Augusta Pine Does Not Exist

By Emily Lloyd-Jones
** Publication Date 7 July 2026 **
​4 stars




I always say it when I review, YA is for everyone. Especially well written YA. This novel has it all.


Augusta Pine is not a real person. She is a wraith, or ghost, employed by a government agency. She didn’t choose this life, not really. Augusta made a horrible choice when she was 15. She hacked into a self-driving vehicle’s computer system, resulting in someone’s death. So she had a choice - prison or become a wraith. What choice did she have?


But over the years, Augusta has become a valuable asset to the ISD. She’s a brilliant hacker, tough as nails, and refuses to fail. Plus the fact that she’s still a kid doesn’t hurt either. No one expects her to be who she is. She always uses it to her advantage. 


Only now she’s in a near impossible situation with many lives at stake. Will she be able to pull off another miracle?


Such a fun novel. Augusta may have started out in the worst of circumstances, but her pluck and wit will forever endear her to the reader. It’s hard to not like her. To not want to be like her. She does what she needs to do, nearly fearless. I loved how she was written as a good person in spite of the circumstances that led her to be a wraith. 


The world that Augusta inhabits is completely high tech, decades or more in our future. It’s all believable tech though. Nothing that out of our realm, which makes this not really sci-fi. Lloyd-Jones did a fabulous job creating this world and these characters. It’s a very special book.


Absolutely recommend, and not just for teens.