The Best of Everything Longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction

A tender and unforgettable story of found family and the long way back from heartbreak - now longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction

'A beautiful and important story about kindness that will break your heart, then make it sing' (reader review) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'A joyous story about love, and what family means to each of us' Prima
'I read this in a sitting, revelling in every word-perfect sentence' (reader review) ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I defy you not to cry while reading this' Red

Paulette's the kind of woman who likes the future all mapped out: the wedding to Denton, the Caribbean honeymoon, the gingham quilt on the baby's crib. Until one morning Garfield, Denton's friend, arrives at her door with the news that Denton won't be coming around any more, that there won't be time for her to say goodbye.

Somehow Garfield finds his way into her bed, and sooner than anyone can believe there is a baby, and suddenly giving Bird, her son, the best of everything is what gives Paulette's life meaning.

So why is it another little boy, Nellie, who keeps Paulette awake at night? Nellie who is being raised a few streets away, with no sign of a mum. Surely Paulette is the last person who should be getting tangled up in any of that?