What do you think?
Rate this book
The Encore: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 3 Mar 26A captivating journey of love, sacrifice, and destiny playing out in the world of music.
In 2003, at the prestigious Brookfield Conservatory in Boston, a chance encounter sparks an inimitable friendship between driven pianist and singer Anna Buckley and composer wunderkind Will Pendleton. As they strive toward careers as professional musicians, their bond deepens both from shared skill and the inexplicable sense that they’re kindred souls. But soon after graduation, one night forever alters the trajectory of their lives, destroying their relationship in the process.
Twenty years later in New York, sixteen-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is grappling with the rigors of her elite prep school and the confounding disappearance of the woman who gave her up at birth. When Lottie suddenly discovers the startling truth of her identity, the revelation catalyzes a chain of events that not only reunites Lottie with her birth parents, but forces them together on a rock tour-bus for a careening cross-country journey. It is there, trapped in these tight confines, that the three must finally reconcile with irrevocable choices from the past.
In 2003, at the prestigious Brookfield Conservatory in Boston, a chance encounter sparks an inimitable friendship between driven pianist and singer Anna Buckley and composer wunderkind Will Pendleton. As they strive toward careers as professional musicians, their bond deepens both from shared skill and the inexplicable sense that they’re kindred souls. But soon after graduation, one night forever alters the trajectory of their lives, destroying their relationship in the process.
Twenty years later in New York, sixteen-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is grappling with the rigors of her elite prep school and the confounding disappearance of the woman who gave her up at birth. When Lottie suddenly discovers the startling truth of her identity, the revelation catalyzes a chain of events that not only reunites Lottie with her birth parents, but forces them together on a rock tour-bus for a careening cross-country journey. It is there, trapped in these tight confines, that the three must finally reconcile with irrevocable choices from the past.
Audible Audio
Expected publication March 3, 2026
2 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Juliet Izon
1 book9 followersJuliet Izon is a New York City and Hudson Valley-based journalist and author. Her work has appeared in national newspapers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and magazines like Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and Architectural Digest. Her first novel, The Encore, will be published by Union Square & Co./Hachette in March 2026.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 4, 2025
I wrote this and it’s pretty awesome
November 17, 2025
i was picturing hayley williams the whole time
December 2, 2025
I loved this book from the first page. It accomplished what a book worth reading should shoot for. Fully flushed out characters, a page turning storyline, and an amazing amount of research effortlessly folded into the story.
Lottie is sixteen years old. Her adoptive mother died and she now lives with her uncle. She is a musical prodigy, independent, incredibly grounded but a bit reticent about taking up too much space in the world.. Her birth mother requested she not be found until she is emancipated at 18 but her uncle, Aidan, has given her those papers early. It will now be up to Lottie whether she wants to find her birth mother.
In the prologue, we see Anna as the Indie rock superstar she has become. When we move into the backstory of the birth parents, Anna and Will meet at an elite boarding school. Both have serious musical aspirations. Anna is a talented singer/songwriter, and Will is a classical composer and conductor. Flash forward to present and complications and insights begin to surface when Lottie finds Anna and Anna then finds Will. Both Lottie and Will decide to go on tour with her.
The story explores nurture versus nature. Lottie shares so many of their personality traits as well as musical talent. What is interesting is how they all grow as they weather unforeseen troubles together. It is also about love, ambition, how old wounds fester until they are healed, and most of all, forgiveness.
While there is a deep dive into both Anna and Lottie’s lives and thinking, we only see Will through their eyes and actions. Since Anna drives the story by the demanding force of her personality, it is interesting how the others change in the wake of her erratic behavior.
There is also quite a lot of detail about life on tour that I found fascinating. I never really thought about the constant demands both on and off the stage. It added context to the story.
The minor characters were sharply defined and added dimension. Those on the tour (particularly Kendall), Maeve, Will’s mother, Betsy, and Aiden. Had to love Aiden.
Kudos to you, Juliet Izon. A wonderful debut novel.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Union Square and Co for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lottie is sixteen years old. Her adoptive mother died and she now lives with her uncle. She is a musical prodigy, independent, incredibly grounded but a bit reticent about taking up too much space in the world.. Her birth mother requested she not be found until she is emancipated at 18 but her uncle, Aidan, has given her those papers early. It will now be up to Lottie whether she wants to find her birth mother.
In the prologue, we see Anna as the Indie rock superstar she has become. When we move into the backstory of the birth parents, Anna and Will meet at an elite boarding school. Both have serious musical aspirations. Anna is a talented singer/songwriter, and Will is a classical composer and conductor. Flash forward to present and complications and insights begin to surface when Lottie finds Anna and Anna then finds Will. Both Lottie and Will decide to go on tour with her.
The story explores nurture versus nature. Lottie shares so many of their personality traits as well as musical talent. What is interesting is how they all grow as they weather unforeseen troubles together. It is also about love, ambition, how old wounds fester until they are healed, and most of all, forgiveness.
While there is a deep dive into both Anna and Lottie’s lives and thinking, we only see Will through their eyes and actions. Since Anna drives the story by the demanding force of her personality, it is interesting how the others change in the wake of her erratic behavior.
There is also quite a lot of detail about life on tour that I found fascinating. I never really thought about the constant demands both on and off the stage. It added context to the story.
The minor characters were sharply defined and added dimension. Those on the tour (particularly Kendall), Maeve, Will’s mother, Betsy, and Aiden. Had to love Aiden.
Kudos to you, Juliet Izon. A wonderful debut novel.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Union Square and Co for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 6, 2025
The Encore is a debut whose voice soars like a rock star from the first note and never lets go. Read this book now so you can be the person in your book club who gets to say you discovered Juliet Izon 'first'. Her writing will stop you in your tracks.
December 3, 2025
Lovedd this book! The author had a special talent to tell a story in such a way that is so realistic like a movie to a tv-show but interesting. I’m blessed to have been an ARC reader for this! This book was one going into I thought wouldn’t be for me, as I do not read general fiction commonly. But. This book was absolutely brilliant! With the characters and how you get to figure out their flaws, personalities, and so much more. The imperfect relationships and the way this felt soooo real. The book felt like something real. Something that could happen to anyone. It was so realistic, I could relate to some, learn from some, and just saw really how people are, how we react to situations. The way Anna had reacted to situations made sense because of her background, Will the way he acted made sense, same with Lottie, and so many more characters. Trying not to say too much, but as a fan of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this book reminded me much of that book in the sense both were so realistic and felt real world. This book comes out in March of 2026, definitely go pre-order!
December 13, 2025
Well, worth the read, Izon builds a tale that takes the reader deep into the history of a relationship that spans a lifetime. With characters richly crafted, the novel is a classic reminder that good can come in life. Wrapped around a love and talent for the pleasures of music, it’s hard to put down until the last page!
November 13, 2025
Be on the look out for this one! Absolutely gobbled it up, such a rich story of family, fame, and what it means to love someone
November 18, 2025
The Encore is such a heartfelt and emotionally rewarding read. I fell for these characters immediately and was fully invested through every high and low. Steeped in regret and redemption, with music and love running through every beat, this story swept me away and left me completely satisfied (and a little misty-eyed). I absolutely devoured it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews