About the Book
A VOGUE 'BEST BOOK OF 2026'
‘I devoured The Shampoo Effect . . . it's funny, drama-fuelled, and full of Jackson's breezy wit.’
Coco Mellors, Sunday Times bestselling author of BLUE SISTERS
'So breezily readable and laugh-out-loud funny while excavating the deepest truths about motherhood, family, and forgiveness.'
Catherine Newman, author of WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS
'An absolute DELIGHT . . . a must, must, must for your summer reading list'
Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times bestselling author of THE PERFECT COUPLE
'Funny, sharp and charming'
Rebecca Serle, New York Times bestselling author of IN FIVE YEARS
'A frothy, exuberant book'
Vogue
OVER ONE LONG SUMMER, WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT COME OUT IN THE WASH?
When writer Caroline Lash arrives in Greenhead, she falls immediately for its scenic beaches and New England charm – and even harder for Van Whittaker, a gorgeous, fleece-wearing, litter-collecting, kayak enthusiast.
She meets his friends: Augusta, old money and uptight; Fran, drowning in everyone else’s problems whilst keeping two kids (and an inebriated husband) afloat; and Bailey, who is sexy, confident… and inconveniently pregnant with Van’s child.
Determined nothing will dull the shine of her new romance, Caroline joins the friends as they run wild through Greenhead, drinking on houseboats, gossiping on beaches while their children paddle, and playing risky games.
It seems the fun will last forever – until it doesn’t. As decades-old friendships and marriages begin to fracture, Caroline’s place in their world is called into question. And with all the group’s most tightly held secrets at stake, who knows what might come out?
Dazzlingly funny, sexy, and as juicy as it is astute, The Shampoo Effect is a story of late-night parties, early mornings with small children, and old friends finally growing up – despite all their best efforts.
'The platonic ideal of a beach read: fun and fast-paced'
New York Times
'[A] juicy send-up of privilege in all its rowdy dysfunction'
People
'Astutely observed'
Booklist
About the Author :
Jenny Jackson is a Vice President and Executive Editor at Alfred A. Knopf. A graduate of Williams College and the Columbia Publishing Course, Jenny lives in Brooklyn Heights with her family. Her first novel, Pineapple Street, was a New York Times bestseller. The Shampoo Effect is her second novel.
Review :
I devoured The Shampoo Effect. Jackson has a rare knack for capturing the intensity of old friendships and the way love, jealousy, money, and history combust until everyone is behaving (deliciously) badly. It's funny, drama-fueled, and full of Jackson's breezy wit, but what stayed with me most was how honestly and insightfully it captures the grit beneath the gloss of these characters. A brilliant story of marriage, motherhood, and the difficult work of breaking old patterns to become someone new
A gorgeous story
I binged The Shampoo Effect and am now bereft and also jealous. Jenny Jackson has written a book that's so breezily readable and laugh-out-loud funny while excavating the deepest truths about motherhood, family, and forgiveness. What an unforgettable cast of characters. What an accomplishment.
An absolute DELIGHT. This book has everything I love in a beach read: a coastal setting, multiple points of view, compelling storylines, and a delicious specificity to the writing that makes every single sentence feel fresh and alive. Jenny Jackson’s The Shampoo Effect is a must, must, must for your summer reading list.
Funny, sharp, and charming
The Shampoo Effect is a delicious, unputdownable portrait of a group of friends navigating love, marriage, and young parenthood. Jackson's characters are fully drawn, complex and flawed, each traveling a true arc of growth, arriving in the final pages at a deeper understanding of the ties that bind them to one another. I loved it
Juicy
One of the smartest, funniest, and most astute novels I've ever read . . . presented by Jenny Jackson with a combination of great humour and profound wistfulness. I loved this novel. You will, too.
Warm, witty, sharp and clever – it's the perfect smart summer book. Absolutely delicious!
Smart, funny, and perceptive, Jenny Jackson captures the messiness of modern relationships with rare precision. THE SHAMPOO EFFECT is an addictive, beautifully observed read.
