Cherry Baby - Rainbow Rowell

Cherry Baby

By Rainbow Rowell

  • Release Date: 2026-04-14
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4
4
From 94 Ratings

Description

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

"Sexy, messy, funny and raw." —The New York Times

#1 New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell returns with a breathtakingly honest novel about a woman who lost everything — and isn't sure she wants it back.

Everybody knows that Cherry's husband, Tom, is in Hollywood making a movie . . .

Almost nobody knows that he isn't coming home.

Tom is the creator of Thursday—a semi-autobiographical webcomic that's become an international phenomenon.

Semi-autobiographical. That means there's a character in this movie based on Cherry . . . "Baby."

Wide-hipped, heavy-chested, double-chinned Baby.

Cherry never wanted this. No fat girl wants to see herself caricatured on the page—let alone on the big screen. But there's no getting away from it. Baby looks so much like Cherry that strangers recognize her at the grocery store.

While her soon-to-be ex-husband is in Los Angeles getting rich and famous and being the internet's latest boyfriend, Cherry is stuck in Omaha taking care of the dog he always wanted and the house they were going to raise a family in . . . and wondering who she's supposed to be without him.

Cherry had promised to love Tom through thick and thin.

She'd meant it.

One night, Cherry decides to leave all her problems, including Tom's overgrown puppy, at home. She ventures out to see her favorite band play her favorite album . . . and someone recognizes her from across the room.

Russ Sutton knew Cherry when she was a young art student with a fondness for pin-up dresses and patent leather heels. Before Tom.

Russ knows Cherry. He likes Cherry.

And best of all . . . he's never heard of Thursday.

Tender, funny, and utterly human, Cherry Baby is Rainbow Rowell's richest, most surprising—sexiest—novel yet.

Reviews

  • Great Storytelling

    5
    By LateInLife
    I really enjoyed the character development and the family dynamic within the book. It doesn’t try too hard to be funny or grand. It’s just a relatively relatable story with smooth story progression.
  • Basically the Complaint Department

    1
    By Chicago926
    There is nothing entertaining or enjoyable about this book. The main character, Cherry, is a chronic complainer. Everything about her reads negativity; so much so, I stopped reading halfway thru. Books are a means of escape. So unless you want to hear an overweight person complain about her weight, job, and relationships, save your money and take a pass.
  • Cherry feels like an old friend

    5
    By sober4oma
    This story captivated me from beginning to end. I never want it to be over! I was rooting for this girl after my own heart the whole time. Wonderful read!