Shaken to the Core: A Novel

One of People's Most-Anticipated Summer Reads
As Seen in Southern Living Magazine
Zibby Owens's Most Anticipated Summer Reading 2026

When life is cut short, what do we do with the time we have left?

Joy Stern, a free-spirited photographer, thought she had it all together. She built a traveler’s life with her husband, an architect who designed their days like the buildings he created. Children weren’t part of the plan.

When Joy’s mom dies suddenly, everything changes. Being behind the lens, capturing photos of families, doesn’t feel like enough anymore—until Joy discovers a hidden key to her mother’s diary. One entry inspires a choice that could transform the trajectory of her life.

Then the unthinkable happens: Andre receives devastating news, which upends their carefully constructed world. As Joy struggles to pursue her own dreams while supporting the man she loves, Joy wonders: Can she do it all?

An uplifting story of hope amid heartbreak, Shaken to the Core explores motherhood, chosen family, and “ how love, even in its absence, continues to transform us” (Jane L. Rosen, bestselling author of the Fire Island trilogy).