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Kismet: A Novel Paperback – April 18, 2023

by Becky Chalsen (Author)

3.8 236 ratings

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A New York Public Library Summer Staff Pick

“A wedding, a birthday, a holiday weekend. What could really go wrong? Kismet dishes up everything a reader could possibly crave: family drama, long-held secrets, and the ‘what ifs’ that can sometimes haunt even the most loving of unions.”—Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author of With Love from London

A sun-soaked debut about love, sisterhood, and destiny, set in the glorious beach town of Kismet, Fire Island . . . Can Amy’s marriage survive Jo’s wedding?

For as long as anyone can remember, it has been Amy, Jo, and Ben. Amy and Jo, the inseparable Sharp twins who couldn’t be more different; and Ben, Amy’s childhood sweetheart turned husband.

But as this year’s Fourth of July weekend approaches, something feels off. Jo’s whirlwind engagement and wedding ceremony now eclipses the twins’ long-awaited thirtieth birthday. Recent arguments between Amy and Ben have left their marriage feeling more like make-believe than ever-after. And as the family beach town transforms for Jo’s wedding weekend, Amy’s trusted trio will be tested by the most unexpected hurdle yet: the arrival of a handsome, mysterious newcomer in a best man suit. One with a strikingly familiar face. A face that Amy had planned to never see again.

This holiday weekend, even the strongest SPF won’t protect the Sharp twins from all the secrets about to take center stage.

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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of She Reads best books for a book club in 2023 | One of BookBub's best books to take to the beach this summer

Praise for Kismet
"Chalsen’s stunning debut, which walks the line between romance and women’s fiction, beautifully illustrates the power of family and forgiveness.... Throughout the propulsive plot, the characters wrestle with big, messy, and complex emotions believably arising from major life events. Chalsen infuses her cast with such depth and personality that, by the end, readers will feel like they really know the characters. This moving outing marks Chalsen as a writer to watch."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Becky Chalsen's debut novel Kismet is the ultimate summer read. The Sharp sisters, Jo and Amy, are twins on the cusp of turning 30. Jo is about to marry the man of her dreams while Amy, her maid of honor already found hers. The twins future happiness is a lock until fate takes a turn and changes the course of their lives forever. Kismet is funny, poignant, and sexy with enough surprises to delight and enthrall beach readers everywhere."
—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

“‘A wedding, a birthday, a holiday weekend. What could really go wrong?’ Becky Chalsen’s debut novel, Kismet, dishes up everything a reader could possibly crave: family drama, long-held secrets and the ‘what ifs’ that can sometimes haunt even the most loving of unions—all set amidst the sunset-soaked allure of Fire Island. Book clubs, take note: You’ve just found your next favorite read. Chalsen triumphs with her kindred literary voice, but especially in how she so beautifully, and wisely, illustrates the journey of healing and the subtle nuances of the heart. I loved this story, and I can’t wait to see more from this new and promising voice in fiction.”
—Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author of With Love From London

“An atmospheric exploration of love, family, and sisterhood, Kismet is an utterly luscious debut. Keep this one in your beach bag for those sweltering summer days!”
—Sarah Grunder Ruiz, author of Luck and Last Resorts

“Intricate and heartfelt, Chalsen’s Kismet is a moving meditation on how love changes and endures within a can’t-look-away story of family, marriage and complicated choices. With deeply sympathetic characters and rich, incisive writing, this gorgeous debut resonates on every page.”
—Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Roughest Draft

"Kismet is a warm and wise beach read about marriage, sisterhood, loss, and life’s biggest choices. Delightful yet deep, this novel is perfect for a summer weekend escape. It left me eager to book my own ferry ride out to Kismet, Fire Island! Chalsen’s voice is filled with heart and hope, and I’m excited to read what she writes next. Kismet is a debut not to be missed."
—Elyssa Friedland, author of Last Summer at the Golden Hotel and The Most Likely Club

"Kismet takes place over only a few days, but contains all the beautiful, visceral rituals of a lifetime of summer escape. Amidst the intoxicating anticipation of a wedding weekend, Chalsen crafts an absorbing, layered story of sisterhood and secrets, mistakes and miscommunication. The Fire Island backdrop infuses every scene with the golden-hour feeling of beach sunsets, the constant balm of salt air, the distant pop of glittering fireworks, and Chalsen infuses her characters with a rare grace and warmth as they navigate the unreliable memories, temptations, and disappointments that arrive along with the end of their twenties."
—Katie Runde, author of The Shore

"With heart and tender insight, Kismet effortlesslycaptures the nostalgic radiance of summer on the seashore. Chalsen has crafted an absorbing story of sisterhood, friendship, and ultimately, the unbreakable bonds that carry us through life. Readers will fall for the Sharp family in all its imperfect splendor. Like the very best of summer vacations, I didn’t want this book to end!"
—Holly James, author of Nothing But The Truth

"A thoughtful exploration of love, sisterhood, and what happens after 'happily ever after,' Kismet is a beach read with a big heart. A sparkling debut."
—Lauryn Chamberlain, author of Friends From Home

"Narrated over the course of a whirlwind wedding week, Kismet is a heartfelt tribute to the people and places that shape us, an ode to sisterhood and shared history, as well as a thoughtful exploration of a relatable question: did we make the right choice? Are we on the right path?"
—Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession

“Intense emotions, high stakes, characters pondering destiny—a truly enjoyable literary concoction. Kismet is the perfect beach read, a story of sisterhood, love, and loss that will have you thinking about fate and the sliding doors in your own life. I devoured it!"
—Kim Hooper, author of Ways the World Could End

“Chalsen's debut captures the easygoing allure of a boozy weekend getaway on beachy Fire Island the way Elin Hilderbrand depicts Nantucket. A good pick for fans of Nancy Thayer and Jane L. Rosen.”
—Booklist

About the Author

Becky Chalsen is a film and TV development executive at the production company Sunday Night. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and now lives in New York City. Becky is a quadruplet and married to her high school sweetheart—also an identical twin—whose family has spent summers on Fire Island for more than three decades. Kismet is her first novel.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter

1

The ferry pulled into the familiar dock. The one I'd come to associate with cold cheese pizza and sweet tea vodka sodas, bonfires in backyards and moon gazing on a starlit beach. Sand under fingernails, damp hair. Even the mosquito bites felt beautiful.

"You ready?" Ben asked me.

"I can hear the bells already."

My husband grabbed my hand and squeezed as the deck crew tied us in, a synchronized dance practiced to perfection. A gentle rock that might cause the uninitiated to lose balance if they weren't holding on to the paint-peeling handrail. For a moment, bliss.

And then reality crashed back full force like a tidal wave. Kids ran and parents scolded as passengers crowded their way down the just-too-steep staircase, disembarking with duffel bags and brightly colored coolers bursting with groceries that would somehow still need to be replenished before the end of the trip. Hosts greeted their arriving newcomers with hugs and red Solo cups-God forbid someone stay sober on the Island for the three-minute walk from the dock to the houses.

The Fourth of July weekend smelled the same every year.

As the chaos unfolded, I peered over the ferry's edge-we liked being the last ones off-and caught sight of Jo walking down the dock, wagon in tow. Her hair was golden from an early start to the summer sun. Jo had that inherent sense of style money couldn't buy, despite how hard one might try. She told me fashion was just in the hips, as if all attractiveness came from a confident walk and posture alone. Today, Jo was outfitted in an effortless wide-brimmed hat that I could never pull off and a midi white sundress billowing in the breeze.

The subtle glow of a bride-to-be.

"She's actually on time," I said with surprise.

Ben laughed. "Should we make a code word for the week? In case things get hard?"

"The only words I need to focus on are 'maid of honor,'" I said, as my gaze tracked north toward the beckoning town square. The Inn and the Out, the town's two adjacent restaurants, already filling with suntanned customers. The Red Wagon storefront overflowing with local crafts, the warmth of the Pizza Shack competing only with the constant rhythm of the sea.

These were the welcomes I craved, the dock arrivals that had decorated my weekday daydreams ever since I was a little girl. Only this time, my hallmark homecomings seemed to stare back with a crooked smile. Somehow, they knew: despite the celebratory pretenses, summer contentment couldn't have felt further away.

I slipped the itinerary out of my tote bag with a sigh, the paper creased and folded. While Jo couldn't have cared less about potential crinkles in her invitation packet, I cursed my decision not to splurge for the laminator when I printed inserts at Staples all those weeks ago. Now my handwritten doodles danced back at me with derision.

"Don't you have that memorized already?" Ben said, elbow into my waistline, when he caught me rubbing the paper on my thigh as if my body were a human ironing board. Before I could retort, he stole the sheet straight from my clutches.

"Very funny," I said, my hand outstretched for the paper's return, but neither Ben nor his growing grin relented. I wasn't exactly in the mood for games, but I was even less in the mood for anything remotely resembling an argument.

Not after the way things had ended last night.

Fine. If Ben wanted to play, I'd play.

"'Welcome to Fire Island!'" I started to recite the lines from memory, my voice assuming a cheery octave like a docent rehearsing a script. "'We are so glad you have chosen to celebrate Joanna's wedding with us all week. Below is a schedule of optional activities should you wish to partake in early wedding fun. Please note: nothing else of import shall be happening over the next seven days, so, if by chance you think there's anything else the Sharp family is celebrating, you, my dear guest, are mistaken.'" I cleared my throat in conclusion. "How'd I do?"

"B-plus." Ben laughed. "It's 'Joanna and Dave's wedding'-your first mistake. How could you forget the groom?!"

"To my credit, it's barely been six months-"

"And I'm sorry to say, but the jury isn't seeing any of that last part on our answer key. Totally wrong."

"Ah, must have been thinking of an earlier draft. Pretty sure there was one that said: 'Happy thirtieth birthday, Amy and Jo! You made it! And oh yeah, Dave is here, too. Open bar all week!'"

Ben's smile remained, but I could see his eyes start to soften with concern. "Are you sure you're good, Ames?" he said, his tone lower. More serious. "We have time if you want to call Nina?"

"I'm fine." I swallowed, embarrassment growing alongside annoyance. I'd never have agreed to seeing a therapist if I'd known how often Ben would bring her up. "Seriously, I'm fine."

"Babe, you know you can always talk to me about-"

"Ben, I said I'm fine." Game over, I grabbed the itinerary out from his fingers and tucked it back into my bag. "We should get going anyway. Jo's waiting, and we have a ton to do at the house."

Ever since Jo had announced that she and Dave were to be married on our birthday this summer, the date had filled me with dread. Jo and I were born on July 4-two Cancers with every colored emotion to prove it, not just red, white, and blue. But this year, there'd be no need for stars and stripes, or the sun-faded birthday banner we always hung across the kitchen with care. It was wedding decorations only, whether I liked it or not. (And like it I did not, but being a twin meant sharing the spotlight, despite how one-sided the cause.)

The result? Our thirtieth birthday doomed to float by as a footnote.

"Can't believe the week's already here," I said now, my eyes once again looking down past the handrail and toward my twin sister. "Is it bad to say I sort of assumed she'd never get married?"

"Well, she's always been full of surprises." Ben smiled. "Consider this just one more."

"And, of course, she's literally glowing. I thought that was only in the movies."

"Hey, you glowed on our wedding day."

"Shone with sweat, is more like it."

"You were perfect. Our wedding was perfect," Ben said. "And everything is going to be perfect for Jo's, too. Surprising or not."

I nodded. If only I could believe that. A whirlwind engagement, a relative stranger now marrying my twin, all torpedoed by the fear of my own baggage taking center stage.

Perfect already felt like a broken promise.

As Ben hoisted our duffel bags higher up on his shoulders, I forced my stomach not to flutter at the flex in his biceps. Any butterflies felt like a betrayal. He'd taken to weight training, a new lifting regimen recommended by his doctor. An outlet for all the added stress. "To help process." I'd have been impressed, if I weren't the very reason for his needing an outlet in the first place. His muscles were now just another reminder of all that had gone wrong. All the ways I'd failed.

All the secrets we were still keeping.

One deep breath in to center myself. Nina's trick to silence the hamster wheel of worries running through my mind these days. I could do this. Whether I was ready or not, it was time to get off the ferry and run full force into Jo's Wedding Week Extravaganza.

I plastered on a smile and began the descent.

"A wedding, a birthday, a holiday weekend. What could really go wrong?" I said, hoping my voice now matched the breeze as we made our way down the ferry's steps.

"Nothing. But if something did, I'm sure one of your dozen color-coded planning binders would hold the solution," Ben said, without an ounce of malice in his voice. He always seemed to genuinely admire my organizational tendencies.

"First of all, there's only three binders," I said. "But fair."

"And look on the bright side: at least we'll never forget their anniversary."

"Ames! Benny! You're here!" my sister sang out, skipping over to us right as our toes touched the dock. Only Jo could make skipping look graceful at (almost) thirty.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," I said, as she pulled Ben and me both in for a group hug, each of us looped under one of her bangle-coated arms. She smelled like sunscreen and pencil lead. A writer on vacation.

"I seriously can't thank you guys enough for taking the earlier ferry," Jo said, her honeyed voice moving a mile a minute. "There's so much to finish, Dad's to-do list grows longer by the second. I swear, he's going to give me an ulcer before we even get to the damn aisle. That reminds me-we have to pick up more ice on the way to the house. We've been here less than twenty-four hours and we've gone through five bags already. We should've imported an igloo! What were we thinking? A wedding on an island? In July? Ha!"

In a millisecond, Jo's spiral subsided with a choke. Her eyes welled, and her face flushed as her lower lip quivered. "Look at me, a walking cliché. Pull it together, JoJo."

The Sharp family had a tendency toward the theatrical. Our grandpa cried so readily his nickname was Weeper. Jo and I both kept tissue boxes on all the coffee tables, a constant bracing for the inevitable heart-tugging commercial, and we'd taken many a stern look from strangers for crying "too loudly" during a Broadway show. We were suckers for a good cry, and weddings were especially dangerous territory.

Now, I took my sister by the shoulders, wiped a tear from her cheek. Whatever recent calendar grievances and marital strains clouded my brain instantly fell by the wayside. What mattered most stood right in front of me. "You, Joanna Sharp, couldn't be a cliché if you tried." Then Jo hiccupped out a sudden pitiful yet very loud sob, which made us both guffaw from the unexpected sound. It was just what we needed. A small relief that paved the way to belly laughs, a desperate break from all the tension that surrounded us both. The love language of our sisterhood had always been inexplicable, shoulder-shaking laughter. Once we started, we couldn't stop, and soon my own eyes blurred from surfacing tears.

"Do you guys need a minute, or can we get this show on the road? I think my forearms are burning," Ben said. He had dutifully reclaimed our checked baggage off the lower level of the ferry and loaded all the luggage onto the wagon. Suitcases and duffel bags threatened to topple over the edges.

"Yes, Benjamin, let us protect your pasty arms!" Jo laughed and grabbed my hand, leading the way even though it was equally as much my house as it was hers. Best to put aside protective claims to family ownership this week though, I thought. No good would come of that.

I turned over my shoulder and flashed Ben a grateful smile as he followed behind us lugging the wagon. Sure, last night ended in a rocky place, but that was marriage. Rough patches were par for the course, right? We would get through it; we always had. What mattered now was that we were here in Kismet. The weather forecast promised sun. My twin sister was getting married. And I was determined to be the best maid of honor the world had ever seen.

I could do this.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dutton (April 18, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593471504
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593471500
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.21 x 0.9 x 7.93 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #888,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,132 in Women's Friendship Fiction
- #11,976 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction
- #12,469 in Family Life Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
3.8 236 ratings

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Katharine Michelle

Addictive beach read!

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2023

Verified Purchase

I couldn't wait for the beach...I read this book on the plane.

I bought Kismet days before a family vacation where I was set to perform a vow renewal ceremony. Whatever anxiety I had about my trip was forgotten after being thoroughly entertained by this family drama. The author juggles many different relationships in this story and explores the joy and the conflict between them. The mercurial dynamic of the sisters---sometimes antagonistic, always fiercely loving--especially resonated with me. (There were some tears.) This is one of those books where I felt fully immersed. I felt like I was there on the small island of Kismet. If it really exists, I want to visit!

P.S. Spotted a copy of this book at Skylight Books. Congrats to the author on a successful debut!!!!

2 people found this helpful

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sharon f. leff

More Than Typical!

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2023

Verified Purchase

Okay, twins at different points in life, one hurting from a miscarriage and a fragile marriage state, one anxious about a wedding week and the volatile emotional state, usher in a family Fourth of July birthday and wedding day. What could possibly go wrong?

2 people found this helpful

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gia_1312

“OK”

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024

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Story had some promise, cute setting, cute idea. But overall it was just blah. Nothing really happened, just the narrator being miserable and semi letting you into what was going on. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what had happened - but still three could have been a lot more to the story / storyline.

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Sandina M. Popper

Excellent beach read!

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

This debut novel checked all the boxes for a perfect summer read! The writing made the characters familiar instantly and the story is suspenseful enough to keep you invested from start to finish. Beautifully written in a comfortable manner that sets the scene and allows you to feel like you are part of the fun, festivities and drama. Looking forward to Ms Chalsen's next novel, and this is not my usual genre!

3 people found this helpful

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Michaela B.

Lack of editing mars this decently-plotted first novel

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2023

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The structure of "Kismet" is clever, the subject matter, unobjectionable; the plotting well-paced. The characters were perhaps a bit over-emotive, but that is a matter of this reader's taste. The editors of this book, however, did the author a real disservice. The writing is in several places simply sloppy, and in others, execrable. A few examples that would have benefited from editorial intervention:

A description of 6 or 7 people sprawled on a couch enumerates "a dozen pairs of feet." Another: "My phone buzzed announcing a new text on my phone." In one scene, a character is described as whispering, but in the next sentence, his "voice morphed back down to lower decibels." A few pages later, "my stomach did a million backflips in reprieve." (In context, I think the writer meant to say "relief" although backflips generally suggest excitement. If you're going to alter a metaphor, an editor can help to find the right substitute.)

Brand names are everywhere: a stereo is "Bose" with music coming through a "Spotify app," to name just two. Hackneyed phrases in a potential wedding toast are described as "mundane cliches and platitudes," an avoidable redundancy. Entering a room feels "like walking into a powder keg" (It's difficult to picture a powder keg that's big enough to walk into.) An emotional situation is described as a "chemical explosion waiting to set fire." (This seems like an attempt at a fancy way of saying "an explosion waiting to happen" but it just doesn't work. Explosions cause fire; they don't set it. A diligent editor might have suggested "waiting to detonate," rather than "to set fire.")

The worst? "We had all reached our emotional bandwidths." Outdone a few pages later by: "Worries were already zipping at the highest echelon throughout my every pore." The metaphors in this sentence are at war with one another: "Zipping" connotes movement but "echelon" is has a static connotation. Pores are by definition, porous, permeable - sweat passes through them (not throughout). If worry is zipping through pores, then it would be leaving the body (in a rather inelegant way, to boot). If worries had been described as zipping through "my every nerve" or vein, or some other bodily system, and at the highest frequency instead of "echelon," the metaphor would be apt. An attentive editor would have caught these missteps as well.

These examples may seem petty, but they detract from what could have been a much better book with some closer attention to language.

8 people found this helpful

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Laura's Reviews

Great Family Drama and Beach Read!

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2023

Are you a twin or do you wish you had a twin? I’ve always enjoyed reading stories with twins in them starting with Sweet Valley Twins as a kid.

Amy and Jo are twins that are both turning 30 this summer. Jo has decided to have her wedding over fourth of July weekend on Fire Island, which is also the twins’ thirtieth birthday weekend. Amy arrives trying to put the best face on everything, but she and her husband, Ben, have been having marital problems. When her old college boyfriend from freshman year shows up as the best man, Amy is torn. Should she go after her old love or try to repair things with her husband? Will Jo’s wedding be able to go off without a hitch with all of the personalities at play?

Kismet is a perfect sun-soaked beach read with plenty of family drama. I’ll admit I did get annoyed by Amy as her angst against Ben dragged on, but luckily the story unfolded for me to learn about the entirety of Amy and Ben’s relationship. I enjoyed the slight mystery of finding out what the problem was. The entire wedding party learns about how it is better to be open with each other and to believe in the power of love. I really liked how this story wrapped up and concluded. I thought it was very heart warming.

I also loved the setting of Fire Island. It sounds beautiful and I had to look it up after I finished the book last month. It sounds like I need to check this out next time I find myself in New York.

Book Source: Book Source: Review Copy from Penguin Random House and Netgalley. Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

One person found this helpful

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Katherine Wang

could not put this book down! beautiful story of sisterhood and love

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2023

Verified Purchase

Absolutely loved this book!! Highly recommend. Not only is the prose beautiful - whisking you away to a beachy summers day - but it explores a wide range of emotions and at its core is a beautiful story of sisterhood and love. It’s an action packed wedding week wrapped up in a page turning novel. Could not put this book down! Can’t wait for Becky’s next books

2 people found this helpful

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Lynnie

Kismet

Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

Growing up going to Kismet, FI drew me to the book. It had some places familiar, but the plot and characters didn’t do it for me.

2 people found this helpful

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