A rollicking, big-hearted story of long-lost love, friendship, and a life well-lived, set at a Florida retirement resort for queer women, on the last day of resident Hannah Cardin’s life—perfect for readers of Less and The Wedding People.

It’s 2067 and Florida is partially underwater, but even that can’t bring down the residents of Palm Meridian Retirement Resort, a utopian home for women who want to revel in their twilight years. Inside, Hula-Hoopers shimmy across the grass, fiercely competitive book clubs nearly come to blows, and the roller-ski team races up and down the winding paths. Injuries can occur, hips and backs not being what they were, but everywhere you look, these women are living large.

Hannah Cardin has lived at Palm Meridian for ten happy years, but today is her last. Since receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, Hannah has opted for a medically assisted death, scheduled for tomorrow morning. Tonight, however, she and her raucous band of friends plan to throw one hell of an end-of-life party.

In addition to the rest of the resort, Hannah has invited important people from her past, including the love of her life, Sophie, who she hasn’t spoken to since their devastating breakup over forty years ago.

As the hours tick by without Sophie’s arrival and the party moves into full swing, Hannah’s mind casts back over the highs and lows of her kaleidoscopic life and the unforgettable romance that ended too soon. But as is to be expected at any reunion of old friends—especially one as monumental and emotional as this—Hannah is not the only one with unfinished business. When a shocking secret from the past is revealed, Hannah must reconsider if she’s making the right decision after all.

Spanning the course of a single day and seventy-odd years, and full of vibrant, lovable characters you won’t soon forget, Palm Meridian celebrates the unexpected moments that end up making us feel the most alive.

Grace Flahive was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She studied English literature at McGill University in Montreal before moving to London, UK in 2014, where she’s lived ever since. Palm Meridian is her debut novel.

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