Meet the Newmans -- Jennifer Niven, Hardcover

From #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author Jennifer Niven, a novel about America's favorite TV family, whose perfect façade cracks

"I LOVED Meet the Newmans!" --Judy Blume, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"[A] WITTY AND MOVING novel." --People
"Fans of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY will love Meet the Newmans." --Woman's World

For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America's Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it's 1964, and the Newmans' idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb--literally. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and the charmed luck of rock 'n roll idol Shep may have finally run out.

When Del--the creative motor behind the show--is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken, impassioned young reporter, to help her write the final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different perspectives about what it means to be a woman, and a family, in 1964. Can the Newmans hold it together to change television history? Or will they be canceled before they ever have the chance?

Funny, big-hearted, and deeply moving, Meet the Newmans is a rich family story about the dual lives we lead. Because even when our lives aren't televised weekly, we all have a behind-the-scenes.

Author: Jennifer Niven
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: 01/06/2026
Pages: 400
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.34lbs
Size: 9.40h x 6.60w x 1.37d
ISBN: 9781250372444

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 11/01/2025 pg. 70
Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2025
Shelf Awareness 01/01/0001
Publishers Weekly 11/24/2025
Booklist 12/01/2025

About the Author
Jennifer Niven is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction, including the massive breakout All the Bright Places which she also adapted for Netflix. Her award-winning books have been translated into over 75 languages and have sold upwards of 3.5 million copies worldwide. When she isn't working on multiple book and screen projects, Jennifer oversees Germ, an online literary journal for high school age and beyond.