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The A to Z of Everything by Debbie Johnson is a heartfelt tale of sisterhood, love and lossEstranged sisters Poppy and Rose reunite to complete their late mother’s final project for them: a scavenger hunt through their livesJohnson’s novel will be available to North American readers in March 2026
Two sisters’ bond is put to the test when their late mother leaves them one final task in The A to Z of Everything.
From award-winning author Debbie Johnson comes a heartfelt story of sisterhood, loss and love, embedded in a thrilling journey across Europe. Set to debut in March 2026, The A to Z of Everything is now coming to audiences in North America after a highly successful run in the United Kingdom.
Johnson’s novel meets Poppy and Rose — sisters who were best friends, once — estranged and in their 40s when they learn their “powerhouse of a mother” is dead. Though the two sisters’ grief helps reunite them, their mother Andrea’s final project for them is what truly brings them together.
A scavenger hunt of sorts, Andrea’s The A to Z of Everything is aimed at healing the breach between sisters — the rift that also broke their mother’s heart.
“A is for Ashes. C is for Champagne. D is for Daddy Issues,” the book’s synopsis reads. “But when they get to F for Forgiveness, can they make a start, even when they can barely look at each other?”
“The A to Z of Everything started as a fun title I came up with, and grew into a book about love, family and forgiveness,” Johnson tells PEOPLE. “It takes readers on an emotional journey through the alphabet of the heart, and although it tackles serious subjects, there is a lot of fun and laughter along the way!”
Read an excerpt from the novel below.
Debbie Johnson.
Debra Johnson
“Is it all sorted, do you think, Lewis?” she whispers, startling him from his thoughts. He’d assumed she was on the verge of another fitful bout of sleep.
“Do you think I’ve done enough?” she says, grasping his fingers, looking for reassurance.
“Darling, it is all beyond sorted. I have never seen you display such organizational skills as I have in the last few weeks. It will be enough, I promise. So don’t worry about a thing — I know what to do. Everything is ready, and I’ll play my part to perfection.”
“Ha! That’ll be a first, then …” she murmurs sarcastically. Ever the critic. Just because once — once — he dropped the bloody skull during his am-dram Hamlet.
She tries to sit up, and he sees she is struggling. He helps her move forward and adjusts the bed so she is propped upright. He casts one last glance over her — the hair as neat as it can be, the makeup done, the dreaded earrings gone. She’s insisted on wearing “proper clothes,” even though her cream silk blouse is now hanging off her shoulders, and has doused herself in Chanel Coco, as though the girls will have some kind of sniff-o-vision when they watch this.
“Okay,” she says, drawing in a big breath. “I think I’m ready. I can practically see a man with a scythe lurking in the corridor by the vending machine, my love, so we’d better get on with it. The show must go on. All set?”
He nods and switches the camera on. He’s never been much of one for technology, and he’s had to learn fast. Now, if he ever tires of playing the Solid Rural Lawyer, he can become an internet whiz kid instead.
‘The A to Z of Everything.’.
Debra Johnson
“Testing, testing. Uno, dos, tres … Andrea says, her voice high and firm; stronger than he’s heard it for days. What a trouper.
He adjust his angles, knowing that she will insist on reshooting this if it doesn’t meet her high standards, and gives her the thumbs-up.
She turns those brilliant eyes toward him and smiles into the lens. It’s a perfect close-up, and she plays it exactly right.
“My darlings. Rosehip, Popcorn, my only true loves. Not to be too Hollywood about this, but if you’re watching this, that can mean only one thing: I have shuffled off this mortal coil … and you two are going to need each other more than ever. You need to set aside your differences and look out for each other — just like you always used to.”
The A to Z of Everything. Copyright © 2026 by Debra Johnson. All rights reserved.
The A to Z of Everything comes out March 10, 2026 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.