Life After Yes: A Novel

by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Overview

“[A] funny and a wickedly accurate picture of the life of a particular breed of Manhattanites—and it’s also thought-provoking and deeply moving.”
—Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project

A young woman deals with the aftermath of her father’s death while she struggles to commit to a future with her fiancé in Life After Yes, the poignant, wry, and very accomplished debut novel from Aidan Donnelley Rowley. A story of hope and light in the darkness in the bestselling vein of Juliette Fay, Cecilia Ahearn, and Jacqueline Sheehan, newcomer Rowley has captured all the angst and pain of truly becoming an adult, and has done so with unusual heart and grace, inspiring Julie Buxbaum to rave, “Her flawed and complex characters will stick with you long after Life After Yes’s final pages.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061994739
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/17/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	370
File size:	672 KB

About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Aidan Donnelley Rowley graduated from Yale University and received her law degree from Columbia University. She is the author of a previous novel, Life After Yes, and the creator of the Happier Hours Literary Salons. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and three daughters.

What People are Saying About This

Mameve Medwed

A resounding yes! to Life After Yes—a novel that explores, with charm and humor, life after loss. Readers will root for its endearing narrator, Quinn, as she confronts the road not taken and navigates the conflicting and complicated intersections of head and heart.

Julie Buxbaum

Rowley skillfully dissects the myth of having it all in this unputdownable late coming of age story set in rarefied Manhattan. Her flawed and complex characters will stick with you long after Life After Yes’s final pages since they are all too human as they struggle with love and loss.

J. Courtney Sullivan

Rowley skillfully dissects the myth of having it all in this unputdownable late coming of age story set in rarefied Manhattan. Her flawed and complex characters will stick with you long after Life After Yes’s final pages since they are all too human as they struggle with love and loss.

Editorial Reviews

Lawyer turned author and blogger Rowley spins a heartfelt, earnest, if uneven, tale of post-9/11 New York City. It’s January 2002, and corporate lawyer and lifelong New Yorker Prudence Quinn O’Malley has just accepted a “wonderful, majestic, classic” marriage proposal in Paris. But an unsettling dream the next night featuring three grooms and her father, who died on September 11, makes her rethink her plans. Still reeling from her father’s death, Quinn might not be ready for marriage. Her fiancé, Sage, tries to be supportive and patient, but a family tragedy in his own past and his overbearing mother complicate the situation. Quinn tailspins into binge-drinking and impulsive decisions, trying to reconcile her past self with a future that might seem perfect on the outside, but may not be what she really wants. Sage, her two best girlfriends, and her personal trainer are on board to help her move forward. Although Rowley’s quirky characters and lavish descriptions of New York show promise, the blend of dark self-discovery and frothy, party-driven chick lit doesn’t quite jell, while cutesy metaphors and stilted double entendres further disturb the pace. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Aidan Donnelley Rowley’s compelling debut novel Life After Yes is funny, and a wickedly accurate picture of the life of a particular breed of Manhattanites – and it’s also thought-provoking and deeply moving. — Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

“A must-read modern love story for any woman wondering which man, and which direction, is the right one.” — Tatiana Boncompagni

A resounding yes! to Life After Yes—a novel that explores, with charm and humor, life after loss. Readers will root for its endearing narrator, Quinn, as she confronts the road not taken and navigates the conflicting and complicated intersections of head and heart. — Mameve Medwed

Rowley skillfully dissects the myth of having it all in this unputdownable late coming of age story set in rarefied Manhattan. Her flawed and complex characters will stick with you long after Life After Yes’s final pages since they are all too human as they struggle with love and loss. — Julie Buxbaum

From the Publisher

Aidan Donnelley Rowley’s compelling debut novel Life After Yes is funny, and a wickedly accurate picture of the life of a particular breed of Manhattanites – and it’s also thought-provoking and deeply moving.

Gretchen Rubin

Rowley skillfully dissects the myth of having it all in this unputdownable late coming of age story set in rarefied Manhattan. Her flawed and complex characters will stick with you long after Life After Yes’s final pages since they are all too human as they struggle with love and loss.

Julie Buxbaum

A must-read modern love story for any woman wondering which man, and which direction, is the right one.

Tatiana Boncompagni

A resounding yes! to Life After Yes—a novel that explores, with charm and humor, life after loss. Readers will root for its endearing narrator, Quinn, as she confronts the road not taken and navigates the conflicting and complicated intersections of head and heart.

Mameve Medwed

Rowley skillfully dissects the myth of having it all in this unputdownable late coming of age story set in rarefied Manhattan. Her flawed and complex characters will stick with you long after Life After Yes’s final pages since they are all too human as they struggle with love and loss.

J. Courtney Sullivan