Wreck: A GMA Book Club Pick

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK · INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Wreck is a delight. What an absolute joy to be reunited with Rocky and her family, the characters we all fell in love with in Sandwich. Newman's prose is laugh-out-loud funny. It's also profound. I couldn't stop reading, even though I didn't want it to end.”—J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of The Cliffs

Wreck is the kind of book that pulls up a chair, pours the wine, and dives deep—equal parts hilarious, sharp, and achingly sincere. I didn’t just read it—I felt known by it. A luminous, laugh-out-loud triumph.”—Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People
The acclaimed bestselling author of Sandwich is back with a wonderful novel, full of laughter and heart, about marriage, family, and what happens when life doesn’t go as planned.
If you loved Rocky and her family on vacation on Cape Cod, wait until you join them at home two years later. (And if this is your first meeting with this crew, get ready to laugh and cry—and relate.)
Rocky, still anxious, nostalgic, and funny, is living in Western Massachusetts with her husband Nick and their daughter Willa, who's back home after college. Their son, Jamie, has taken a new job in New York, and Mort, Rocky’s widowed father, has moved in.
It all couldn’t be more ridiculously normal . . . until Rocky finds herself obsessed with a local accident that only tangentially affects them—and with a medical condition that, she hopes, won’t affect them at all.
With her signature wit and wisdom, Catherine Newman explores the hidden rules of family, the heavy weight of uncertainty, and the gnarly fact that people—no matter how much you love them—are not always exactly who you want them to be.

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Published Oct 28, 2025

224 pages

Average rating: 6.83

40 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

cbunny
Jan 10, 2026
1/10 star
One of the worst books I’ve ever read. There is no plot, do not bother. Boring white woman scrolls Facebook and goes to doctor’s appointments. A waste of paper, electricity, and any resources that went into getting this published.
JShrestha
Jan 23, 2026
6/10 stars
You do not need to read Sandwich to read Wreck, but I would admit Sandwich is the better read. Following the same family but more from a daughter's perspective, we see the family struggle with mortality in the way of their matriarch facing cancer. I think this isn't a read for everyone or certain moods.
haphazard reader
Jan 21, 2026
8/10 stars
interesting (to me) exploration of family dynamics in a family w/ conflicting loyalties/'issues' and a woman who seems hyper obsessed with her aging body and it's accompanying health -which is quite understandable....
CWil
Jan 11, 2026
10/10 stars
Hilarious and poignant and so spot on
Erinlester
Dec 07, 2025
7/10 stars
Wreck by Catherine Newman This book was such a fast, engaging read. What stood out to me most was how real and relatable the characters felt — like people you could know in your own life. I especially loved the banter and the relationships within the family; it added warmth and humour that made the story feel lived-in and genuine. The plot has its own momentum, but what I appreciated most was that the heart of the book isn’t just about one event — it’s about the everyday act of moving forward, even when life feels heavy. There’s a thread of gratitude running through the story that reminds you to notice the small things, the ordinary moments that hold us together.

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