James Frey is known for pushing boundaries and his latest novel promises to be no different.
Billed as “a satirical thrill ride through the dark heart of privilege,” Next to Heaven is the perfect propulsive read for fans of shows like White Lotus and Big Little Lies, the publisher teases. The novel is set to be released on June 17, 2025 — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first look at the juicy cover!
With this new novel, Frey is ready to sink his teeth into the dark and frivolous.
“The world is so serious and dreadful these days, I wanted to write a fun, sexy, thrilling book that peels back the veneer of ‘perfect’ lives and exposes what money and desire can do to people,” Frey tells PEOPLE in an exclusive excerpt. “I hope readers laugh and generally have a great time watching it all unravel.”
Set in the affluent, picture-perfect town of New Bethlehem, Conn., Next to Heaven follows characters Devon and Belle who are “beautiful, wealthy and unsatisfied.”
“Desperate to feel something beyond the monotony of luxury, they orchestrate an exclusive party for New Bethlehem’s elite — a spectacle of opulence and indulgence designed to push boundaries,” the description reads. “The guest list is a who’s-who of moral compromise: an ex-NFL quarterback clawing at relevance, a hockey coach with a weakness for forbidden affairs and a Wall Street predator who treats wealth as a weapon.”
It all leads up to, as the publisher puts it, “One night. Multiple betrayals. And a murder that will shatter New Bethlehem’s carefully constructed facade.”
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Frey, who first rose to fame in 2003 with the release of his bestselling book A Million Little Pieces and the 2005 follow-up My Friend Leonard, has been billed as “America’s Most Notorious Author” by Time Magazine and the “Bad Boy of American Literature” by The New York Times.
Next to Heaven comes out June 17, 2025 from Authors Equity and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
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