Wasp's Nest
A Novel
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jun 30, 2026
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A modern retelling of The Philadelphia Story, Wasp’s Nest is a witty, gripping love triangle unfolding over the course of seven chaotic days at a Cape Cod wedding
Tess wants nothing more than for her upcoming society wedding to overshadow the failure of her first marriage. Her fiancé Warren, a steady soon-to-be state senator, is nothing like her first husband. Tess’s relationship with working-class artist Peter was a passionate crash-and-burn, and a chapter of her life that she's ready to forget.
Peter hasn’t seen Tess in five years, so he’s shocked to receive an invitation to her wedding. But he’s moved on too, and it wouldn’t hurt to prove it by showing up with a handsome younger man as his plus-one. Mitch, an aspiring writer, is intrigued by Peter and jumps at the chance to pry into the lives of his Waspy ex-in-laws. What he’s not bargained for is developing serious feelings for both Peter and Peter’s ex—Tess, the bride. But Peter and Tess have complex desires of their own, and Mitch is dangerously close to uncovering them.
Wasp's Nest is a fast-paced, humorous, and heartfelt exploration of the shape of our affections that proves real love triangles connect on all sides.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Stoddard debuts with a breezy if superficial retelling of The Philadelphia Story set on modern-day Cape Cod. Tess Lowell, a Manhattan art agent and socialite, divorced her ex-husband, Peter Hyun, an artist, five years ago, over his alcohol abuse. Peter, sober for the past few years, is surprised to receive an invitation not only to Tess's wedding but to the preceding week of festivities. He arrives on the cape with his acquaintance, Mitch, an aspiring writer, and pretends Mitch is his boyfriend, but it turns out the joke is on them: the invite was sent as a prank by Tess's brother. Despite the Lowells' longtime disapproval of Peter, they offer him and Mitch the use of their guest house. Over the disastrous week, Mitch, a stalwart member of the working class, verbally spars with the Lowells and Tess's fiancé, a centrist politician and "safe" choice for her future, with whom she lacks the spark she had with Peter. While Peter and Tess remember what drew them to each other, Mitch falls for both of them. The novel's epigraph borrows a line delivered by Katherine Hepburn: "The time to make up your mind about people is never." Unfortunately, Stoddard's characters never surprise the reader, hewing to stereotypes throughout. This one never quite takes flight.
