, author of The One

‘Spy novels are SO back. Augusta Pine filled a Charlie’s Angels shaped hole in my heart, and for that I will be eternally grateful. It was a darkly funny, futuristic thrill. I hope this is Gen Z’s Die Hard – it's a story so twisty and cinematic, I didn’t want to leave. 10/10 no notes. (Side note, because I feel Edgar deserves recognition – I love him. Just wanted that on the record.)'

Beth Tomlin, author of To Hell With You

‘The fun and adventure of Mission Impossible meets the emotional grit of The Girls I've Been. This book was a thrill ride from start to finish!’

Kalyn Josephson, author of This Dark Descent