This "absolutely irresistible" historical romance imagines the courtship between Jacqueline Bouvier and the future American president she loved (People).
In 1951, former debutante Jacqueline Bouvier is hard at work as the Inquiring Camera Girl for a Washington newspaper. Her mission in life is "not to be a housewife," but when she meets the charismatic congressman Jack Kennedy at a Georgetown party, her resolution begins to falter. Soon the two are flirting over secret phone calls, cocktails, and dinner dates, and as Jackie is drawn deeper into the Kennedy orbit, and as Jack himself grows increasingly elusive and absent, she begins to question what life at his side would mean. For answers, she turns to his best friend and confidant, Lem Billings, a closeted gay man who has made the Kennedy family his own, and who has been instructed by them to seal the deal with Jack's new girl. But as he gets to know her, a deep and touching friendship emerges, leaving him with painfully divided alliances and a troubling dilemma: Is this the marriage she deserves?
Narrated by an older Lem as he looks back at his own role in a complicated alliance, this is a courtship story full of longing and of suspense, of what-ifs and possible wrong turns. It is a surprising look at Jackie before she was that Jackie. And in best-selling author Louis Bayard's witty and deeply empathetic telling, Jackie & Me is a page-turning story of friendship, love, sacrifice, and betrayal- and a fresh take on two iconic American figures. Louis Bayard is the critically acclaimed bestselling author of nine historical novels, including Courting Mr. Lincoln and The Pale Blue Eye, which is being adapted into a Netflix film starring Christian Bale. His articles, reviews, and recaps have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Salon, and the Paris Review.
"Absolutely irresistible."
-Kim Hubbard, People (Best Books of Summer 2022)
"What a pleasure . . . Bayard is such an exuberant storyteller . . . This stylish, sexy, nostalgic story will linger like Jackie's signature scent of Pall Malls and Chateau Krigler 12. It's a complicated bouquet of bitter and sweet."
-Elisabeth Egan, The New York Times Book Review
"A delight…a poignant, late-summer-afternoon kind of novel. ...a story perfectly tuned to our ongoing fascination with the Kennedy marriage - and a novel, like Jackie herself, with charm to spare."
-The Washington Post
"Lem Billings was John F. Kennedy's prep school roommate and a close friend. He was also gay. This captivating work of historical fiction offers an intimate look into Lem's relationships with the charismatic young senator and the budding journalist Jacqueline Bouvier, whom JFK enlists Lem to vet."
-People (Book of the Week)
"The charms of Bayard's delightful new novel about Jackie Kennedy aren't only found in its historical context but also in its intelligent, witty tone and poignant dissection of friendship, class and betrayal. The outcome is surprisingly affecting, and Bayard's gamble of embarking on a well-known path from an unusual perspective pays off handsomely."
-Connie Ogle, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"Narrator Lem is reminiscent of The Great Gatsby's Nick Carraway … Jackie, she's pure delight … Romance with bite: the perfect escapism for today's anxious times."
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Here he brings a poignant empathy, persuasive intimacy, and nuanced imagination to his interpretation of a relatively unexamined chapter in Kennedy lore."
-Booklist (starred review)
"Bayard (Courting Mr. Lincoln) offers an enchanting narrative of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Jacqueline Bouvier…delightfully dishy… Bayard suffuses the spritzy story with wit, charm, and depth. The result is tailor-made for fans of Camelot drama."
-Publishers Weekly
"All of Louis Bayard's
