Cherry Baby: A Novel of Love, Loss, and Starting Over, A Novel-2026 Paperback

A broken marriage. A forgotten first love. One unexpected reunion that changes everything. At thirty-six, Cherry is trying to rebuild a life she never imagined losing. After the collapse of her long-term marriage, she finds herself navigating heartbreak, loneliness, and the quiet uncertainty of starting over. Between demanding workdays, nights alone with her beloved dog Stevie, and memories she cannot escape, Cherry feels stuck between the person she used to be and the woman she is becoming. Then one rainy night at a concert in Omaha changes everything. When Cherry unexpectedly reconnects with Russ Sutton — the man she quietly loved years ago but never truly had — old emotions come rushing back. As friendship turns into something deeper, Cherry must confront painful memories, unresolved insecurities, questions about self-worth, and the difficult truth about learning to love herself before she can fully trust love again. Filled with warmth, humor, emotional honesty, and unforgettable characters, this contemporary women’s fiction novel explores second chances, divorce recovery, body image, healing after heartbreak, and the complicated beauty of finding yourself after loss. Perfect for readers who love emotional contemporary fiction, second-chance romance, women’s literary fiction, stories about personal growth, and deeply human characters who stay with you long after the final page.