Vera Stein Is Fine

Julie Murphy

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Book cover for Vera Stein Is Fine
Book cover for Vera Stein Is Fine
Image for variant 9780063386839
Image for variant 9780063498624
Book cover for Vera Stein Is Fine
Book cover for Vera Stein Is Fine
Image for variant 9780063386839
Image for variant 9780063498624

Vera Stein Is Fine

Vera Stein Is Fine

Julie Murphy

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Description

From #1 New York Times bestseller Julie Murphy comes a heartfelt and hilarious tale of a woman who thinks life and love have passed her by until she's thrown into her grandmother's quirky world of octogenarian free love and gets a second chance with the one man she never expected to see again. Perhaps it's never too late to play the opening credits...

Welcome to Starlight Palms, a favorite retirement facility among Hollywood actors and industry professionals tucked away just outside of sunny Palm Springs. Filled with forgotten scream queens, eccentric screenwriters, and heartthrobs of the past, it has a brand-new resident: Vera Stein, age forty.

Vera knows she's missed her chance at a life worthy of the silver screen, just like she missed her chance at ever finding true love. But Vera isn't one to take chances. She's spent most of her adult years caretaking for her dying mother and her movie star boss's ego. Now abruptly houseless and jobless, Vera has nowhere to land, so to grandmother's house we go!

The Starlight Palms Senior Living Center is midcentury Hollywood down to its pastel-painted bones. This desert gem isn't lacking in saucy plot twists (swinging seniors, anyone?) or a leading man: Elias Buckley, the on-site doctor and Vera's former ill-fated college fling and--for reasons that will stay in Vegas--legally her ex-husband according to the state of Nevada.

It's not long before Vera falls into a job as the activities coordinator and under the spell of a certain smart-mouthed doctor... Suddenly all those empty years in LA look less like mistakes and a lot more like backstory. With a fresh start at her fingertips, Vera begins to see that even with all the detours she's taken, there's still a Hollywood ending (and maybe even a happily ever after) in sight...

TROPES


  • Second Chance Romance
  • Workplace Romance
  • Multigenerational Family Drama
  • Forced Proximity
  • New Lease on Life and Spice

Critical Reviews

"I always get a tingle of anticipation whenever I open a Julie Murphy book: I know it's going to be full of characters I adore, it'll have smart and funny banter, and it'll make me swoon. Julie Murphy always delivers!" - Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author

"This is one addictively swoony book. At this point, I'm convinced Julie Murphy is personally trying to sweep me off my feet!" - Ali Hazelwood, #1 New York Times bestselling author on Student Union

"No objections, but I will not hold my peace―Student Union is exactly what I want in a fake marriage plot. Julie Murphy reached into my soul and gave me just what I needed." - Julie Soto, #1 New York Times bestselling author on Student Union

"Come for the bratty rich boy with a good-girl kink, stay for the post-sex midnight grilled cheese. I fell for this messy, horny, delightful book at page one but didn't realize it was true love until the Joe Pesci strip tease. Now I will never be the same. There's only one thing left to do― Julie Murphy, will you marry me?" - Ashley Poston, New York Times bestselling author on Student Union

"Julie Murphy proves she's at the top of her class! She aces the assignment, with a story so charming it deserves extra credit." - Meghan Quinn, New York Times bestselling author on Student Union

"With plenty of cheeky charm and a cast of superbly nuanced characters, this brilliantly executed rom-com both cleverly skewers and unabashedly celebrates the appeal of squeaky-clean holiday romances, while also championing body positivity in life and love." - Booklist (starred review) for A Merry Little Meet Cute

"Well-developed protagonists with immediate chemistry and witty dialogue balance the emotional story as characters process big life changes and family trauma. Skillful, sympathetic writing weaves the conflict seamlessly into the storyline, creating a novel that will make readers laugh, cry, and cheer. Verdict: This sexy joyful romantic comedy from Murphy and Simone (A Merry Little Meet Cute) is a delightful read." - Library Journal (starred review) on Holly Jolly Ever After

"A holiday rom-com full of quirky and fun characters, witty dialogue, and over-the-top Christmas cheer. An engaging, unputdownable holiday romance that will resonate with readers." - Library Journal (starred review) on Jingle Bell Mingle

"Julie Murphy knows a thing or two about navigating the worlds of girls on the brink of self-discovery." - ALA Booklist (starred review) on Puddin'

"With her signature blend of humor, sensitivity, and panache, Murphy has crafted a sensational narrative that is bursting with life and is anything but a drag....Murphy's best-selling Dumplin' series grows bigger and better with every installment, and this book will quickly rule the YA realm." - ALA Booklist (starred review) on Pumpkin

Publishing Information

Publisher: Avon Books
Pub date: 2026-07-21
Length: 400 pages

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