With Or Without You

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A haunting, unforgettable mother-daughter story for a new generation—the debut of a blazing new lyrical voice NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY Domenica Ruta grew up in a working-class, unforgiving town north of Boston, in a trash-filled house on a dead-end road surrounded by a river and a salt marsh. Her mother, Kathi, a notorious local figure, was a drug addict and sometimes dealer whose life swung between welfare and riches, and whose highbrow taste was at odds with her hardscrabble life. And yet she managed, despite the chaos she created, to instill in her daughter a love of stories. Kathi frequently kept Domenica home from school to watch such classics as the Godfather movies and everything by Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen, telling her, “This is more important. I promise. You’ll thank me later.” And despite the fact that there was not a book to be found in her household, Domenica developed a love of reading, which helped her believe that she could transcend this life of undying grudges, self-inflicted misfortune, and the crooked moral code that Kathi and her cohorts lived by. With or Without You is the story of Domenica Ruta’s unconventional coming of age—a darkly hilarious chronicle of a misfit ’90s youth and the necessary and painful act of breaking away, and of overcoming her own addictions and demons in the process. In a brilliant stylistic feat, Ruta has written a powerful, inspiring, compulsively readable, and finally redemptive story about loving and leaving. Praise for With or Without You “A luminous, layered accomplishment.”—The New York Times Book Review “A singular new coming-of-age memoir traces one girl’s twisting path up from mean streets (and parents) to the reflective life of a writer. . . . The burgeoning canon of literary memoir . . . begets another winner in Domenica Ruta’s searing With or Without You. . . . [A] gloriously gutsy memory-work.”—Elle “Stunning . . . comes across as a bleaker, funnier, R-rated version of The Glass Castle and marks the arrival of a blazing new voice in literature.”—Entertainment Weekly “Valiant and heartbreaking.”—Bust “Powerful . . . Ruta found an unconventional voice, a scary good mixture of erudition and hardened street smarts. Her writing is also, as they say in Danvers, wicked funny—though in her case wicked is more an adjective than an intensifier. . . . [With or Without You] hums with jangled energy and bristles with sharp edges. . . . Ruta writes with unflinching honesty.”—Slate “Bracingly funny and poignant.”—The Boston Globe “Exceedingly powerful.”—Booklist

“Leavitt has crafted an irresistible portrait of midlife ennui and the magic of breaking free.” —People “With or Without You is a moving novel about twists of fate, the shifting terrain of love, and coming into your own. With tenderness and incisive insight, Leavitt spotlights a woman's unexpected journey towards her art.” —Madeline Miller, author of Circe A Best Book of the Month: Bustle * PopSugar New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt writes novels that expertly explore the struggles and conflicts that people face in their search for happiness. For the characters in With or Without You, it seems at first that such happiness can come only at someone else’s expense. Stella is a nurse who has long suppressed her own needs and desires to nurture the dreams of her partner, Simon, the bass player for a rock band that has started to lose its edge. But when Stella gets unexpectedly ill and falls into a coma just as Simon is preparing to fly with his band to Los Angeles for a gig that could revive his career, Simon must learn the meaning of sacrifice, while Stella’s best friend, Libby, a doctor who treats Stella, must also make a difficult choice as the coma wears on. When Stella at last awakes from her two-month sleep, she emerges into a striking new reality where Simon and Libby have formed an intense bond, and where she discovers that she has acquired a startling artistic talent of her own: the ability to draw portraits of people in which she captures their innermost feelings and desires. Stella’s whole identity, but also her role in her relationships, has been scrambled, and she has the chance to form a new life, one she hadn’t even realized she wanted. A story of love, loyalty, loss, and resilience, With or Without You is a page-turner that asks the question, What do we owe the other people in our lives, and when does the cost become too great?

When are you too far in to get out? Eighteen-year-old Evan and his best friend, Davis, get beaten up for being loners. For being gay. For just being themselves. But as rough as things often seem, at least Evan can take comfort in his sweet, sexy boyfriend Erik —whom he’s kept secret from everyone for almost a year. Then Evan and Davis are recruited to join the Chasers, a fringe crowd that promises them protection and status. Davis is swept up in the excitement, but Evan is caught between his loyalty to Davis and his love for Erik. Evan has lied to keep his two worlds separate. Now his lies are about to implode…and destroy the very relationships he’s been trying to protect.

What if everything you ever wanted was not enough? Martha Lamont has it all: a passionate marriage, two well-adjusted children, a lovely home and a high-profile job as a showbiz interviewer for a major national newspaper. Her gorgeous husband, Jamie, is happy being a stay-at-home-dad while she pursues her career. But appearances are often deceiving. One day, Martha makes a discovery that rocks the very foundation of her world and she begins to question everything she thought she wanted. Then, during an interview with a famous actor, Charlie Simmons, Martha finds herself pouring her heart out. And soon their friendship turns into an intense relationship… Now, Martha must make the toughest decision of her life. Does she fight to keep the life she loves? Or are some betrayals just too big to forgive?

“Leavitt has crafted an irresistible portrait of midlife ennui and the magic of breaking free.” —People “With or Without You is a moving novel about twists of fate, the shifting terrain of love, and coming into your own. With tenderness and incisive insight, Leavitt spotlights a woman's unexpected journey towards her art.” —Madeline Miller, author of Circe A Best Book of the Month: Bustle * PopSugar New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt writes novels that expertly explore the struggles and conflicts that people face in their search for happiness. For the characters in With or Without You, it seems at first that such happiness can come only at someone else’s expense. Stella is a nurse who has long suppressed her own needs and desires to nurture the dreams of her partner, Simon, the bass player for a rock band that has started to lose its edge. But when Stella gets unexpectedly ill and falls into a coma just as Simon is preparing to fly with his band to Los Angeles for a gig that could revive his career, Simon must learn the meaning of sacrifice, while Stella’s best friend, Libby, a doctor who treats Stella, must also make a difficult choice as the coma wears on. When Stella at last awakes from her two-month sleep, she emerges into a striking new reality where Simon and Libby have formed an intense bond, and where she discovers that she has acquired a startling artistic talent of her own: the ability to draw portraits of people in which she captures their innermost feelings and desires. Stella’s whole identity, but also her role in her relationships, has been scrambled, and she has the chance to form a new life, one she hadn’t even realized she wanted. A story of love, loyalty, loss, and resilience, With or Without You is a page-turner that asks the question, What do we owe the other people in our lives, and when does the cost become too great?

A story about running away and finding more than just adventure, from the Sunday Times bestseller When Jake tells Lyssa it's not working, she knows he's not talking about the toaster. Her immediate reaction is to sob into her pillow and wait for Jake to come to his senses. But slowly Lyssa begins to understand that's not an option. In a bid to escape, she embarks on a trekking holiday in Nepal. Lyssa needs to get away - it never occurred to her that she might fall in love . . . When it's time to go home - back to reality and a very sheepish Jake - Lyssa is faced with the hardest choice of her life. Your favourite authors love Carole Matthews: 'A gorgeous novel that will delight' KATIE FFORDE 'Fun, fantastic and brimming with Matthews magic' MILLY JOHNSON 'A life-affirming story full of joy and hope' CATHY BRAMLEY 'An irresistibly warm-hearted story' TRISHA ASHLEY 'Warm, witty and hopeful - I was charmed' SARAH MORGAN 'The queen of funny, feel good fiction' MIKE GAYLE

Have you ever made a life-changing decision before wondering if you made the right one...? When Liv and Nate walked up the aisle, Liv knew she was marrying the one, her soul mate and her best friend. Six years later, it feels like routine and friendship is all they have left in common. What happened to the fun, the excitement, the lust, the love? In the closing moments of 1999, Liv and Nate decide to go their separate ways, but at the last minute, Liv wavers. Should she stay or should she go? Over the next twenty years we follow the parallel stories to discover if Liv's life, heart and future have been better with Nate... Or without him? Perfect for the fans of Jojo Moyes, Lucy Diamond and Marian Keyes. Praise for With or Without You: 'Cold Feet meets Sliding Doors. This is one of the best books I've EVER read' Mandy Baggot, author of One Last Greek Summer. 'This is the first Shari Low book I have read, but definitely won't be the last. A keeper - to reread again!' Zara Stonely, bestselling author of The Wedding Date. 'This was a very entertaining book throughout and one I really enjoyed reading, even the parts that had me in floods of tears' That Thing She Reads. 'I will certainly be recommending this book to everyone who will listen to me! Stunning!' Stardust Book Reviews. 'This book made me cry and laugh in equal measure' Leanne Wilkins, NetGalley. 'A light, easy read romance' Moirelyn Jewula, NetGalley.

'A captivating new novel by the bestselling author' SUNDAY EXPRESS This summer’s MUST-READ: a heart-warming romantic comedy, perfect for fans of Lucy Diamond and Carole Matthews. Four adults. One moment that will change everything. Martha is a happily married mum-of-two. But when she discovers that her adoring husband Jamie has been having an affair she begins to question everything she thought she knew about love. Charlie is Hollywood’s latest success story. Having focused on his career after his actress ex-wife Liv left him for another man years earlier, taking their child with him, he has all but turned his back on love. That is, until he meets Martha, and their shared experiences of betrayal brings them closer together. Jamie is devastated. Wracked with guilt after risking his marriage, he struggles to convince wife Martha not to leave him and swears he’ll change. But as he sees her getting ever closer to moviestar Charlie, he fears he may have lost her already. Liv is falling apart. Her ex-husband Charlie’s career is on the rise and she’s beginning to wonder if leaving him all those years ago was the biggest mistake she ever made. But now Charlie appears to be falling for Martha, has Liz lost her second chance? 'Fraught with heart-wrenching dialogue and the glamorous backdrops of LA and London, this is a romance with pace' THE LADY Praise for HELEN WARNER: 'The kind of book beach holidays were made for' Red 'As bubbly as a glass of wedding champagne' Cosmopolitan 'Great good fun' woman&home 'Helen Warner knows what makes women tick. We loved her scarily believable tale of heartache and infidelity' Bella 'This is a racy read' Sunday Mirror