The Shampoo Effect

From the bestselling author of Pineapple Street comes a new novel that I think is the PERFECT book to read in the glorious, most perfect days of summer.

Caroline Lash arrives in Greenhead, Massachusetts, from NYC, trying to get out from under the gargantuan shadow of her mother’s fame. She has quit her publishing job and accepted a writer’s residency in this beautiful seaside town. On the train to Massachusetts, she meets a very handsome, long-haired, Patagonia-wearing guy named Van. Suddenly, it seems like her life might finally be catapulted out of its seven-year rut.

Caroline is immediately folded into Van’s insular friend group, a crew whose bonds solidified back in high school, and what follows is a romp through the marshes, beaches, bars, and messy relationships of coastal Massachusetts. An accidental pregnancy that does not involve Caroline but does include Van is the fuse that is lit, setting off a chain of events that makes this book hum with friction, and you may end up devouring it in one sitting.

This book is the perfect mix of fun & literary magic.

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