Jessica Harmon has spent her life in an emotional tug-of-war-yearning for her mother's attention while bracing for the rejection that always followed. At thirty, Jessica's love life is a wreck, her confidence is shot, and she's adrift in New York City, stuck editing other people's novels at a vanity press while too paralyzed to write her own. She blames her failure to launch on the woman who raised her: Cynthia Harmon, a legendary poet and scholar, who dazzles her students and readers alike...but leaves her only child cold. When Cynthia wins yet another major literary award and asks her daughter to assist her on the book tour, Jessica decides to give their relationship one last chance. When a crisis upends Cynthia's triumphant moment, the power dynamic begins to shift between the two women, and cracks start to show in the story Jessica has always been told-about her mother, her family, and herself. Jessica Harmon Has Stepped Away is a sharp, emotionally layered novel about mothers and daughters, long-held secrets, and understanding where we come from so we can choose who we become. "Vivid, evocative, sensual prose . . . A rich, engrossing portrait of a mother and daughter fencing their way toward a truce." -Kirkus Reviews "A stunning story brimming with emotional insight and razor-sharp prose. Jessica Harmon Has Stepped Away is an unforgettable exploration of the complicated love between mothers and daughters, the stories we inherit, and the ones we must rewrite to save ourselves. With pitch-perfect wit and aching vulnerability, this novel delivers a poignant, empowering portrait of a woman finally stepping out of the shadows and into her own voice." -Jacqueline Friedland , USA Today bestselling author of Counting Backwards "The only thing better than a road trip novel is a literary, mother-daughter road trip with a side of romance. I loved this story of an aspiring writer and her larger-than-life poet mother, their toxic relationship and the unexpected journey that changes everything for both of them." -Annabel Monaghan , bestselling author of Summer Romance "In her latest, Jessica Harmon Has Stepped Away , Gentin explores the complicated intersection of family secrets across the past and present, and the ways in which mothers and daughters might deceive one another--and themselves. Told with heart, wit, nuance and humor, this one will have you rooting for Jessica as she steps away, seeking bravely to find the truth, and the strength she'll need in order to face it." -Allison Pataki , New York Times bestselling author of Finding Margaret Fuller " Jessica Harmon Has Stepped Away is an honest and absorbing exploration of mothers and daughters. Spanning elite literary circles, long-held secrets, and eventual tragedy, Gentin brilliantly captures the pain and longing of familial abandonment, the path to acceptance, and the people we should know best, but never fully do. Poignant and unputdownable." -Rochelle B. Weinstein , bestselling author of This is Not How it Ends " Jessica Harmon Steps Away is a smart, compelling, genre-blend - a mother-daughter road trip, a coming-of-age story, and a literary satire. Kudos to Reyna Marder Gentin!" -Karen Dukess , author of The Last Book Party and Welcome to Murder Week " Jessica Harmon Has Stepped Away is the story of Jessica, a woman in her thirties who hopes to become a writer, and Cynthia, her narcissistic mother, a lauded poet. The book is steeped in lifelong secrets, ultimately asking the reader 'How well can a child ever know a parent?' Reyna Marder Gentin has written a compelling story that will leave you thinking-and feeling. -Marilyn Simon Rothstein , author of Who Loves You Best Reyna Marder Gentin grew up on Long Island and attended Yale College and Yale Law School. A former criminal defense attorney, she is the author of two prior legal romances, Unreasonable Doubts and Both Are True, as well as a middle grade novel, My Name Is Layla. Reyna's personal essays and short stories have been published widely in print and online, and she is currently working on a collection of linked short stories entitled Open Twenty-Four Hours. Reyna lives with her family in Westchester County, New York. Please find out more by visiting reynamardergentin.com.