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The Encore
- Author
- Juliet Izon
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 3 March 2026
- Run Time
- 12 hours 14 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
A captivating journey of love, sacrifice, and destiny playing out in the world of music.
In 2003, at the prestigious Brookfield Conservatory in Boston, a chance encounter sparks an inimitable friendship between driven pianist and singer Anna Buckley and composer wunderkind Will Pendleton. As they strive toward careers as professional musicians, their bond deepens both from shared skill and the inexplicable sense that they’re kindred souls. But soon after graduation, one night forever alters the trajectory of their lives, destroying their relationship in the process.
Twenty years later in New York, sixteen-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is grappling with the rigors of her elite prep school and the confounding disappearance of the woman who gave her up at birth. When Lottie suddenly discovers the startling truth of her identity, the revelation catalyzes a chain of events that not only reunites Lottie with her birth parents, but forces them together on a rock tour-bus for a careening cross-country journey. It is there, trapped in these tight confines, that the three must finally reconcile with irrevocable choices from the past.
Critics Review
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“The Encore is a debut whose voice soars like a rock star from the first note and never lets go. Read this book now so you can be the person in your book club who gets to say you discovered Juliet Izon ‘first.’ Her writing will stop you in your tracks.”—Ali Rosen, bestselling author of Unlikely Story and James Beard and Emmy nominated journalist
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“A gorgeously layered exploration of artistic ambition and abiding love, as cutting in its portrayal of the glories and pitfalls of career obsession as it is romantic about love’s possibilities for redemption. I devoured Izon’s debut with reckless abandon. It’s a story to lose yourself in, devote yourself to, to dream about with stars in your eyes. I loved it!”—Ashley Winstead, USA Toda–bestselling author of This Book Will Bury Me
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“With witty dialogue, a quickly unfolding plot, and a simmering will they/won’t they romance, The Encore offers readers a backstage pass to the rewards of chasing a long-held dream, the perils of fame, and the intertwining influences of art and destiny.”—Sarah Landenwich, author of The Fire Concerto
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"Juliet Izon's debut is a layered exploration of ambition, sacrifice, family, and love, all set to one truly iconic soundtrack. But most of all, The Encore is a celebration of art—the pleasures and perils of making it, and the enduring power it has to heal us, even when we fear we're broken beyond repair. Read this book—I promise it will leave you feeling starry-eyed with arms stretched high, dancing at your favorite concert."—Grant Ginder, author of So Old, So Young
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"Part Daisy Jones and part Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Izon's stunning debut is a backstage pass to the music industry, the perils of stardom, and the complexities of sacrificing love and life in service of art. Propulsive, sweeping, and populated with characters as nuanced as the songs they write, The Encore deserves a standing ovation."—Daria Lavelle, author of Aftertaste
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“The Encore is a big-hearted novel that depicts how love and loss, tragedy and joy, are not only necessary dualities in life, but also intrinsically connected. Izon writes with a playful exuberance; fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid will find a lot to love in this charming, utterly readable debut.”—Gabriella Burnham, author of Wait
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Details
- Author
- Juliet Izon
- Narrator
- Mia Hutchinson Shaw, Carly Larson
- Duration
- 12 hours 14 minutes
- Release Date
- 3 March 2026
- ISBN
- 9781668654866
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- Narrative theme: Coming of age, Fiction: general and literary
Synopsis
A captivating journey of love, sacrifice, and destiny playing out in the world of music.   In 2003, at the prestigious Brookfield Conservatory in Boston, a chance encounter sparks an inimitable friendship between driven pianist and singer Anna Buckley and composer wunderkind Will Pendleton. As they strive toward careers as professional musicians, their bond deepens both from shared skill and the inexplicable sense that they’re kindred souls. But soon after graduation, one night forever alters the trajectory of their lives, destroying their relationship in the process.         Twenty years later in New York, sixteen-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is grappling with the rigors of her elite prep school and the confounding disappearance of the woman who gave her up at birth. When Lottie suddenly discovers the startling truth of her identity, the revelation catalyzes a chain of events that not only reunites Lottie with her birth parents, but forces them together on a rock tour-bus for a careening cross-country journey. It is there, trapped in these tight confines, that the three must finally reconcile with irrevocable choices from the past.
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