The Shampoo Effect: A Read with Jenna Pick by Jackson, Jenny

READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY

"Funny, drama-fueled, and full of Jackson's breezy wit. . . Brilliant." --Coco Mellors, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Sisters

"The platonic ideal of a beach read." --The New York Times

An ambitious young woman insinuates herself into a tight-knit social set, shaking up friendships and marriages in a small seaside town. A frothy novel of love, money, sex, and friendship, from the New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street

When Caroline Lash arrives in Greenhead, Massachusetts, she falls head-over-heels for Van Whittaker, a fleece-wearing, litter-collecting kayak enthusiast with long, floppy hair and the personality of a Border collie. Born and raised in this picturesque coastal village, Van runs with the same crowd he did as a kid: His ex-girlfriend, Bailey, a beautiful girl who attracts men like moths to a flame; Augusta, old money, horsey, and snobbish; and Fran, surrounded by brothers and sons, too fed up with boys to ever consider marrying one.

Together, the group runs wild through the marshes, beaches, and bars of Greenhead, drinking on houseboats, spending long afternoons sunbathing with their children, and playing games the way they always have. But when Bailey discovers that she is pregnant with Van's baby, the delicate balance of the group's friendship is thrown off. Soon Caroline is cast out of the circle and what she does next--in a potent mix of fury and heartbreak--exposes long-held secrets and works the entire town of Greenhead into a lather.

Dazzlingly funny, sexy, and as juicy as it is astute, The Shampoo Effect is a story of late-night parties, early mornings with small children, the dawn of midlife, and a group of old friends finally growing up despite all their best efforts to the contrary.

Author: Jenny Jackson
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Published: 06/30/2026
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.30w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9798217059959

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2026
Publishers Weekly 04/20/2026
Library Journal 05/22/2026 pg. 1
Booklist 06/01/2026

About the Author
Jenny Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street. A graduate of Williams College and the Columbia Publishing Course, Jenny is vice president and editorial director of fiction at Alfred A. Knopf. Raised in Ipswich, Massachusetts, she lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family.