Eighty-four seconds can change your life. Or destroy it. Josie Nickels is an Emmy-winning news anchor, poised to rise through the ranks of television journalism. But on a bitter March evening on live TV, the pressures and secrets burbling behind closed doors of her ridiculous Victorian mansion explode. And the overwhelmed journalist spills family secrets like a Baptist at altar call. The aftermath costs her much more than a career. It robs her of a beloved son—a preppy, educated millennial trapped in the deadly world of addiction. Desperate for a new start and a way to save her son, Josie packs up her pride, her young daughter, and accepts a new job slinging cosmetics at a department store make-up counter with other disgraced celebs. In the gorgeous mountains of Asheville N.C., known for hippies, healings, and Subarus, Josie is faced with a choice: Take a chance on a bold, out-of-the-ordinary treatment plan for her son. Or lose him forever. This heart-wrenching and, at times, hilarious novel, will delight fans of book-club women’s fiction. And inspire and give hope to those with addicted sons and daughters. The Beautiful Misfits is an emotional yet uplifting ride through a world of fierce love, store-bought beauty, and wonder.

Praise for The Beautiful Misfits

“In her newest novel, The Beautiful Misfits, Susan Reinhardt wraps all the emotions with beautiful imagery. She balances darkness and pain with the light and joyful moments of a family coping with addiction and secrets. Throughout her novel, while all her characters have their own struggles, she continues to give us signs of hope and signals that sometimes life works itself out long before we are conscious of its plans. A beautiful read where you connect with the beautiful misfits. This is one story that touched my heart.”

– Lee St. John, #1 Amazon Best Selling Author, Georgia Author of the Year, Erma Bombeck Humor Writer

“The Beautiful Misfits is a completely unique romp, endlessly entertaining, filled with heart, and hysterically funny. Reinhardt introduces us to a complex and sometimes kooky cast of characters led by Josie, a flawed but also quick-witted former news anchor trying to get her life back on track. “The Beautiful Misfits” grabs you from the moment Josie melts down on the set of her news show and doesn’t let go until she finds a way to rescue the person she loves most. A former humor columnist, Reinhardt’s talents shine here and put her on par with Fannie Flagg and Rebecca Wells. Her misfits are definitely worth getting to know.”

– Tracy Beckerman, Amazon best-selling author of Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble

“Susan is a wonderfully gifted storyteller who combines biting wit and laugh-out-loud humor with a beautifully moving writing style. She can turn tears of laughter into the other kind in a single paragraph. You’ll love The Beautiful Misfits.”

– Robert Tate Miller, bestselling author and movie screenwriter for CBS, NBC, Disney, and Hallmark including films such as When Christmas was Young, Three Days, and A Summer Romance

“Reinhardt writes from the heart on the serious problem of rampant drug addiction—but always with the warmth and humor her long-time readers know to expect. A wealth of finely drawn characters populate this lively look at a single mother fighting her own demons and trying with all her might to save her drug-addicted son.”

– Vicki Lane. author of And the Crows Took Their Eyes and the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian mysteries