@penguinbooks
Penguin BooksHow did John Updike, Tom Brady, and Ipswich, MA inspire Jenny Jackson in writing THE SHAMPOO EFFECT? Jenny explains here! @time says, “There’s no more quintessential beach read than a buzzy novel set in a coastal town. Consider Greenhead, Massachusetts, where Caroline, a twenty-eight-year-old writer, settles into a residency and a relationship with sexy environmentalist Van … Except he has a kid on the way: his former girlfriend is pregnant. Against her better judgment Caroline falls in with Van and his high school crew. Doubts linger in Jenny Jackson’s rocky romance–will love triumph? As she texts a friend: No Hallmark movie has the Good Guy knock up his ex-girlfriend from high school.” Have you read the July @readwithjenna pick yet? Let us know!
On the profile · Jul 16, 2026