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ROCK THE BOAT
by Beck Dorey-Stein

ROCK THE BOAT by Beck Dorey-Stein

Life doesn’t always go according to plan.

And sometimes that’s just what you need.

“A lively intelligent read that confidently renders everything from a busy back bar to the slow process of grief.” —People

“This funny, searching, and wholly delightful novel is the perfect summer beach read for anyone who craves a smart story with a happy ending.” —Oprah Daily

“It'll hit you right in the feelings. Beck, will you please write a sequel?” —HelloGiggles

“A sizzling summer read. Whip-smart and perfectly capturing that delicate balance between your younger and adult selves, Dorey-Stein's book will have you—gasp!—craving a reunion with your high school pals.” —EOnline

“Following up on the success to her Obama White House memoir From the Corner of the Oval, Beck Dorey-Stein is turning to fiction with her debut novel, filled with similar coming-of-age themes and circumstances. Protagonist Kate Campbell returns to her New England hometown for the summer, finding she needs to reevaluate a few things in her life before she is ready to move back to Manhattan. Of course, that's if she moves back, after diving deep into some of the relationships and secrets that consume her seaside community.”—Fortune

“A witty and endearing escape, a summertime must-read.” —Booklist

ROCK THE BOAT is one of those books that is a great read at any time of the year, but so nice to have it now! The book follows three former high school friends as they rediscover themselves and each other now in their early 30s. Beck Dorey-Stein does a remarkable job of showing inherently flawed - and thus, realistic - characters just trying to live their lives and rebuild old friendships in the wake of various personal tragedies and struggles, all with a smattering of laugh out loud hilarity and heart breaking poignancy.

ROCK THE BOAT is a delightful, engaging story of three thirty somethings who return to Sea Point on the New Jersey shore their beachside hometown, and must grapple with old secrets, family expectations, and what it really means to become an adult. It’s all about can we go home again? And during the pandemic people are finding out!

FYI…Sea Point is based on Cape May where Beck spent her summers growing up

More about the book:

In a matter of hours, Kate Campbell’s enviable life in New York City implodes, which maybe she could handle if it weren’t all so clichéd. Suddenly without a job, boyfriend or apartment, 31-year-old Kate returns home to Sea Point -- a beach town full of quirky locals -- with every intention of winning back what she’s lost. She just needs one summer in Jersey to prove she’s worthy of New York.

Meanwhile, Sea Point’s most trusted (and only) plumber is quietly drowning. As Ziggy Miller struggles to keep his business running and his mother responsive in the wake of a family tragedy, Ziggy’s way of coping is a little dangerous and borderline illegal, but only if people find out. When his best friend Miles Hoffman announces he’s returning home for the summer, Ziggy knows this is the answer to his plumbing prayers. But Miles -- aka “The Prince of Sea Point” -- arrives with his own agenda and, unbeknownst to Ziggy, it does not include managing QuickBooks or yanking wads of hair from shower drains.

Tossed together after decades apart, Kate, Ziggy and Miles must navigate the complexities of historic friendships, conflicting aspirations, and the unique challenge of trying to grow up not only under their parents’ roofs but in a town suffering its own identity crisis. As the summer swells and the three locals grow closer, white lies and long-buried secrets – much like the intoxicating salt air -- threaten to erode the bonds between them.

With heart, humor, and lots of hiccups along the way, ROCK THE BOAT examines what it means to grow up and celebrates the integral roles that both failure and unlikely friendships play in getting there...even when “getting there” just means going home. This is the witty, joyful summer escape we all desperately need.