From the publisher:
A sun-soaked trip to the Amalfi Coast promises a fresh start—and reveals secrets never imagined in New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak’s tender new novel.
In the wake of her debut novel’s breakout success—and a very painful public divorce—Charlotte Williams-Jackson has something to prove. With her second novel overdue, she’s scrambling to hold it together. But her focus is rocked when she discovers that her childhood wasn’t as it seemed—and she has a tween half-sister who’s been orphaned in Italy.
Alongside her best friend, Sloane, and Sloane’s charming brother, Julian, Charlotte ventures to the Amalfi Coast to meet her sister. She would never turn her back on family, especially since this girl doesn’t have anyone else, but between her looming deadline and her entire identity being flipped upside down, it’s a lot. Determined to rebuild her life, Charlotte must confront the relationships she’s held dear—and the loss of those she thought she had but didn’t—forcing her to question everything she understood about herself and the bonds that shape a family.An Instant USA TODAY bestseller!
https://bookshop.org/a/123058/9780778306467
Charlotte Williams-Jackson is married to an NBA star—until he ends their marriage just weeks before their fourth anniversary. Devastated, she moves back into her parents’ home. Not long after, a letter from an attorney upends her world even further: she has a twelve-year-old half-sister, Lilly. The two share the same mother—and Charlotte learns she was adopted, a truth her parents never revealed.
As if that weren’t enough, Charlotte’s career is unraveling too. Her debut romance novel was a huge success, and her second book is due in just a few months. The problem? She has no idea what to write, let alone a draft in progress. She suspects her first book’s success was tied to her husband’s fame—something she can no longer rely on.
Meanwhile, Lilly has no other family and needs a guardian. Her mother’s boyfriend, who lives on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, isn’t her father and is unwilling to take responsibility beyond short-term help. Determined to meet her half-sister and figure out next steps, Charlotte decides to go to Italy. She reconnects with her estranged best friend, Sloane, and Sloane’s twin brother, Julian—relationships she’d neglected during her marriage to a controlling husband. They agree to join her, and the trio rents a beautiful villa for a month-long stay.
Each of them arrives in Italy carrying their own burdens. Lilly, understandably guarded after being abruptly uprooted, slowly begins to open up—thanks largely to Julian’s easy charm. Still, her future remains uncertain.
Sloane is struggling in her marriage; her husband wants children, but she’s no longer sure she does. Julian is hiding a devastating medical diagnosis he plans to reveal only after they return home. And Charlotte, long harboring unspoken feelings for Julian, finds those emotions rising to the surface as they share close quarters.
Set against the beauty of Italy, their escape becomes a turning point—full of healing, hard truths, and second chances. The story delivers a satisfying, heartfelt ending and is another compelling read from Novak.
4/2026 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
MEET ME IN ITALY by Brenda Novak. MIRA (April 7, 2026). ISBN: 978-0778305811. 400p.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 