THE MESSY LIVES OF BOOK PEOPLE By by Phaedra Patrick
Fredrik Backman meets The Midnight Library in Phaedra Patrick’s unforgettable new novel, in which the housecleaner of a famous reclusive author must carry out her unusual last wish of finishing her final book, turning her life upside down and revealing long-buried family secrets. Readers of Matt Haig, Fredrik Backman, Nina George, and Gail Honeyman will love Phaedra Patrick’s latest heartwarming charmer.
Have you ever wished you were someone else?
Mother of two Liv Green barely scrapes by as a housecleaner to make ends meet, and often finds escape in a good book, daydreaming of one day becoming a writer herself. So when she lands a job housekeeping for her personal hero and mega-bestselling author Essie Starling, she can’t believe her stroke of luck. Both mysterious and intimidating, Essie is an infamous recluse following a fall from grace, and Liv is the only one she’ll talk to after retreating completely from the public eye.
Just as the two women form an unlikely friendship, Essie dies unexpectedly, leaving Liv an astonishing last wish: to complete Essie’s final novel. But to do so, change-averse Liv will have to step away from the fictitious worlds in her head, and into Essie’s shoes. And as Liv begins to write, she uncovers secrets from Essie’s past that reveal a surprising connection between the two women that will change Liv’s own life story forever…
Brimming with surprises, lots of heart, and a sparkling cast of characters, the new novel from Phaedra Patrick is a poignant exploration of the different crossroads we face in life, the power of friendship, and how it’s never too late to take control of your own story.
