Published January 15th, 2026 by Pan Macmillan
Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Gay Fiction, Literary Fiction
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
You’ve seen the show. Now meet the woman behind the scenes . . .
From No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author Jennifer Niven, a novel about America’s favorite TV family, whose perfect façade starts to crack, for fans of Lessons in Chemistry and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Los Angeles, 1964.
For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favourite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now the Sixties are in full swing, and the Newmans’ perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch.
Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and rock ‘n’ roll idol Shep may finally be in real trouble.
When Del is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken young reporter, to help her write the final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different perspectives about what it means to be a woman, and a family, in 1964 America.
Can Dinah Newman bring her family together to change television history?
Or will she be cancelled before she ever had the chance?
Maybe it’s time for perfection to fall out of style . . .
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MY REVIEW:
Los Angeles, 1964, a time when the States is still reeling from the death of JFK, in the midst of the fight for Civil Rights, and being gripped by Beatlemania, there is a family they can always rely on to be perfect and make the world feel right for half an hour each week. It’s time to Meet the Newmans.
Nostalgic, moving, powerful and addictive, I couldn’t get enough of this charming and stirring story. It follows the Newmans, a real family who have played idealised versions of themselves on TV for the last twelve years. They are America’s favourite family. But behind the perfect facade, cracks have appeared and not all is what it seems. When patriarch Del is in a car accident, his wife, Dinah, must take the reins to ensure that their season finale goes ahead. She hires journalist Juliet Dunn but the two soon clash over what it means to be a woman in 1960s America. Truths are slowly revealed and we wonder if the Newmans will survive the fallout and pull off one last show.
Jennifer Niven’s writing is vibrant and achingly human, the story is cleverly choreographed and filled with an eclectic cast of dynamic and memorable characters. I loved the nostalgic vibe that permeates every page, making me feel like I’d been transported back to 1960s America. But while the story is a sheer delight, it is also a sobering reminder of how different life was in the 60s, exploring some heavy and emotional topics including the Civil Rights Movement, LGBTQ rights, sexism, female rage, female empowerment and reproductive rights. The world may be a mess right now, but at least in most of the world we have the right to love whoever we want and women have the right to simple things like a bank account and contraception.
Told from different perspectives, the characters felt authentic and believable, immersing me in every facet of their lives as they slowly unraveled. But all that glitters isn’t gold, and through the Newmans Niven examines the darker side of fame, showing us that perfection isn’t real and reminding us that even those who seem to have it all are going through things behind closed doors. I particularly enjoyed reading Dinah, Juliet and Guy, and loved watching and Dinah and Juliet learned so much from one another.
A thought-provoking and affirming read that will simultaneously lift your spirits and outrage you, Meet The Newmans is a must-read. Perfect for anyone who enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5
Thank you to Bookbeat and llbro.fm for my early copies of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jennifer Niven is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of All the Bright Places, Holding Up the Universe and Breathless. Her books have been translated in over 75 languages and have won literary awards around the world. An Emmy-award winning screenwriter, she co-wrote the script for the All the Bright Places movie— currently streaming on Netflix and starring Elle Fanning and Justice Smith. She is also the author of several narrative nonfiction titles and the Velva Jean historical fiction series. Jennifer divides her time between coastal Georgia and Los Angeles with her husband and literary cats.
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx
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