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When three squabbling Pickford siblings and their scheming patriarch descend on a ritzy Lake Michigan island for a family reunion, the only thing that spreads faster than the gossip is the drug stash hidden in Corey's suitcase.
Praised by #1 New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand as "engaging and charming, perfect for your own summer vacation," Make Nice has drawn comparisons to Sandwich and The Wedding People for readers who love big, joyful, crowd-pleasing fiction.
Rent new hardcover on Trove: $12.00 - Each rental copy can be rented for 30 days. If you love the book and decide to keep it, the remaining balance applies.
Buy new hardcover on Trove: $30.00
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About the book:
The Pickford siblings have descended on The Grand Hotel, a nostalgic island getaway of horse-drawn carriages and muddled cocktails, for a long weekend of family bonding. What none of them expected was for the trip to bring out their absolute worst.
Pete, the world's foremost expert on snails, is chasing a rare gastropod through the island's marshes when he stumbles into an unexpected romance. Meanwhile, his sister Viv is putting on a brave face for her teenage daughter after learning a shattering secret about her marriage.
Then there's Corey: a charming grifter who arrived with five pounds of cocaine and a plan to offload it on the island's wealthiest tourist. The trouble is, this crowd is more interested in golf clubs and waffle cones than a party favor.
As old flames reignite and teenage rebellion takes hold, one question looms larger by the day: why did their father really bring them here? Corey, the family's biggest screwup, might be the only one who knows.
You love family dramas where old secrets simmer just beneath a sunny vacation surface.
You want a beach read with the emotional depth of a book club pick.
You're a sucker for a nostalgic island setting, in the vein of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, or Singapore high society.
You enjoy a cast of gloriously flawed characters who are impossible not to root for.
You appreciate a book that can make you laugh out loud on one page and well up on the next.
Pre-release readers are calling it funny, charming, and quirky:
Early readers describe Make Nice as a delicious summer treat, full of moments that will have you laughing and cringing right alongside the Pickfords.
Others call it a quirky, madcap pilgrimage story, as the family's return to their late mother's old island home mixes nostalgia with reckoning.
Booksellers point to the over-the-top charm of the setting itself, with its horse carriages and fudge shops on every corner, as one of the novel's biggest delights.
Readers keep coming back to Corey, the family's biggest disaster, calling him a total mess who's somehow impossible not to love.
About the author:
Ryan Effgen's short fiction has appeared in Best New American Voices, Fiction Magazine, Painted Bride Quarterly, and elsewhere, and he has earned creative writing fellowships from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and George Mason University. Make Nice is his debut novel. He works as an instructional designer and lives in Virginia with his wife and children.
Publisher: Knopf
Title: Make Nice: A Novel
Author: Ryan Effgen
On Sale Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN 13: 9798217208128
ISBN 10: Not provided
Format: Hardcover
Retail Price: $30.00 USD
BISAC: Fiction / Literary (+2)
Page Count: 336 pages
Dimensions: 9.6 in H | 6.4 in W | 1.2 in T
Weight: 1.1 lb
When three squabbling Pickford siblings and their scheming patriarch descend on a ritzy Lake Michigan island for a family reunion, the only thing that spreads faster than the gossip is the drug stash hidden in Corey's suitcase.
Praised by #1 New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand as "engaging and charming, perfect for your own summer vacation," Make Nice has drawn comparisons to Sandwich and The Wedding People for readers who love big, joyful, crowd-pleasing fiction.
Rent new hardcover on Trove: $12.00 - Each rental copy can be rented for 30 days. If you love the book and decide to keep it, the remaining balance applies.
Buy new hardcover on Trove: $30.00
____________________________________________
About the book:
The Pickford siblings have descended on The Grand Hotel, a nostalgic island getaway of horse-drawn carriages and muddled cocktails, for a long weekend of family bonding. What none of them expected was for the trip to bring out their absolute worst.
Pete, the world's foremost expert on snails, is chasing a rare gastropod through the island's marshes when he stumbles into an unexpected romance. Meanwhile, his sister Viv is putting on a brave face for her teenage daughter after learning a shattering secret about her marriage.
Then there's Corey: a charming grifter who arrived with five pounds of cocaine and a plan to offload it on the island's wealthiest tourist. The trouble is, this crowd is more interested in golf clubs and waffle cones than a party favor.
As old flames reignite and teenage rebellion takes hold, one question looms larger by the day: why did their father really bring them here? Corey, the family's biggest screwup, might be the only one who knows.
You love family dramas where old secrets simmer just beneath a sunny vacation surface.
You want a beach read with the emotional depth of a book club pick.
You're a sucker for a nostalgic island setting, in the vein of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, or Singapore high society.
You enjoy a cast of gloriously flawed characters who are impossible not to root for.
You appreciate a book that can make you laugh out loud on one page and well up on the next.
Pre-release readers are calling it funny, charming, and quirky:
Early readers describe Make Nice as a delicious summer treat, full of moments that will have you laughing and cringing right alongside the Pickfords.
Others call it a quirky, madcap pilgrimage story, as the family's return to their late mother's old island home mixes nostalgia with reckoning.
Booksellers point to the over-the-top charm of the setting itself, with its horse carriages and fudge shops on every corner, as one of the novel's biggest delights.
Readers keep coming back to Corey, the family's biggest disaster, calling him a total mess who's somehow impossible not to love.
About the author:
Ryan Effgen's short fiction has appeared in Best New American Voices, Fiction Magazine, Painted Bride Quarterly, and elsewhere, and he has earned creative writing fellowships from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and George Mason University. Make Nice is his debut novel. He works as an instructional designer and lives in Virginia with his wife and children.
Publisher: Knopf
Title: Make Nice: A Novel
Author: Ryan Effgen
On Sale Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN 13: 9798217208128
ISBN 10: Not provided
Format: Hardcover
Retail Price: $30.00 USD
BISAC: Fiction / Literary (+2)
Page Count: 336 pages
Dimensions: 9.6 in H | 6.4 in W | 1.2 in T
Weight: 1.1 lb
