Greta & Valdin was published by
Victoria University Press in 2021. It is a novel about the family and romantic relationships of two siblings, both
queer and of mixed Russian and Māori descent, and set in
Auckland. Reviewer Hannah Tunnicliffe for
Stuff said Reilly "fuses socio-political commentary with humour, making
Greta & Valdin both smart and funny." Ash Davida Jane called it "the best novel of the year".
Becky Manawatu praised "the tenderness Reilly achieves through her love for these characters, which translates page by page, word by word, to a love of people". Rachel O'Connor for
Landfall noted a level of "information overload" but concluded "there is much to enjoy in
Greta & Valdin, and hopefully much more to come from its author, whose youthful, funny voice delivers a fresh and entertaining tour of life and love in Auckland's CBD".
Steve Braunias, in his list of the ten best New Zealand novels of 2021, ranked it as number one, calling it "the funniest and also the most original, enjoyable and best novel published in New Zealand in 2021".
Greta & Valdin was shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the 2022
Ockham New Zealand Book Awards, and was awarded the Hubert Church prize for the best first book of fiction. Reilly was one of two Māori authors shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott award. At the time of the shortlisting announcement it was the top book on the Nielsen best-seller books chart, and
The Spinoff books editor Catherine Woulfe noted that the novel "will win by miles if the judges are of a mind to nod to the national mood". It was third on the list of New Zealand fiction bestsellers of 2022. In September 2022 Reilly was a judge, together with
Harry Ricketts, of the
Nine to Noon short story competition on
Radio New Zealand.
Greta & Valdin was published in the UK and USA on 6 February 2024. A review by
The New York Times described it as a "generous, tender debut novel of family and self-acceptance" and "so brimming with life it can feel almost dizzying". It received a
starred review from
Kirkus Reviews; the review's tagline was "Say hello to your new favorite fictional family". It was shortlisted for the
Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, a finalist for the
Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature, and listed as one of the best books of 2024 by
TIME,
NPR, and ''
Harper's Bazaar''. In March 2026,
Hutchinson Heinemann announced that it would be publishing Reilly's second novel,
Bon Vivant, in April 2027. == References ==