A dark, slow-burn relationship drama, set on an isolated island in the 1970s over the course of a wedding weekend

'A story of love, liars and secrets . . . Shady, sexy, suspicious - perfect summer holiday reading' The Times, 2026 Must-Read round-up

Shay was no longer in the cult, but still, it made her wedding guests nervous that she was bringing them to an island . . .

Just a few months after leaving the mysterious and dangerous cult Synanon, Shay is finally marrying her fiancé Andrew. Although their relationship has been rocky since Shay got involved with Synanon, Andrew, wealthy and loyal, has stuck by her.

As the wedding party arrives on a small island off the coast of Virginia, where Andrew's family has vacationed for generations, rumors are swirling about the couple. Shay's former college flame, Joel, has brought his new girlfriend, but it's clear he's still not over Shay. Shay's brother, William, is deeply uncomfortable with the wealth Shay is marrying into and is hiding a tragic secret from his family.

When a strange woman is spotted around the island, and a series of near-disasters begin to escalate, it becomes clear that Shay has not fully cut her ties to Synanon.

Beguiling and propulsive, Rowan Beaird's TENDERNESS is a story about family, love, belief, about how much we're ever able to outrun the darker parts of our past.

'INTOXICATING. You'll find yourself turning page after page, utterly swept up in the heady spell it casts, and the emotional heft that rises to an astonishing crescendo' Megan Abbott

Details

ISBN13: 9781786587787
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 320
Edition:
Publication Date: 29 Sep 2026
Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd
Publication City, Country: United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 23.7(H)x15.6(L)x2.4(W)398
Weight (gm): 398

Author Biography

Rowan Beaird is a writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, and The Common, among others. She is the recipient of the Ploughshares Emerging Writer Award, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart. She has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and StoryStudio. She currently works at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The Divorcées is her first novel.

Reviews

[A] story of love, liars and secrets . . . Shady, sexy, suspicious - perfect summer holiday reading. * The Times, 2026 Must Read roundup *
Tenderness will have you gripped for many hours by the pool . . . Full of the classic tropes of addictive wedding novels - wealth inequality, family drama and lovers' secrets - I couldn't put it down. * Cosmopolitan, Best Summer Reads *
A mesmerizing meditation on the corrosive power of self-deception that will have even experienced suspense readers holding their breath * Publishers Weekly *
I was sucked right in by this absorbing novel, which takes place at a wedding where everyone has a secret and disaster looms * Good Housekeeping *
Sly, elegant and menacing, Rowan Beaird's Tenderness is an intoxicating tale of love and danger, terror and deceit. You'll find yourself turning page after page, utterly swept up in the heady spell it casts, and the emotional heft that rises to an astonishing crescendo. * Megan Abbott *
A gorgeous exploration of family drama, told with an addictive precision. I devoured it * Heather Darwent, author of The Things We Do To Our Friends *
In equal parts a love story, mystery, a look at grief and a tale of family, this story is (no pun intended) tenderly told, showing affection for all the characters * Red Magazine *
She's done it again. Tenderness is as dark, tense and richly layered as The Divorcees, full of gorgeous detail and characters keeping secrets. An island wedding full of secrets, simmering with menace, but tender at its heart . . . brooding, tense and twisty. A wedding you won't want to miss * Marianne Cronin, author of 100 Years of Lenni and Margot *
Sizzles with a dark tension. Impossible to put down * Julie Owen Moylan *
The atmosphere is oppressive and riven with tension - and Beaird turns the screw . . . it's headily intoxicating and probes grief, trauma, accountability, and the choices we make to protect those we love - and ourselves. * Natasha Poliszczuk *