First published 2025
Julia Ames has spent decades trying to escape the chaos of her younger years. At fifty seven, she believes she has finally achieved stability in her privileged middle-class life. The turbulent woman who once made reckless attempts at connection seems safely in the past. Then her reliable son drops unexpected news. Her prickly teenage daughter prepares to leave home. Most dangerously, elements from Julia's former life begin to resurface, threatening to pull her back into old destructive habits. Julia must confront whether she can maintain her hard-won equilibrium or if she will slip back into the patterns that once kept her teetering on the edge of disaster. Lombardo examines the complex bonds between mothers and children, friendships that cross generational lines, and the random events that shape our choices.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, second-chance
Period: 21st-century
512 pages · Paperback · HACHETTE INTL