After Everyone Else

A 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner for Best Romance A 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist for Best General Fiction From the acclaimed author of Before Anyone Else comes a captivating new novel about the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love. Bailey thought she’d gotten her happy ending. She is married to the man she loves, she has started a family, and her design business is flourishing. But when Bailey’s ex-husband, a famous TV chef, is found murdered with her DNA all over his apartment and body, she is suddenly facing murder charges in a high-profile case. Already burdened by the demands and challenges of marriage, motherhood, and her career, Bailey now must do everything she can to prove her innocence. But it’s the ones she thought would surely be on her side—her enigmatic lawyer and her husband—who might be doubting her innocence the most. Alternating between the past and present, After Everyone Else chronicles the grip of the past, the challenges of forgiveness, and the resilient love we save for the person we love after everyone else.

As a designer of upscale restaurants, 30-year-old Bailey Ann Edgeworth can go into an empty space and immediately see what it would take to transform it into a beautiful and memorable spot. She learns transforming her own life is another proposition entirely. It can get messy, and it doesn’t always go according to a neat blueprint. Bailey’s brother, Henry, and his best friend Griffin are stars in the restaurant field. They are known as the “Color Wheel Boys” because of their renowned Buckhead restaurants Vert, Blanc, and Noir. Bailey is determined to chart her own course; to not be forever known as Hank’s daughter, Henry’s sister, or “whatever” she is to Griffin. Bailey’s dreams propel her to New York, where her vision garners accolades and fame. After a perceived rejection by Griffin, she rushes into an impetuous marriage with an enigmatic English chef. Their combined charisma and desire lift them to the top of the culinary world. Just when she seems on the verge of having it all, a shocking betrayal throws Bailey's world into chaos. She begins a spectacular downfall, complete with secretive drug use, shady associates, and her career in turmoil. Just what are the secret ingredients to transforming food, a dilapidated building, and one’s own life into something extraordinary? Before Anyone Else examines the complicated relationship between love and ambition and explores how our earliest relationships and experience shape us into who we ultimately become.

In After Everyone Else, Bailey and her marriage are tested by a demanding job, new challenges in motherhood, and murder charges when her ex-husband who she hasn't seen in 20 years turns up dead and she becomes the primary suspect in the investigation.

A no-holds-barred, gonzo dive into the world of extreme behavior; from abstinence to ego, punishment to curiosity, obsession to reinvention, acclaimed journalist Jenny Valentish uncovers what drives those who push the limits of endurance. What do extreme eaters, MMA fighters, ultra-marathon runners, and BDSM practitioners have in common? What drives some people to push their bodies and minds to the brink, putting everything on the line to test the bounds of their capacity? When Jenny Valentish worked through her own addictions, she became fascinated by extremes in their myriad and unexpected manifestations. In the darkly funny, brash, and irresistible Everything Harder Than Everyone Else, Valentish immerses herself in the lives of sex workers, body builders, and dedicated fighters and finds that many of the people she encounters have overcome addictions and trauma to find release and community where the stakes are at their highest. Harnessing a journalistic approach that’s equal parts brazenly curious and remarkably compassionate, Valentish finds herself neck-deep in her own investigation, embroiling herself in the world of competitive Muay Thai fighting and in the dark chambers of a BDSM dungeon. At every turn she stares unflinchingly into the darker corners of culture that polite society ignores and repudiates, asking readers and herself, how far are you willing to go?

When fiercely independent Meredith McKay must return to her hometown following a family emergency, she is confronted by the family drama she has tried so long and hard to avoid, and comes face to face with her true self and her relationships with the people she grew up with. Meredith McKay has gone to a lot of trouble to create the picture-perfect life for herself, far away from her troublesome family, thank you. When her father's car accident forces her back to her hometown, however, she soon discovers that there's no running away from family issues—there's only delaying the inevitable. Can anyone sort out a lifetime of drama in one hot summer? Throw in a hot guy from back in high school with an ax to grind, a best friend turned enemy turned soon-to-be-sister-in-law, and of course, the sometimes irritating, sometimes delightful members of her own family, and Meredith is on her way to figuring out that a trip through the past is the best way to move forward. With one revelation after another coming to light, Meredith must reexamine all the things she's ever believed, including the truth about herself. Could it be that she isn't the good girl she always thought she was?

A commercial coming-of-age story for tweens exploring identity, family and self-acceptance, from award-winning author Sarah Hagger-Holt. Thirteen-year-old Aidan can't breathe in his crowded family home. Running is his only respite from four loud sisters and involved, touchy-feely parents. Then his mum makes an announcement: she's having another baby. Only, this time it's not for her; she will be a surrogate for gay couple Justin and Atif. Aidan is incensed. As if his family wasn't embarrassing - or big - enough already. But he's also scared. Aidan thinks he might be gay, and he's really struggling to accept this possibility. He's definitely not ready to come out, but what if being around Justin and Atif exposes him as gay? If only he was just like everyone else. Praise for Sarah Hagger-Holt: Winner of the Little Rebels Award Twice-nominated for the Carnegie Medal "Gentle and compassionate" The Times Literary Supplement "A fantastic book - I absolutely loved it!" L.D. Lapinski, author of The Strangeworlds Travel Agency "Warm, funny and believable" The Guardian

PREVIOUS BOOK IN SERIES: IT ENDS WITH US, ISBN 9781501110368. Before 'It Ends with Us', it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favourite Atlass side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the glorious and touching (USA TODAY) 'It Ends With Us'.

Praise for Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken "Mike's book is a wonderful expression of authenticity in action—clear, honest, instructive, and a passionate call to be your true Divine Self." —Cheryl Richardson, New York Times best-selling author, Take Time for Your Life "Mike Robbins provides a clear guide for intelligently and compassionately coming face-to-face with yourself and loving the person you meet. His five principles of authenticity teach us how to embrace and celebrate all aspects of who we are and what it means to be a spiritual being having a human incarnation." —Michael Bernard Beckwith, author, Spiritual Liberation "Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken is an empowering and refreshing book about how to be successful, real, and fulfilled in life. I highly recommend it." —Gay Hendricks, New York Times best-selling author, Five Wishes "Mike Robbins has written a powerful, down-to-earth, and insightful book on one of the most important aspects of happiness and fulfillment in life—authenticity. Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken will give you tools and techniques to enhance your life and relationships in a profound way." —Marci Shimoff, New York Times best-selling author, Happy for No Reason "Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken reminds us that God created each one of us for a unique purpose.?We live in a world where the lines between fake and real have blurred. This powerful book teaches you how to access and express the realness you crave in your work, your relationships, and yourself." —Jon Gordon, author, The Energy Bus