Cherry Baby
Published on 16. April 2026
Book
Hardback
432 pages
978-0-241-68842-7 (ISBN)
Description
The big-hearted, grown-up new novel about love and second chances from million-copy international bestselling author Rainbow Rowell
Praise for Rainbow Rowell:
'Extraordinary humour and tenderness'
Curtis Sittenfeld
'Sweet, sexy, wise and nostalgic'
Gabrielle Zevin
'So hot and delicious, so funny and smart and real. What a gift!'
Catherine Newman
'Rainbow Rowell is a damn genius'
Rufi Thorpe
'As funny and smart as its wonderful characters'
Emma Straub
'Gorgeous . . . I read it in one sitting'
Ella Risbridger
Cherry and Tom had built a quiet, contented life together in Omaha, until Tom's semi-autobiographical webcomic went viral and turned their marriage into public property.
Now the world knows Baby, the character based on Cherry, better than Cherry knows herself - and Tom and Cherry have been separated for months.
That's when Russ Sutton shows up. Floppy-haired, blue-eyed Russ Sutton, who Cherry had a crush on in college, and who now seems to have a crush on her.
All that's left is for Cherry to rewrite her own story. Because if she isn't Baby, and she isn't Tom's wife, then who can she be?
Told with deep tenderness and abundant wit, Cherry Baby is Rainbow Rowell's most affecting, most surprising, sexiest novel yet.
Praise for Rainbow Rowell:
'Extraordinary humour and tenderness'
Curtis Sittenfeld
'Sweet, sexy, wise and nostalgic'
Gabrielle Zevin
'So hot and delicious, so funny and smart and real. What a gift!'
Catherine Newman
'Rainbow Rowell is a damn genius'
Rufi Thorpe
'As funny and smart as its wonderful characters'
Emma Straub
'Gorgeous . . . I read it in one sitting'
Ella Risbridger
Cherry and Tom had built a quiet, contented life together in Omaha, until Tom's semi-autobiographical webcomic went viral and turned their marriage into public property.
Now the world knows Baby, the character based on Cherry, better than Cherry knows herself - and Tom and Cherry have been separated for months.
That's when Russ Sutton shows up. Floppy-haired, blue-eyed Russ Sutton, who Cherry had a crush on in college, and who now seems to have a crush on her.
All that's left is for Cherry to rewrite her own story. Because if she isn't Baby, and she isn't Tom's wife, then who can she be?
Told with deep tenderness and abundant wit, Cherry Baby is Rainbow Rowell's most affecting, most surprising, sexiest novel yet.
Reviews / Votes
Anything by Rainbow Rowell goes straight to the top of my TBR - and I adored this one. She writes real, complex, messy love like nobody else. Tender and insightful, this love story will stay with me for a long time. -- Beth O'Leary All the pleasure and kicky-feet excitement of a romance, with all the psychological depth and insight of great literature, Cherry is a heroine for the ages, and Rainbow Rowell is a damn genius. -- Rufi Thorpe Cherry Baby is about love, and there are a lot of excellent sex scenes, but it's also about women's bodies in a way I've never read before. Rainbow Rowell, as ever, has written a book that only she could write. -- Emma Straub Rainbow Rowell has done it again: another gorgeous, satisfying, and not-so-secretly subversive novel about first looks, second chances, great sex, and perfect little details. I read it in one sitting -- Ella Risbridger Laugh out loud dialogue -- Jodi Picoult A very special book from a writer at the peak of her powers, Cherry Baby is a beautifully tender, heart-melting but very real second chance romance with a heroine whose flaws and foibles will resonate with so many readers. -- Sarra Manning * - * If you, like me, think thirty-somethings methodically working through their issues is very hot, Slow Dance is the book for you. The people in it feel like people you know or maybe even people you've been. Slow Dance is sexy, sweet, wise, and nostalgic - Jane Austen's Persuasion for our times. -- Gabrielle Zevin on SLOW DANCE Deeply human, profoundly romantic. Rowell tackles the challenges of love lost and rediscovered with nuance and candor. She will break your heart and you'll thank her for it. -- Leigh Bardugo on SLOW DANCE A gorgeous book . . . a beautiful, believable love story between two slightly broken people. So sweet, but never sentimental. I yearned for them to be happy and I miss it now it's over -- Marian Keyes on SLOW DANCEMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 42 mm
Weight
652 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-68842-7 (9780241688427)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
The New York Times once called Rainbow Rowell "talented enough to be uncategorizable." She writes novels, comics, short stories . . . She's a #1 New York Times bestseller several times over, wrote an Indies Choice Book of the Year, and is a three-time Goodreads Choice Award winner. The thread that runs through all Rowell's work is her sunlit, knife-sharp empathy and unflagging sense of humor. She writes about life - and usually love - in a way that feels painfully, wonderfully real. Visit rainbowrowell.com to learn more.