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  • Published: 2 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804957608
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $34.99

The Shampoo Effect

  • Jenny Jackson



An accidental pregnancy turns a tight-knit group on its head in this witty and irresistible novel of modern love, sex, and friendship, from the New York Times bestselling author of PINEAPPLE STREET (‘Blissfully enjoyable’ India Knight).

When writer Caroline Lash arrives in Greenhead from New York City, she falls immediately for its scenic beaches and New England charm – and even harder for Van Whittaker, a gorgeous, fleece-wearing, litter-collecting, kayak enthusiast.

Van has always run with the same crowd: Augusta, old money and uptight; Fran, drowning in everyone else’s problems whilst keeping two kids (and a perpetually stoned husband) afloat; and Bailey, who is sexy, confident . . . and inconveniently pregnant with Van’s child.

Determined nothing will dull the shine of her new romance, Caroline joins the friends as they run wild through Greenhead, drinking on houseboats, gossiping on beaches as their children play, and initiating risky games with one another, both physical and emotional.

It seems the fun will last forever – until it doesn’t. As decades-old friendships and marriages begin to fracture, Caroline’s place in their world is called into question. And with all the group’s most tightly held secrets at stake, who knows what will come out in the wash?

A dazzling novel as juicy as it is incisive, THE SHAMPOO EFFECT is a hilarious, emotionally generous look at friendship, sexuality and relationships today.

  • Published: 2 July 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804957608
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $34.99

Praise for The Shampoo Effect

I devoured The Shampoo Effect. Jackson has a rare knack for capturing the intensity of old friendships and the way love, jealousy, money, and history combust until everyone is behaving (deliciously) badly. It's funny, drama-fueled, and full of Jackson's breezy wit, but what stayed with me most was how honestly and insightfully it captures the grit beneath the gloss of these characters. A brilliant story of marriage, motherhood, and the difficult work of breaking old patterns to become someone new

Coco Mellors, New York Times bestselling author of BLUE SISTERS

An absolute DELIGHT. This book has everything I love in a beach read: a coastal setting, multiple points of view, compelling storylines, and a delicious specificity to the writing that makes every single sentence feel fresh and alive. Jenny Jackson’s The Shampoo Effect is a must, must, must for your summer reading list.

Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of SWAN SONG

Funny, sharp, and charming

Rebecca Serle, New York Times bestselling author of ONE ITALIAN SUMMER

The Shampoo Effect is a delicious, unputdownable portrait of a group of friends navigating love, marriage, and young parenthood. Jackson's characters are fully drawn, complex and flawed, each traveling a true arc of growth, arriving in the final pages at a deeper understanding of the ties that bind them to one another. I loved it

Belle Burden, #1 New York Times bestselling author of STRANGERS