{"product_id":"tenderness-from-the-lauded-author-of-the-divorcees-a-story-of-love-liars-and-secrets-set-on-an-island-over-a-wedding-weekend-9781786587787","title":"Tenderness","description":"\u003cp\u003eA dark, slow-burn relationship drama, set on an isolated island in the 1970s over the course of a wedding weekend\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A story of love, liars and secrets . . . Shady, sexy, suspicious - perfect summer holiday reading' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e, 2026 Must-Read round-up\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShay was no longer in the cult, but still, it made her wedding guests nervous that she was bringing them to an island . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJust 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBeguiling and propulsive, Rowan Beaird's \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eTENDERNESS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e is a story about family, love, belief, about how much we're ever able to outrun the darker parts of our past.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781786587787\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 29 Sep 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Bonnier Books Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 23.7(H)x15.6(L)x2.4(W)398\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 398\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eRowan Beaird is a writer whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in \u003ci\u003eThe Kenyon Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Southern Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Common\u003c\/i\u003e, among others. She is the recipient of the \u003ci\u003ePloughshares\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003ci\u003eThe Divorcées \u003c\/i\u003eis her first novel.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cb\u003e[A] story of love, liars and secrets . . . Shady, sexy, suspicious - perfect summer holiday reading.\u003c\/b\u003e * The Times, 2026 Must Read roundup *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTenderness \u003c\/i\u003ewill have you gripped for many hours by the pool\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Full of the classic tropes of addictive wedding novels - \u003cb\u003ewealth inequality, family drama and lovers' secrets - I couldn't put it down.\u003c\/b\u003e * Cosmopolitan, Best Summer Reads *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA mesmerizing meditation on the corrosive power of self-deception that will have even experienced suspense readers holding their breath\u003c\/b\u003e * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI was sucked right in by this absorbing novel, which takes place at a wedding where everyone has a secret and disaster looms\u003c\/b\u003e * Good Housekeeping *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSly, elegant and menacing, Rowan Beaird's \u003ci\u003eTenderness\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/b\u003e * Megan Abbott *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA gorgeous exploration of family drama, told with an addictive precision. I devoured it\u003c\/b\u003e * Heather Darwent, author of The Things We Do To Our Friends *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn equal parts a love story, mystery, a look at grief \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eand a tale of family\u003c\/b\u003e, this story is (no pun intended)\u003cb\u003e tenderly told\u003c\/b\u003e, showing affection for all the characters * Red Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eShe's done it again. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eTenderness\u003c\/i\u003e is as\u003cb\u003e dark, tense and richly layered\u003c\/b\u003e as \u003ci\u003eThe Divorcees\u003c\/i\u003e, full of gorgeous detail and characters keeping secrets. \u003cb\u003eAn island wedding full of secrets, simmering with menace, but tender at its heart . . . \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ebrooding, tense and twisty. A wedding you won't want to miss\u003c\/b\u003e * Marianne Cronin, author of 100 Years of Lenni and Margot *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSizzles with a dark tension. Impossible to put down\u003c\/b\u003e * Julie Owen Moylan *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe atmosphere is oppressive and riven with tension\u003c\/b\u003e - and Beaird turns the screw . . . it's \u003cb\u003eheadily intoxicating\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eand probes grief, trauma, accountability, and the choices we make to protect those we love - and ourselves. * Natasha Poliszczuk *","brand":"Rowan Beaird","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50628756209881,"sku":"9781786587787","price":32.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781786587787.jpg?v=1791458770","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/tenderness-from-the-lauded-author-of-the-divorcees-a-story-of-love-liars-and-secrets-set-on-an-island-over-a-wedding-weekend-9781786587787","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}