A captivating journey of love, sacrifice, and destiny playing out in the world of music.

In 2003, at the prestigious Brookfield Conservatory in Boston, a chance encounter sparks an inimitable friendship between driven pianist and singer Anna Buckley and composer wunderkind Will Pendleton. As they strive toward careers as professional musicians, their bond deepens both from shared skill and the inexplicable sense that they’re kindred souls. But soon after graduation, one night forever alters the trajectory of their lives, destroying their relationship in the process.

Twenty years later in New York, sixteen-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is grappling with the rigors of her elite prep school and the confounding disappearance of the woman who gave her up at birth. When Lottie suddenly discovers the startling truth of her identity, the revelation catalyzes a chain of events that not only reunites Lottie with her birth parents, but forces them together on a rock tour-bus for a careening cross-country journey. It is there, trapped in these tight confines, that the three must finally reconcile with irrevocable choices from the past.

 

Juliet Izon is a New York City and Hudson Valley-based journalist and author. Her work has appeared in national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and magazines like Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and Architectural Digest (a full archive of clips can be found here). Her first novel, The Encore, will be published by Union Square & Co./Hachette in spring 2026.

Kirsten King is a novelist and screenwriter. Kirsten lived in Boston before relocating to Los Angeles, where she currently resides with her husband and two perfect cats. She has been published in Teen Vogue, BuzzFeed, Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, Shouts & Murmurs, and more. Her feature film, CRUSH, debuted on Hulu in 2022 and she has also written for television shows like THE SECOND BEST HOSPITAL IN THE GALAXY on Amazon Prime. A GOOD PERSON is her first novel, and will be adapted for screen by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Working Title. Her second book, HERE FOR YOU, will publish Summer 2027.