First published 2025
John F. Kennedy navigates the presidency while conducting multiple affairs, from his early romance with suspected Nazi spy Inga Arvad to his dangerous liaison with Marilyn Monroe. Jackie Kennedy knows about her husband's women and establishes clear rules: no lies, no public humiliation. She warns Jack when Marilyn becomes too serious, saying "This one's different, Jack. This one's trouble!" The president struggles with drug abuse during the Bay of Pigs disaster and grief over his infant son's death that pushes America toward Vietnam. Jackie works to get him clean before the Cuban Missile Crisis while pursuing her own romantic interests with a doctor and an architect. Through exclusive interviews and careful research, Taraborrelli reveals how Jack's private relationships shaped his public decisions. The story follows their marriage from Congress through the White House, showing how both Kennedys managed public image while living complicated private lives. Jackie's strength emerges as she protects their presidency while Jack's reckless behavior threatens everything they built together.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: America, Bay of Pigs, Cuba, White House
Period: Bay of Pigs Disaster, Cuban Missile Crisis, Presidency
592 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: addiction, drug-use