On Tour 11/12/25-12/15/25 “Jessica Harmon Has Stepped Away” by Reyna Marder Gentin

Release Date: November 18, 2025

About The Book:

Thirty-year-old Jessica Harmon lives in the shadow of her mother, Cynthia, a renowned poet with avid, even adoring, fans. On stage during readings, Cynthia is electric, intimate, brilliant.

As a mother, she’s aloof and a little cold, and her rejection has warped Jessica’s life. When Cynthia wins yet another prestigious literary prize and asks Jessica to accompany her on an extensive tour, Jessica says yes, but only because the rest of her life is in tatters: she just broke up with her boyfriend-almost-fiance ; she’s been fired from her editorial job at a vanity

press; and her own writing stalled years earlier. Why not go? It’s time for Jessica to reconnect with Cynthia or finally cut ties.

In this smart and gripping novel, Reyna Marder Gentin gives us a powerful, witty, mother-daughter tale that also turns a compassionate eye on writers’ lives. Ultimately, though, this is the story of a young woman reconciling with her strangling past before it’s too late to take command of her still-promising future

About The Author:

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 OpenTwenty-Four Hours.

Reyna lives with her family in Westchester County, New York. Learn more at the following: Website: www.Reynamardergentin.com

Social Media:

Instagram: instagram.com/reynamardergentin/

Facebook: facebook.com/reynamardergentin/

Book Blurbs:

“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 It’s A Love Story

“…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

“…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

“…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

Bloggers On Tour:

Nov. 12th- Books and Coffee MX https://instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx

Nov. 18th- Nissa The Bookworm https://instagram.com/nissa_the.bookworm

Nov. 20th- Jens Towering tbr https://instagram.com/jens_toweringtbr

Nov. 28th- Love My Books 2020 https://instagram.com/lovemybooks2020

Nov. 21st- Idaho Girl Reads https://instagram.com/idahogirlreads

Nov. 22nd- Plains Reading https://instagram.com/plains_reading

Nov. 23rd- Texacali Books https://instagram.com/texacalibooks

Nov. 24th- Sarahs Bookstack https://instagram.com/sarahs.bookstack

Nov. 25th- Rozier Reads and Wine https://instagram.com/rozierreadsandwine

Nov. 26th- Marilyn Goncalves https://instagram.com/marilynjgon

Nov. 26th- Nature Books and Coffee https://instagram.com/nature.books.and.coffee