Threading between clubs at closing time, pub toilets, drenched music festivals and beach holidays, these unforgettable short stories deftly chart the treacherous terrain of growing up - of intense friendships, of ambivalent mothers, of uneasily blended families, and of learning to truly live in your own body. Subjects such as pregnancy and self-harm are handled without sentimentality or squeamishness. When, in Tinderloin, Grace has a miscarriage, she draws comfort not from her wet-blanket boyfriend but from the growing devotion of his dog. You never feel Sams is “exploring an issue”; rather, each story presents the textured fabric of ordinary lives, woven from wry observation, psychological insight and blunt Gen Z dialogue. Dragged along by their mums to a music festival, two teenage girls pursue experience over the course of one weekend.

Sams drafted the story when she was 19 while studying creative writing at the University of Manchester, returning to it when she came to write Send Nudes a few years later. It was me, says Stella. She has the same feeling she had when she ate the fish eye. It was me, she says again. I still remember where I was when I first encountered a Saba Sams story ... A highly perceptive and intelligent writer' NICOLE FLATTERY Jasmine rolls her eyes, as she does every time Claire speaks. She’s hoping to go to Sussex, although there’s some doubt around whether she’ll get the grades.Frank went quiet after that, and Blue wasn’t mentioned again all evening. By morning, Stella had forgotten all about her. By afternoon, here she was. A seriously impressive debut. Saba Sams digs into the chaos, euphoria and menace of sexual attraction, friendship and family with bravery and wit' CHRIS POWER Stella only knows such details because Frank has told her. Frank is obsessed with his photography equipment. The day before they caught their flight out here, Stella watched him line up his camera, lenses and film canisters in the rectangle of light coming in through his bedroom window before taking a photograph of them on his phone. Stella turns and runs through the house. In her bedroom, Blue’s velour dress is a loop on the floor. On the dresser, the cherry stones have lost their shine. Stella crawls into bed, pulls her knees up beneath her chin, and waits.

I followed him onto the dancefloor and he put his hands on my hips as if he’d known me for at least an hour.’ It is in descriptions like this that Sams’ writing really shines through. Bringing forth not only the vulnerability and the weight of honesty of certain situations, but also the consistent (and sometimes desperate) striving for control that can seem like a well-known coping mechanism to many of us, makes her an exceptionally relatable writer. Blue 4eva is about a 12-year old girl who is adjusting to her mother’s remarriage, and the new blended family that comes with it. It’s a story about sexuality, identity, and trying to fit in. What inspired you to write it? Madeleine Feeny in her Guardian review called Send Nudes an “exhilarating collection” which “captures the light and dark of negotiating relationships, solitude, sexuality and loss”. This included stories on toxic female friendships, jealousy, abortion, sending nudes (hence the title), seduction, desire and the complex relationships to other women (eg mothers and daughters, best friends, the ex’s).

The man has hair that looks matted on purpose, and there’s a guitar propped against his chair. He’s fit, says Jasmine. Jasmine takes the steps down from the veranda. Stella stands up and follows. Blue falls into step behind her. The cool air opens around them, and Stella’s eyes adjust as she walks. Blue leans forward, catches Stella’s eye, and winks. Hey bestie, she says. You wanna split the last fig?

Blue’s hair is made up of tight curls that skim the waistline of her bikini bottoms. When she turns to leave, beads of water spray out from the ends and catch the sun.In a short space of time, everyone’s out on the veranda. Stella supposed that staying in her room would look guilty, and it seems that Blue and Jasmine thought that too. By this point, Frank is already in the pool. Stella finishes eating and gathers up the plates to take inside to wash. Something about having Frank around makes her a better daughter, and she can feel it happening. This seems to work the same for Claire too; since she married Frank, she remembers things like how much water Stella’s drunk that day. Under her makeup, Jasmine goes pink. Nico doesn’t notice; he’s looking at Blue. My English might not be good enough for this question, he says.