For more than eighty years, Joy Bridport has followed the rules—devoted wife, loving mother, steadfast neighbor in her small Hudson Valley town. But when her best friend Hazel is given only months to live, Joy is forced to confront the truth: Hazel has lived fully, while she has only played it safe.
Determined to change, Joy vows to live boldly in the time she and Hazel have left together. What begins as small rebellions soon snowballs into petty crimes, and Joy must decide whether she can embrace the freedom of “Bad Joy”without losing the life and legacy she’s built.
With humor, heart, and irresistible mischief, Good Joy, Bad Joy is a wise, bighearted celebration of friendship, second chances, and the courage to become who we were always meant to be.
Good Joy, Bad Joy will be published in the US and Australia on May 19, 2026.
PRAISE FOR GOOD JOY, BAD JOY
"With compassion and insight, Good Joy, Bad Joy shines a light on the quiet invisibility that settles over women as they age, then sweeps it aside with humor and heart. This deeply human novel captures the beauty of lifelong friendship and the gentle, inspiring truth that we are never finished becoming ourselves." —Anna Johnston, author of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife
"This is a beautiful and moving story about friendship and second chances late in life. Uplifting, charming, and wonderful, it will make you call your oldest friend to say 'I love you, I’m so glad you’re alive, and also, please read this book.'" —Annie Hartnett, author of The Road to Tender Hearts
"Good Joy, Bad Joy is a book that everyone should read. A beautifully reflective story of lifelong friendship, legacy, and what it truly means to lead a “good” life. I adored the colorful cast of characters, and watching Joy come of age—to her nineties! This was a deep, life affirming and entertaining experience full of hijinks, tender insights, and a reminder that it’s never too late to redefine your life." —Natalie Sue, author of I Hope This Finds You Well
"Once again, Mikki delivers a beautiful story, one that balances the complexity of grief with moments of levity and warmth in the deft, unmistakable style she is becoming known for. Good Joy, Bad Joy is not only a multilayered love letter to the wonder and resilience of female friendship, but also a tender reminder that at any stage of life, even at 89, it is never too late to bloom, to forge new connections, and to rediscover joy." —Jessica George, New York Times bestselling author of Maame
From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. Two decades later, when the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover decides to become a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.
The thing is, Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own. That all changes when the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a roadtrip across the country, where she is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.
Probing, clever, timely, and hopeful, The Collected Regrets of Clover turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life. Along the way, it illuminates the little-known role of a "death doula" in our youth-obsessed society, as well as the experiences of isolation and loneliness that so many of us have grappled with in new ways over the last two years.
A USA Today bestseller, The Collected Regrets of Clover is so far being published in 26 languages.
PRAISE FOR THE COLLECTED REGRETS OF CLOVER
"This weird, lovely and sweetly satisfying novel [is] engaging and accessible...Clover's emergence from a shuttered life is moving enough to elicit tears, and Brammer's take on death and grieving is profound enough to feel genuinely instructional."
––The New York Times Book Review
“Who knew a book about death could be so uplifting ... This book is like a warm hug, with a lot to love.”
––NPR Best Books of 2023
"This is a beautiful tale of a vulnerable, compassionate woman who finds that, in order to care for others, she must also let herself be cared for. Even that cliché feels moving, rather than saccharine, in Brammer’s capable hands."
––Kirkus (starred review)
"The Collected Regrets of Clover is a warm-hearted, tender story of love, life-lessons and letting go. Full of wisdom, it’s a novel that handles with profound sensitivity and delicacy important questions that face us all, while fostering a joyful sense of hope for the future. Clover is a beguiling character who has so much more to offer the world than she knows, and it’s a sheer delight to watch as her horizons expand. The Collected Regrets of Clover leaves us contemplating what it means to live our lives to the full, without regrets. A beautiful, thought-provoking novel."
––Sarah Haywood, New York Times bestselling author of The Cactus
"While this heartwarming debut novel deals with death, it never becomes maudlin, instead focusing on what makes a life worth living. Readers who appreciate seeing quirky, isolated characters come into their own, such as in Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, will find much to love in this moving novel."
––Booklist
"For all its talk of death, The Collected Regrets of Clover is never dark or grim. This feel-good story is beautiful, heartwarming and ultimately hopeful."
––Reader's Digest