Brenda Novak
New York Times Bestselling Author
Now Available
Meet Me in Italy
Trade Paperback Release
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.
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News & Newsworthy
Meet Brenda at the 2026 California State Fair!
Meet Brenda (including the Bookstream) and other local writers, discover diverse genres, and purchase signed books at the California Authors Booth at the State Fair. Located in the air-conditioned Building A/B at Cal Expo (1600 Exposition Blvd, Sacramento), the booth is open daily from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
2026 California State Fair
July 17 – August 2, 2026
Sacramento, CA
July’s Brenda Novak Book Box
This box will contain an autographed copy (via bookplate since she lives in Canada) of our July book group read—a debut title called THE BOOK TOUR by Emily Ohanjanians, who used to be my editor (or you can substitute for one of my books)! It will also contain an autographed hardcover of SINGLE GIRLS by New York Times bestselling author John Searles (richly informed by his first-hand experience of Helen Gurley Brown when he worked with her for twenty years at Cosmopolitan Magazine)! So we have a rare double feature—and we’re having a Cosmo party with John via Zoom on July 30th to enjoy the other items in this box. We’ll make the Leisuremann’s single-serve Cosmopolitan cocktail or mocktail rimmed with the Collins Cosmopolitan Rimming Sugar (4 oz tub) and your choice of garnish using one of the four stainless steel cocktail picks, take the Cosmo quiz and more! This box will also include three sheets of bookish stickers and a surprise item!
Listen to Meet Me in Italy
Free Lemon Bag Charm
We have good news! We ordered more of the darling lemon bag charms we’ve been including as our appreciation gift, so all copies of MEET ME IN ITALY purchased through our store will be autographed and continue to come with the darling FREE lemon bag charm (while supplies last) we are including to show our appreciation:
We sold out of the beachy MEET ME IN ITALY straw bags, but we’ve also reordered those! They won’t come in until June 1st, but if you missed getting one, you can order now and we’ll ship as soon as they arrive.
Now Available in KU: Pieces of Perfect
In One Perfect Summer, three women who had never met—and seemed to share nothing but a DNA match—discovered they were sisters. Their search to uncover how and why brought them together and transformed strangers into family.
Now, in Pieces of Perfect, those bonds are tested, deepened, and celebrated as they continue to explore what it truly means to belong.
Pieces of Perfect is now exclusively available from Amazon. You can read it for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.
For the richest reading experience, be sure to enjoy One Perfect Summer first—available in print, audio, and digital formats.
MEET ME IN ITALY — Read an Excerpt
Read the first two chapters of MEET ME IN ITALY today!
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Next Book Group Meeting
The next online book group meeting will be on Thursday, July 30th at 5:00pm pacific / 8:00pm eastern in Brenda’s Book Group on Facebook.
From Brenda’s Store
Brenda Novak Book Boxes
