Jenna Bush Hager has selected Laura Moriarty’s new novel, Sunlight Finds You, as her official book club pick for August 2026. This story centers on a seventeen-year-old named Nora who encounters a New York transplant named Leonard in 1949 St. Petersburg, Florida. Their connection faces immediate strain due to family secrets and social pressures, pushing Nora toward a difficult path of heartbreak, recovery, and eventual self-discovery.
Author Laura Moriarty describes the work as a story about how love alters a person's life trajectory. She leaned into the historical context of the post-war era when returning soldiers transformed St. Petersburg into a boom town. The narrative focuses on the choices women faced in that time period and their limited agency while seeking personal autonomy.
The writing of this novel occurred during a challenging phase of Moriarty’s own life. Following a cancer diagnosis and reconstructive surgery on her jaw, she found that her personal experience with physical recovery informed the way Nora navigates her own struggles. She hopes readers relate to the themes of compassion for one's younger self and the weight of past decisions.
Jenna Bush Hager recommends this book for summer reading, noting that the narrative is both fast-paced and luminous. The author wants readers to consider their own major life choices through a lens of forgiveness rather than regret. Sunlight Finds You is currently available through major retailers.