The Shampoo Effect - by Jenny Jackson (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"Funny, drama-fueled, and full of Jackson's breezy wit. . . Brilliant." --Coco Mellors, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Sisters

An ambitious young woman insinuates herself into a tight-knit social set, shaking up friendships and marriages in a small seaside town. A frothy novel of love, money, sex, and friendship, from the New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street ("Laugh-out-loud-good." --Harper's Bazaar)

When Caroline Lash arrives in Greenhead, Massachusetts, she falls head-over-heels for Van Whittaker, a fleece-wearing, litter-collecting, kayak enthusiast with long, floppy hair and the personality of a Border collie. Born and raised in this picturesque coastal village, Van runs with the same crowd he did as a kid: His ex-girlfriend, Bailey, a beautiful girl who attracts men like moths to a flame; Augusta, old money, horsey, and snobbish; and Fran, surrounded by brothers and sons, too fed up with boys to ever consider marrying one.

Together, the group runs wild through the marshes, beaches, and bars of Greenhead, drinking on houseboats, spending long afternoons sunbathing with their children, and playing games the way they always have. But when Bailey discovers that she is pregnant with Van's baby, the delicate balance of the group's friendship is thrown off. Soon Caroline is cast out of the circle and what she does next--in a potent mix of fury and heartbreak--exposes long-held secrets and works the entire town of Greenhead into a lather. Dazzlingly funny, sexy, and as juicy as it is astute, The Shampoo Effect is a story of late-night parties, early mornings with small children, the dawn of midlife, and a group of old friends finally growing up despite all their best efforts to the contrary.

Review Quotes

Advance praise for The Shampoo Effect

"Things couldn't be going better for Caroline Lash, who's relocated to a seaside town in Massachusetts where she falls for the local golden boy, Van Whittaker. But beach bliss proves short-lived as secrets and drama threaten to upend the entire community."
--The New York Times

"An absolute DELIGHT. This book has everything I love in a beach read: a coastal setting, multiple points of view, compelling storylines, and a delicious specificity to the writing that makes every single sentence feel fresh and alive. Jenny Jackson's The Shampoo Effect is a must, must, must for your summer reading list."
--Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Swan Song

"I devoured The Shampoo Effect. Jackson has a rare knack for capturing the intensity of old friendships and the way love, jealousy, money, and history combust until everyone is behaving (deliciously) badly. It's funny, drama-fueled, and full of Jackson's breezy wit, but what stayed with me most was how honestly and insightfully it captures the grit beneath the gloss of these characters. A brilliant story of marriage, motherhood, and the difficult work of breaking old patterns to become someone new."
--Coco Mellors, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Sisters

"Funny, sharp and charming."
--Rebecca Serle, New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer

About the Author

Jenny Jackson is vice president and editorial director of fiction at Alfred A. Knopf. A graduate of Williams College and the Columbia Publishing Course, she lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family. Her first novel, Pineapple Street, was a New York Times bestseller, a Good Morning America Book Club pick, and has sold around the world in seventeen territories.