First published 2026
Geraldine has spent her life on the road with her unstable mother, learning to sneak into motel pools and scam restaurant meals instead of studying math. When her mother abandons her in New York City, sixteen-year-old Gerry finds herself passed between three women who each want to remake her. Bonnie, her mother's college friend, offers country club respectability and domestic comfort. Nell, her estranged aunt and successful artist, pushes ambition and reinvention. Finley, an old-money socialite, opens doors to Manhattan's elite circles. Each woman represents a different path, a different version of who Gerry could become. As she navigates these competing influences, Gerry must figure out which parts of herself to keep and which to shed. The novel follows her journey from a girl shaped by dysfunction and survival tactics to someone discovering her own identity amid the pull of three very different worlds.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, young-adult, family-drama
Vibes: character-driven, emotionally-complex, intimate, introspective, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family, identity-crisis, multiple-perspectives
Setting: New York City, Manhattan
Period: Contemporary
304 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: abuse