Even in Paradise

The Great Gatsby meets Looking for Alaska in this stunning debut from Chelsey Philpot. With inspiration drawn from Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, this novel perfectly captures the love and heartbreak that can change us most.

When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about her. Most people do . . . or think they do. But as Charlotte is pulled into the larger-than-life new girl’s world—a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails—she realizes that behind Julia’s self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, she is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden . . . until now.

Intense Female Friendship: Charlotte thinks she knows all about the infamous Julia Buchanan. But being pulled into her world of midnight parties and palatial summer homes is more consuming—and dangerous—than she ever imagined. Secrets and Lies: The Buchanan family is dazzling, charismatic, and completely broken. The closer Charlotte gets, the more she realizes a hidden tragedy is poisoning them all from the inside out. First Love: Navigating her place among the Buchanans is complicated enough before she meets him. Falling for Julia’s brother adds a new layer of longing and heartbreak to the tangled web of family loyalty. Literary Young Adult: For readers who loved the atmospheric angst of Looking for Alaska and the tragic glamour of The Great Gatsby, this unforgettable novel is a modern classic in the making.