Dolly All the Time(93)

Thank you to my wonderful agent, Marly Rusoff, who continues to cheer me on with so much kindness. I treasure your words of encouragement the way I treasure my galley copy of Heartburn.

My team at G. P. Putnam’s Sons—Ivan Held, Lindsay Sagnette, Katie “Road trip!” McKee, Molly Pieper, Nicole Biton, Molly Donovan, Jazmin Miller, Maggie Leone, Alexis Welby, Ashley McClay, and Sofie Parker—the kindest and hardest-working people in publishing. Thank you for taking care of me and my books in such an epic way. Extra giant thanks to the PRH sales force for their continued enthusiasm and the mountains they move to get my books out there.

Thank you to my managing editorial and production team—Maija Baldauf, Almudena Rincón, Claire Winecoff, and Christopher Labaza. And to Tom Dussel and Ritsuko Okumura, the sub rights wizards who are getting my books translated all around the world. Thank you to everyone at PRH audio—producer Sarah Jaffe, audio editor Katie Lakina, and audio managing editor Kelly Atkinson.

Sanny Chiu, please don’t ever retire. Thank you for the brilliant way you imagine my stories into cover art, over and over again. I say it every year, but this time you’ve outdone yourself. Thank you to Amy Brosey for saving me from myself with the careful copyedit, and thank you to interior designer Ashley Tucker for the dreamy way this book feels to flip through. The sailboat on the title page might be my favorite part of the whole book. Let’s keep that between us.

Often, in lieu of tiresome research, I text someone I know super well who’s smarter than I am. My pal Mary Thompson told me more about the history of Boston and the last two hundred years of the shipping industry than I could even process, and she didn’t balk when I replied, “Yeah, but is it on Beacon Hill or in Beacon Hill?” Thank you, Mary, for being my favorite kind of smart person.

Thank you, always, to my writing friends for sharing this life with me. This is strange, vulnerable work and it’s meant everything to have a community of writers to lean on. Whether we’re texting each other jokes or we’re cheering each other on in real life, it’s meant everything to have you as colleagues and friends. Extra thanks to Karen Dukess, who is always willing to read, and who commiserates and celebrates with equal enthusiasm.

Independent bookstores and libraries are not just pretty places to sniff books and meet nice people. They are on the frontline in the battle for strong communities and a healthy, thinking society. I am so grateful to them for welcoming me into their sacred spaces. Thank you for supporting my books, but mostly for the work you do to connect us with stories that get us closer to understanding each other and ourselves.

A bulging heartful of thanks to my readers. Thank you for taking a chance on my books and for recommending them to your friends. Thank you for showing up at my events and sharing bits of your lives with me. Thank you for the hugs and the reviews and the intricate content you create on Instagram and TikTok. Particular thanks to the book clubs—Extra AF, all the Beach Reads & Bubbly ladies, and Annissa Armstrong’s Beyond the Pages, to name a few—thank you for showing up and letting me be a part of your party. It was a childhood dream of mine to make something up that someone else might like, and you’ve made that and so many of my other dreams come true.

Special thank you to a woman named Dolly who showed up to my event at Half Price Books in Dallas in 2024. You gave me the warmest smile when you told me your name, and it stuck.

While writing this book, I felt so much love for my late brother, Jonathan, whose medical diagnosis and general demeanor inspired Christopher. His laugh was irresistible, he never once said my name without singing it into eight syllables, and he is missed.

To my family of Yankees fans. I can explain.





Discussion Guide


What was your favorite scene, and why?



If you had been in Dolly’s shoes, would you have accepted Stewart’s offer? Why or why not?



Dolly and Stewart both struggle to ask others for help, even when they need it. Do you ever feel this way? And what, if anything, do you do to combat that feeling?



What do you think about Dolly’s and Stewart’s relationships to their families? Are they healthy?



If you were to visit Brick Fish House, what would you order?



Who was your favorite character, and why?



Dolly always has a to-do list, usually for things pertaining to her loved ones rather than herself. What kinds of things would be on your to-do list?



Dolly has a lot of different side hustles on top of her day-to-day responsibilities. Do you think you’d be able to manage a schedule like hers? Why or why not?



Stewart worries a lot about his family’s legacy, and whether he can uphold it. Do you think his stress in this area was justified? Why or why not?



Dolly has a more strained relationship with her family than she would like to admit, especially in relation to her sister. What did you think about the way she processed these feelings?



How did you feel about the ending?





Turn the Page for an Excerpt


Love is a lie. Laughter is the only truth.

Jane Jackson spent her adolescence as “Poor Janey Jakes,” the barbecue-sauce-in-her-braces punch line on America’s fifth-favorite sitcom. Now she’s trying to be taken seriously as a Hollywood studio executive by embracing a new mantra: Fake it till you make it.