The gorgeous and poignant debut novel for fans of Anne Tyler and Claire Lombardo. LONGLISTED for the 2025 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award

'Glimmers with fine writing and notes of human insight' Ann Napolitano

'A page turner . . . honest, funny and deeply empathic' Charmaine Wilkerson

'Deeply moving' Heat
'This dramatic tragi-comedy takes us right into the head of each character' Daily Mail
'Poignant and thought-provoking' Culturefly
'Will make you laugh and moments later choke you up . . . impressively executed' Glamour

'Such a fascinating portrayal of secrets, deceit, the complicated nature of family relationships and societal expectations. I will be recommending this book to everybody I know!' Reader Review *****

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When Morgan and Benji surprise their families with a wedding invitation to Maine, they’re aware their relationship will come as a shock.

Twelve years have passed since the loss of sixteen-year-old Alice Weil, Benji’s sister and Morgan’s best friend.

No one is quite the same. As the headstrong young couple brings the two families together for the first time since the funeral, they wonder: can old wounds truly be mended?

When the guests descend upon the tranquil coastal town for the whirlwind nuptials, it soon becomes clear that these estranged families are not ready to move on.

Rekindled old flames, new lovers and deep resentments abound. Even the bride harbours delicate secrets about her friend’s death that threaten the happiness she has worked so hard for.

Will the fragile peace the wedding offers survive the sunny weekend?

Or are these two families about to find out that the darkest secrets always come to light in the end?

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'A bouquet of a book: thoughtful, heartfelt, funny, tender, tough and gorgeously written. A tremendous new writer' Elizabeth McCracken

'A study of grief, resilience and surprising joy. I know these characters will stay with me' Mary Beth Keane

'Intricately structured and elegantly written . . . a family drama that pivots between the sweeping and the intimate in seamless, wildly entertaining prose' Catherine Lacey

'Green writes with a poet’s ear and an impressionist’s eye, and the result is a wise, elegiac novel that is impossible to put down even after turning the last gorgeous page' Bret Anthony Johnston

'Truly elegant . . . I turned the pages as fast as I could, aching to understand the impossible' Hanna Halperin