She’s Up to No Good, published in 2022, is a warm, witty, and emotionally resonant novel by Sara Goodman Confino that explores family secrets, lost love, second chances, and the powerful bonds between generations.
Thirty-four-year-old Jenna Shapiro feels as though her life has stalled. Six months earlier, her husband blindsided her by asking for a divorce after falling in love with another woman. Unable to move forward, Jenna retreats to her parents’ home, refusing to sign the divorce papers and struggling to imagine a future beyond the collapse of her marriage. When her spirited eighty-nine-year-old grandmother, Evelyn Gold, announces that she is taking a road trip to her hometown on the Massachusetts coast, Jenna agrees to accompany her, hoping a change of scenery might provide some relief from her heartbreak.
As they travel north, Evelyn begins sharing stories from her youth, revealing a side of herself Jenna has never known. Thus the narrative alternates between the present day and the 1950s, when teenage Evelyn fell deeply in love with Tony Delgado, a charismatic young man her family strongly disapproved of. Despite their intense connection, family expectations, religious differences, and social pressures conspired to keep the young couple apart. Through Evelyn’s recollections, Jenna learns of sacrifices, betrayals, and difficult choices that shaped not only her grandmother’s life but also the history of their entire family.
When they arrive in the seaside town where Evelyn grew up, Jenna discovers that her grandmother’s trip is about far more than nostalgia. There are old wounds to revisit, lingering questions to answer, and long-buried truths waiting to be uncovered. Jenna also meets Joe, Tony’s kind and attentive great-nephew. As Joe introduces her to the town and its history, Jenna gradually begins to emerge from the shadow of her failed marriage. Their growing friendship challenges her assumptions about love, loss, and the possibility of starting over.
Meanwhile, Evelyn’s past continues to unfold in surprising ways, revealing hidden family connections and decades-old secrets that have influenced generations. As Jenna pieces together the story of her grandmother’s first love, she gains a deeper understanding of her family and of herself. The journey ultimately becomes one of healing for both women, demonstrating that it is never too late to confront the past, embrace the truth, or open one’s heart to new possibilities.
Filled with humor, romance, and heartfelt emotion, She’s Up to No Good is a celebration of resilience, family, and the enduring power of love across generations.