THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Alex & Eliza comes a return to adult fiction, centered around a mysterious woman's birthday celebration - and what it reveals about her past.

Ellie de Florent-Stinson is celebrating her 40th birthday with a grand celebration in her fabulous house in Palm Springs.

At forty it appears Ellie has everything she ever wanted: a handsome husband; an accomplished college-age stepdaughter; a beautiful ten-year-old girl; two adorable and rambunctious six-year-old twin boys; lush, well-appointed homes in the city, desert, and beach; a thriving career as a well-known fashion designer of casual women's wear; and a glamorous circle of friends.

Except everything is not quite as perfect as it looks on the outside. Ellie is keeping many secrets. This isn't the first birthday celebration that hasn't gone as planned. There's a certain sixteenth birthday that she's tried hard to forget. But hiding the skeletons of her past comes at a cost, and all of Ellie's secrets come to light on the night of her fabulous birthday party in the desert - where everyone who matters in her life shows up, invited or not. Old and new, friends and frenemies, stepdaughters and business partners, ex-wives and ex-husbands congregate, and the glittering façade of her life crumbles in one eventful night.

Beautifully paced and full of surprises, THE BIRTHDAY GIRL is an enthralling tale of a life lived in shadow, and its unavoidable consequences.

Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Publishers Weekly and internationally bestselling author of many critically acclaimed novels, including The Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel and Triple Moon: Summer on East End. Her Blue Blood series has sold over three million copies and became an hour-long television drama on the Lifetime network. She lives in Los Angeles, California.