The Quitters Club
- Judith D Collins
- May 7
- 3 min read
By: Jessica Strawser
Narrator: Andi Arndt
Brilliance Audio
ISBN: 978-1662534959
Publisher: Lake Union
Publication Date: 06/01/2026
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars
"Jessica Strawser delivers a thought-provoking, life-affirming novel about the things we keep, what we leave behind, and the courage it takes to, well, quit. The Quitters Club is an ode to female friendship and the liberating truth that defining life on your own terms isn’t failure, it’s freedom. A five-star must read by an unforgettable voice.” —Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of Summer State of Mind
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Caretaker comes a hopeful and empowering novel about the messy beauty of female friendship and the deep courage it takes to rebuild a life at any age.
When four ride-or-die friends reunite for a getaway, they’re desperate for a break, a chance to reconnect. But each is hiding a deeper reason why. Marie feels like an impostor teaching “How to Say No” seminars while her marriage has evolved into something she never said yes to. Brooke’s most heartfelt goal—motherhood—is proving out of reach. Lucy’s dream career has broken her spirit, possibly for good. And Collins feels trapped in grief by her late husband’s legacy.
All their lives, they’ve encouraged each other not to give up—but they can’t do this anymore. Now, at a breaking point, they make a pact: Quit. And help each other through the fallout.
At first, it’s positively liberating. A husband gets a much-needed wake-up call. A singles retreat is a widow’s perfect escape. A very public career exit becomes a never-too-late return to college. And a childless life becomes a bold new plan to travel the world. But letting go will be more complicated than they imagined. Confronting hard truths about love, loss, and starting over, these four women must discover what’s worth fighting for—and what’s truly best left behind.
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Praise
“Jessica Strawser delivers a thought-provoking, life-affirming novel about the things we keep, what we leave behind, and the courage it takes to, well, quit. The Quitters Club is an ode to female friendship and the liberating truth that defining life on your own terms isn’t failure, it’s freedom. A five-star must read by an unforgettable voice.”
―Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of Summer State of Mind
"I'm reminded of Jane Fonda's advice to her younger self: the word 'no' is a complete sentence. What Jessica Strawser so brilliantly brings to life with her unforgettable club of quitters is almost more valuable. Saying no empowers us to find a better yes."
―Steven Rowley, bestselling author of The Guncle
"The Quitters Club beautifully captures the effort it takes to create change in our lives―and how that effort is made possible by deep, enduring friendships. These amazing characters and their journeys made me reflect on my own life and reminded me to treasure the friends who lift and support me."
―Katrina Kittle, author of Morning in This Broken World
“Can you change your life by quitting the thing that makes you unhappy? That’s the central question of this heartfelt and poignant novel. When a group of friends makes a pact to leave behind the biggest problems in their lives, they think they’re taking a step toward happiness. But quitting can have unintended consequences, and sometimes the things you abandon are what you need the most. I laughed AND cried.”
―Catherine Mack, USA Today bestselling author of This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone
About the Author
Jessica Strawser is the USA Today bestselling author of Catch You Later, The Last Caretaker, The Next Thing You Know, A Million Reasons Why, Forget You Know Me, Not That I Could Tell (a Book of the Month selection), and Almost Missed You. She was editorial director at Writer’s Digest for nearly a decade before becoming a novelist. Jessica is also a Career Authors contributing editor, a popular speaker at writing conferences across the US, and a freelance editor and writer with bylines in the New York Times Modern Love column, Publishers Weekly, and other venues. A Pittsburgh native and alum of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, she lives with her husband and two children in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she has been honored with Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards in 2024 and 2026 and served as 2019 Writer-in-Residence for the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library. For more information, visit www.jessicastrawser.com.
