Heavy Cream: A Novel

by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Landing in New York’s high society and underground art scene after her mother abandons her, street-smart 16-year-old Geraldine struggles to survive the efforts of three glamorous women to save her. Growing up on the road, it has always been the two of them, locked in dysfunction. Homeschooled, Gerry hasn’t learned much math. Instead, her mother has taught her how to spend the day at a motel’s swimming pool without being a guest or how to dodge paying extra for the chicken on a Caesar salad. When her mother ditches her, Gerry finds herself in the care of three very different women, who each try to remake her. First, there is her mother’s old college friend Bonnie, who lives in a world of country clubs, The Bachelor binges, and whipped mochas. Then there is Nell, her mother’s estranged sister and a successful artist who pushes Gerry to be ambitious. And finally Finley, an old-money socialite who ushers Gerry into a rarefied world of Manhattan privilege. A coming of age novel that explores unconventional forms of motherhood and caretaking, Sarah Blakley-Cartwright's new novel is both a charming comedy of manners and a deeply probing look at the complexities of love, mental illness, and one young woman’s eccentric path to selfhood.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 29, 2026

Reviews

[Mary in the sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much for the ARC.

Such a beautiful book that starts as a punch in the stomach. The mother-daughter relationship is so intense and triggering at times. I loved all the nuances of Geraldine, sometimes I forgot she was only sixteen.

Some people are not meant to be parents, but we really can’t choose that. We do, however, have a say in who we keep in our lives.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parentified and enmeshed with a mentally ill mother, our homeschooled teen protagonist adapts her personality in response to her mother’s chaotic behavior and unpredictable moods, believing that her only purpose in life is to make her mother laugh……and then her mother leaves.

Heavy cream is the story of a young woman’s journey to find herself for the first time, in the chaos of New York City and under the guidance of three eccentric, inadequate substitute mother figures. It is also a portrait of extremely flawed womanhood, all the weird ways women choose to exist in the world, and the parts of our identities that we do, and do not, choose. These characters are richly written, alive, vibrant even in their dysfunction (the representation of the mother’s mental disorder was particularly spot on). I really enjoyed following Gerry’s journey and felt like as a reader I got to be a kind of mother to her too, worrying for her and rooting for her to figure it all out.

Minus one star because all of the adults in this book were so emotionally immature and failed this kid so bad, I kept wanting a moment of redemption that never came.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC! This is an honest review.

[Delilah Twersky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received early copy from NetGalley for review.

What a lovely read. I usually don’t like stories about young women in their adolescence but this one felt quite different from the rest. Seeing how a woman’s mother or mother-figure inspires her upbringing and her outlook on life is pinacle to understanding and absorbing a book of a young women’s adolescence. Wonderfully written.

“At the same time, was furious at the feeling, and wondered how long I would be burdened with missing her.”

[RUTH GUCKIEAN]

I really wanted to connect with Heavy Cream. The premise is genuinely compelling—a sixteen-year-old raised on the fringes, taught how to scam her way through motel pools and dodge upcharges on salads, suddenly abandoned in New York and pulled between three women each trying to mold her into different versions of herself. That's a fascinating setup for exploring identity, class, unconventional motherhood, and the ways we become who we are.

But I just couldn't get into it.

I tried. The writing wasn't the issue—Sarah Blakley-Cartwright clearly has skill, and there are flashes of sharp observation throughout. But something about the execution kept me at arm's length. I never found my footing with Gerry or felt pulled into her world the way I needed to be to stay invested. The pacing didn't work for me, and I found my attention drifting rather than sharpening as the pages went on.

Sometimes a book just doesn't click, and this was one of those times. I think readers who vibe with literary coming-of-age stories and comedies of manners will find a lot to appreciate here—the bones are interesting and the premise is unique. It just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heavy Cream by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright had such a unique voice- it was witty and humorous and serious all the same. There were moments when Geraldine’s isolation felt so palpable that I felt I was experiencing a certain isolation of my own alongside her and her gripping dark humor was almost a necessity for survival. Despite being continually surrounded by a mother figure she was still constantly left to her own devices - such an intriguing juxtaposition! Thank you to NetGalley as well as Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

[Emily Chavez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not know why people are hellbent on cosplaying poor/telling stories about orphans without any basis in reality (15 year old lives alone in an apartment with a phone paid for by????)/acting like living in New York City is the desire of the entire human race. This happens to do all of the above and I hated it, with all the glimmers of promise of motherhood, caretaking and coming of age shredded to bits. The "chosen family" arc doesn't apply to the abandoned and being in poverty is not chic....I'm tired !

The writing itself is very good

Thank you to the the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

[Kelli Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can easily read a book, love it, and then immediately forget everything about it as soon as I put it down. But not this. This is one of those books that I think will stay with me for a long time. I loved the writing style, and the characters felt so alive–flawed and often super unlikable, but real.

Geraldine is sixteen and alone, abandoned by her flighty mother whose only real commitment has always been to following her own whims. In Heavy Cream, we follow the girl’s struggle to find her footing as she tries on lifestyles that are wildly different from the one she’s been conditioned for.

When Helene leaves, we are visited by three could-be mother figures who play with Gerry’s life like she’s a Barbie doll, never truly understanding her or considering what she might actually need. She is intensely alone, even when she is surrounded by people who want to claim her. Soon, Gerry is living all alone in New York City, with three benefactors and an absent mother who could come back to claim her at any time… or never be seen again. All of them want credit for molding her into something special without ever taking responsibility for her actual wellbeing.

I was so invested from the first page. Every character in this book is deeply lonely in their own way, desperate for connection. But the author has an interesting way of transforming complexity into something beautiful, somehow approaching the canyon of solitude with humor.

Thanks so much to the author and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Megan Magee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geraldine is born to a mother who is committed to living her life on a whim, motherhood be damned. They grow up everywhere, together and not at all- for how can someone who has never grown themselves raise someone in their own image, but differently? This one was so interesting- so vivid and real, relatable and shocking in its regularity. I mean, mothers like our FMC's exist- and at the end of the day, they were just a woman with a dream first, just like all of us are at our core. Heavy Cream follows Geraldine at 16, living in NYC with an aunt and two "others" who are tasked for being our caregiver. She begins her journey with Bonnie, our lover of Housewives and all things cozy. We venture to Geraldine's mom's sister, who is an artist and has the scent of turpentine following her everywhere. It hurts her nieces senses, not an ideal scent for her to be surrounded with. This one is full of transforming prose and delicate balances of humanities and people- I enjoyed some parts, or at least the majority of the parts. I wish there had been a touch more of the childhood mentioned- some of the time gaps confused me or tripped me up. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital eARC! All opinions are entirely my own.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heavy Cream follows Geraldine's path as she navigates through a coming of age. Up until age 16, she's exposed to the loose cannon life of her mother Helene, a woman who exemplifies an alternate lifestyle, and whose backstory is rocky at best. When Helene heads off to Australia with a love interest, Gerry is parked with an old school friend in Connecticut, and at this point finds herself increasingly under the influence of three very different women, each of which wants to protect her through exposure to a more conventional life. Gerry's attachment to her mother surfaces at times, but on the whole she is loose in New York, and thanks to a deus ex machina effect, is afforded a choice. Wise beyond her years, she recognizes that teen years are filled with discovery and possibility, but "...your life was supposed to set, like Jello in a mold." With references to Mamdani's staff, this is a novel firmly rooted in today, and I wonder at Gerry's future.

[Sirenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for this ARC. My opinion is my own. This would make for a great summer read as it's messy and gossipy, the kind of paperback you toss into your tote on the go to the beach. Feels reminiscent of White Oleander, except not as dark. It was nearly perfect for what it was except the change in POV for one chapter randomly towards the end which took me out of the story completely. It felt out of place considering the entire rest of the novel was in Gerry's POV. While shaped by her mother, I do not feel we needed to hear from the mother. So, thematically it felt odd that way too. Overall, still recommend.

[Patty Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gerry's Mom decides to leave one day to go after a guy and ships her to stay with her friend, Bonnie, in Connecticut. Gerry is then bounced around between Bonnie, Nell and Finley, who in their own ways try to step up and do right by her.

I loved this one! Gerry finds herself immersed in the lives of these women, and sometimes you found yourself wondering who was taking care of who. Also loved that the story was mainly set in New York, which gave Gerry new challenges to navigate.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and the author for providing a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

[Ronnica Fatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age story exploring our motherly influences and our choice to follow their models or to find our own way.

I did find the timeline confusing (the mother was grown in 1987, but a young mother to someone born in the 2010s, a decade after 9/11?) but if I focus on the emotional heart I enjoyed it.

Thank you Simon Books for the review copy.

[Mama K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on description I thought I would--and WANTED to--love this book. I did not.
Though I 9ften sympathized with the main character, I did not like the style or pacing. The narrative file scattered, and i never felt invested in what happened.
I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Bourbon_bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this but didn't love it. It was a bit slow for my liking. Also, the brief chapter at the end with mom's POV was abrupt, unnecessary and didn't add anything. I was just hoping for more overall.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Heavy Cream, but I didn't love it. While the writing is rich and evocative, it's definitely not an easy read. The mother/daughter relationship is very intense and hard to stomach at times. Some parts of this book made me feel depressed, not just for Gerry but for some of the other women in her life.

I did enjoy Gerry's distinct narrative voice, even if I had to continuously remind myself that she's only sixteen. The tone is witty and sardonic, even darkly humorous. I was not a fan of the ending, but I don't think this book was meant to have a satisfying conclusion. Not sure if I would reread.

[Megan Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I absolutely loved "Heavy Cream." I love every book about girls fending for themselves, and this one has the added complexity of the narrator simultaneously having too many mother figures and yet not a real one. She's a friend, project, wing-girl to the women in her life--but not a daughter. Truly resonating for anyone whose felt, in their lives, that they've parented their parents. Also, the author is so good at writing about New York! I'd been dying for a great NYC novel and I loved reading about the city through Jerry's eyes!