DESTINATION FUNERAL


A fresh take on Groundhog Day with a dash of Practical Magic meets the magical escapism of One Italian Summer in this heartfelt and hilarious novel following a friend group so damaged that only a funeral could bring them back together.

When Babe—the complicated, magnetic matriarch of their teenage summers—dies, four estranged friends return to sleepy Mercy Island, a storm-swept stretch of coastal Georgia, summoned by the reading of her will.

Didion arrives at the timeworn pink house to find the friends she never thought she’d see again—along with the tensions, attractions,

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A fresh take on Groundhog Day with a dash of Practical Magic meets the magical escapism of One Italian Summer in this heartfelt and hilarious novel following a friend group so damaged that only a funeral could bring them back together.

When Babe—the complicated, magnetic matriarch of their teenage summers—dies, four estranged friends return to sleepy Mercy Island, a storm-swept stretch of coastal Georgia, summoned by the reading of her will.

Didion arrives at the timeworn pink house to find the friends she never thought she’d see again—along with the tensions, attractions, and unfinished business that once bound them together and broke them apart.

What should be a brief weekend of small talk quickly unravels when they wake up and discover…it’s Saturday. Again. And again. And again.

Trapped in a time loop with no end and no instructions, they’re forced to confront the betrayals, breakups, and buried truths that shattered them all those years ago. Because maybe, just maybe, an endless weekend is exactly what they all need to save their own lives.

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  • St. Martin's Press
  • Hardcover
  • July 2026
  • 352 Pages
  • 9781250358103

Buy the Book

$29.00

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About Paige Harbison

Paige Harbison is the author of Destination FuneralPAIGE HARBISON was first published at just nineteen years old and has since written three young adult novels, collaborated on several celebrity ghostwriting projects, and made her adult fiction debut with The Other Side of Now. When she’s not writing, she hosts her podcast, records music with her brother under the band name Thalo, and creates comedy videos that have amassed millions of views across social media. She lives in Los Angeles with her partner, Richie, and their dog, Tarot.

Praise

One of People Magazine’s “Must-Read Books for Summer 2026”
Fun and sexy.” People Magazine

Paige Harbison is one of the funniest writers working today.Bustle

Harbison’s prose effectively walks the line between emotional catharsis and humor, with characters that feel real and choices that feel believable. Harbison is becoming one to watch for contemporary magical realism, following up 2025’s The Other Side of Now. Perfect for fans of the film version of Practical Magic or Josie Silver’s The Two Lives of Lydia Bird(2020).Booklist

For fans of Practical Magic, summer romance, and breezy beach reads, this is an optimal choice.Library Journal

Paige is that rare talent—a writer who can make you laugh and cry in the space of a few lines. This book is packed full of wit, charm, a delicious amount of tension, and characters you won’t want to say goodbye to. I adored it!—Sophie Cousens, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next Year

A tender, speculative exploration of grief, family (of all varieties), and forgiveness. A cheeky, whimsical reminder of the old adage that it is never about the destination. This story will make you want to stay in the time loop, even when you reach the very last page.—Carolyn Huynh, author of The Fortunes of Jaded Women