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Laws of Love and Logic

A Novel

Hardcover
$30.00 US
6-1/8"W x 9-1/4"H | 18 oz | 12 per carton
On sale Feb 17, 2026 | 320 Pages | 9798217092277

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A STUNNING DEBUT NOVEL FROM JENNA BUSH HAGER’S NEW VENTURE, THOUSAND VOICES

A woman finds herself torn between her first love and her devoted husband in this extraordinary debut novel that asks the question: Can one heart hold two great loves?


In the serene town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Lily Webb is deeply in love with a charismatic boy, a college-bound quarterback whose spectacular athletic talents are matched only by his fierce devotion. But their dreams of a life together are cut short when his passionate protectiveness leads to an irrevocable choice—one that tears them apart and leads Lily down a path of heartbreak from which she may never recover.

Lily already knows the sting of loss, beginning with the death of her mother, a tragedy that left deep scars on both her and her gifted younger sister, Jane. Jane seeks escape in the abstract world of mathematics and quantum mechanics—when she can keep the demons that fuel her addictions at bay. As the years pass, Lily buries her twin griefs deep in her heart, finding solace and a new beginning with Marshall Middleton, a renowned ornithologist whose love is as steadfast as the migration patterns he studies. Yet the shadows of her past linger.

When the boy who was once everything to Lily reappears in her life, she struggles with questions around that terrible night in high school. Can she reconcile the wild wonderment of her first love with the comfort and safety of her second? Laws of Love and Logic explores love’s enduring power and the human spirit’s capacity for forgiveness and redemption.
“The best thing I’ve read in years . . . A magnificent, spellbinding love story with characters I’ll be thinking about for a long time . . . I was utterly enthralled.”—Clare Leslie Hall, New York Times bestselling author of Broken Country

“At once sweeping and intimate, Laws of Love and Logic is a gorgeous meditation on roads not taken. Debra Curtis is not afraid to explore big questions about love and loss, but always with tenderness.”—Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

“A captivating debut set against a backdrop of thirty years’ worth of American social progress and shifting expectations for women.”—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of The Cliffs and Friends and Strangers

“Powerfully moving . . . I adore a story that spans a long time, as this one does, and I especially love a story that, when I finish, leaves me with a feeling of hope.”—Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

“A sharply observed, deeply felt novel about the lives we build, the loves we choose, the compromises we endure—and the rare and complicated gift of getting to ask ‘What if?’ one more time.”—Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest and Good Company

“Debra Curtis writes fearlessly and wisely about family, marriage, addiction, faith, and redemption, where the way forward is simple but never easy: love unconditionally, try not to hurt anyone, and brace yourself for the next loss, the next joy. Curtis is an author you can trust.”—Bonnie Jo Campbell, bestselling author of The Waters

“Thought-provoking, hopelessly romantic, a pinch of tragedy—just the kind of novel to get lost in.”Kirkus Reviews
© Emma Butler
Debra Curtis is a retired professor of cultural anthropology at Salve Regina University, where she specialized in gender and sexuality. This is her first novel. She is the mother of grown-up twin girls and lives in Rhode Island with her husband and her English bulldog, Harry, who is the star of much of her TikTok content. View titles by Debra Curtis

About

A STUNNING DEBUT NOVEL FROM JENNA BUSH HAGER’S NEW VENTURE, THOUSAND VOICES

A woman finds herself torn between her first love and her devoted husband in this extraordinary debut novel that asks the question: Can one heart hold two great loves?


In the serene town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Lily Webb is deeply in love with a charismatic boy, a college-bound quarterback whose spectacular athletic talents are matched only by his fierce devotion. But their dreams of a life together are cut short when his passionate protectiveness leads to an irrevocable choice—one that tears them apart and leads Lily down a path of heartbreak from which she may never recover.

Lily already knows the sting of loss, beginning with the death of her mother, a tragedy that left deep scars on both her and her gifted younger sister, Jane. Jane seeks escape in the abstract world of mathematics and quantum mechanics—when she can keep the demons that fuel her addictions at bay. As the years pass, Lily buries her twin griefs deep in her heart, finding solace and a new beginning with Marshall Middleton, a renowned ornithologist whose love is as steadfast as the migration patterns he studies. Yet the shadows of her past linger.

When the boy who was once everything to Lily reappears in her life, she struggles with questions around that terrible night in high school. Can she reconcile the wild wonderment of her first love with the comfort and safety of her second? Laws of Love and Logic explores love’s enduring power and the human spirit’s capacity for forgiveness and redemption.

Praise

“The best thing I’ve read in years . . . A magnificent, spellbinding love story with characters I’ll be thinking about for a long time . . . I was utterly enthralled.”—Clare Leslie Hall, New York Times bestselling author of Broken Country

“At once sweeping and intimate, Laws of Love and Logic is a gorgeous meditation on roads not taken. Debra Curtis is not afraid to explore big questions about love and loss, but always with tenderness.”—Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

“A captivating debut set against a backdrop of thirty years’ worth of American social progress and shifting expectations for women.”—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of The Cliffs and Friends and Strangers

“Powerfully moving . . . I adore a story that spans a long time, as this one does, and I especially love a story that, when I finish, leaves me with a feeling of hope.”—Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes

“A sharply observed, deeply felt novel about the lives we build, the loves we choose, the compromises we endure—and the rare and complicated gift of getting to ask ‘What if?’ one more time.”—Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest and Good Company

“Debra Curtis writes fearlessly and wisely about family, marriage, addiction, faith, and redemption, where the way forward is simple but never easy: love unconditionally, try not to hurt anyone, and brace yourself for the next loss, the next joy. Curtis is an author you can trust.”—Bonnie Jo Campbell, bestselling author of The Waters

“Thought-provoking, hopelessly romantic, a pinch of tragedy—just the kind of novel to get lost in.”Kirkus Reviews

Author

© Emma Butler
Debra Curtis is a retired professor of cultural anthropology at Salve Regina University, where she specialized in gender and sexuality. This is her first novel. She is the mother of grown-up twin girls and lives in Rhode Island with her husband and her English bulldog, Harry, who is the star of much of her TikTok content. View titles by Debra Curtis

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