Art by Mary Metzger
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My YA novel, If Tomorrow Doesn't Come, will be published in 2023 by Bloomsbury Children's in the U.S. and Penguin Random House UK. The novel is represented by Erin Harris at Folio Literary Management. Cover art is by Mary Metzger (see more of her process here!), design by John Candell.
Out now from Bloomsbury in the U.S. from wherever books are sold:
Bookshop.org (find your favorite indie!)
Pre-order until May 11th:
Penguin Random House UK
Penguin Random House Australia
About the novel: On the morning Avery plans to end her life, she learns an asteroid will end the world in a matter of days. She fights her way home from college to help her family and the girl she loves, but while they chase their final tomorrows, can Avery embrace her own? For fans of We Are Okay and The Last True Poets of the Sea.
Content Warnings: Mental illness, depression, suicidal ideation, suicide (not on the page), homophobia, sexual harassment, gun violence, religious bigotry.
Praise for If Tomorrow Doesn't Come:
"Jen St. Jude's end of the world story makes for one hell of a debut novel. It's lush, searching, and ultimately full of hope. I loved it."
—emily m. danforth, author of The Miseducation of Cameron Post
"If Tomorrow Doesn't Come is a brilliant story of hope, healing, and resilience from a thoughtful and fearless new voice in YA."
—Brandy Colbert, author of Little & Lion
“This book is devastatingly brilliant. Jen St. Jude is hands down one of the most talented new voices in YA, and soon, everyone will know it.”
—Leah Johnson, author of You Should See Me in a Crown
“If Tomorrow Doesn't Come is a novel that carves a space in your heart and remains there forever. Breathtakingly written, Jen St. Jude masterfully explores queerness, depression, and shame, while beautifully capturing family, friendship, and love, and the intersections that often exist between these things. Hopeful above all else.”
—Rachael Lippincott, author of She Gets the Girl
“An achingly tender and poignantly honest look at depression, queerness, and love at the end of the world, If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come will break your heart and put it back together again. Jen St. Jude’s breathtaking prose and thoughtful exploration of emotion firmly cements them as one of the most endearing new voices in YA. This book is a marvel.”
— Adrienne Tooley, author of Sweet & Bitter Magic
“If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come is a beautiful exploration of the endless night of depression and the illuminating joy of what happens when morning comes and the sun rises. This stunning book is one you’ll want tucked away in your backpack at the end of the world.”
— Jas Hammonds, author of We Deserve Monuments
"Few storytellers can balance heartbreak and hope as powerfully as Jen St. Jude. If Tomorrow Doesn't Come is an incredible, poignant debut with a critical message and characters who will stick with you long after you've turned the final page.
— Robbie Couch, author of The Sky Blues
"An electric, urgent miracle of a book that asks what--and who--we dare to live for. Avery's story will shatter your heart and fill it with light again. Keep an eye on this writer: St. Jude is here to stay."
— Kelly Quindlen, author of She Drives Me Crazy
‘"At once cinematic and intimate, If Tomorrow Doesn't Come weaves the apocalyptic chaos of a doomed world with the quiet vulnerability of complicated love to create an urgent, action-filled tapestry of humanity, hope, humor, and high stakes. The best kind of thriller: One that reminds you what it means to be alive, and what it means to be together."
— Tucker Shaw, author of When You Call My Name
"A gorgeously written master class in exploring queerness and depression with honesty, gravity, and balance, If Tomorrow Doesn't Come is an absolute life-changer — and life-saver — of a book. It had my heart simultaneously cracking and blooming with hope from its very first lines long past The End."
— Dahlia Adler, author of Cool for the Summer
“I loved Avery's journey from feeling worthless to finding a reason/desire to live. It felt authentic without being preachy. And the sense of hope in the face of impending doom at the end is pretty fantastic.”
— Melissa Fox at Watermark Books, Wichita, Kansas
"If Tomorrow Doesn’t Come is a story about the end of the world, but the gut-punch isn't just in the oncoming meteor that threatens all life on Earth. It's in Avery's past, in the way religious trauma and being closeted have pushed her to the brink, and about the ways that opening up save her life—even if her life may only last a few more days. I've never read a book that so devastatingly portrays what it's like when the things you love punish the things you are. This is a celebration of queerness, in all its attraction, affection and beauty; it's about expanding into yourself, becoming bigger even as the apocalypse looms."
— Alex Schaffner at Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, Massachusetts
“This book reduced me to a puddle in the best of ways. Jen St. Jude's debut is a sapphic end-of-the-world narrative about a college freshman struggling with suicidal ideation. This is a book that could save someone's life – it never pulls its punches, but still treats its readers with so much care. A cross between Nina LaCour and Emily St. John Mandel, this speculative story is the right book for right now."
— Kassie King, Novel Neighbor, St. Louis, Missouri
“My heart ached at every turn of the page. If Tomorrow Doesn't Come showcases the futility of everything while shining a light on the need to keep trying and striving for your best life.”
— Rayna Nielsen, Blue Cypress Books, New Orleans, Louisiana
