There’s a new man in her mom’s life, and Victoria is determined to get rid of him—no matter what. Both a standalone novel and a follow up to The First Magnificent Summer, this pitch-perfect middle grade story is destined to become a classic.

Thirteen-year-old aspiring writer Victoria Reeves remains dedicated to writing in her diary as her reading tastes evolve from Virginia Woolf to Sylvia Plath. She’s growing up—getting the hang of her monthly “visitor,” coming to terms with her relationship with her estranged father, and grappling with her ever-evolving views of womanhood. But the summer brings unexpected bumps along the way when Victoria develops complicated feelings about the cute boy next door and decidedly uncomplicated ones about her mom’s new boyfriend.

To protect her mom—and the family dynamic she’s used to—from this unwanted interloper, Victoria will do what it takes to send him packing. But when she goes too far, Victoria realizes all she’s done is ruin a good thing for her mom. Is it too late to set things right?

**A powerful adult novel in verse from poet Rachel Toalson**
In the End is a poignant reminder of the beauty of resilience, perfect for readers who enjoyed the introspective sincerity of Emma Straub’s All Adults Here and the moving examination of tangled relationships in Joanne Tompkins’s What Comes After.

Erin McLain lost herself somewhere along the way—motherhood, caretaking, the busyness of life. But she didn’t just lose herself, she lost her love, her hope, her reasons for existing. Her husband might not love her anymore, and she might not be able to forgive him for his failures. Her children are growing up. Should she leave or stay? Who is she now? Who does she want to be?

When a tragedy knocks the McLain family into a new realm of existence, Erin and her husband are forced to consider old skeletons in closets, the disappointments of years, and just what they’ll do to forgive, hope, and heal—and become exactly the people they were meant to be.

With poetry at its core, In the End offers a meditation on what it means to be a woman, what it means to find yourself after you’ve lost the most essential pieces, and what it means to be a family, surviving the impossible together.

Judy Blume meets Barbara Dee in this tender and empowering middle grade novel told in journal entries and poetry about a young writer on the verge of becoming a woman whose summer with her estranged father doesn’t turn out the way she’d hoped.

Twelve-year-old Victoria Reeves is all set for her “First Magnificent Summer with Dad,” even though it’s been more than two years since she last saw him. She’s ready to impress him with her wit, her maturity, and her smarts—at least until he shows up for the long road trip to Ohio with his new family, The Replacements, in tow.

But that’s not the only unpleasant surprise in store for Victoria. There are some smaller disappointments, like being forced to eat bologna even though it’s her least favorite food in the world. And then there’s having to sleep outside in a tent while The Replacements rest comfortably inside the family RV. But the worst thing Victoria grapples with is when she begins to suspect that part of the reason Dad always treats her as “less than” is for one simple reason: she’s female.

As Victoria captures every moment of her less than magnificent summer in her journal, she discovers that the odds are stacked against her in the contest-no-one-knows-is-a-contest: Not only does her wit begin to crumble around Dad’s multiple shaming jabs, but she gets her first period. And when Dad does the worst thing yet, she realizes she has a decision to make: will she let a man define her?