Run Baby Run : A Novel

By Melissa Lendardt

From the author of The Secret of You and Me, Melissa Lenhardt’s new novel Run Baby Run is a journey into the heart of a mother and daughter’s relationship, with a queer love story, high stakes feels, a road trip gone awry…and tons of very big secrets. It's Casey McQuiston's I Kissed Shara Wheeler for adults.

"A compelling story of second chances and being true to yourself." —Harper Bliss, author of Seasons of Love,on The Secret of You and Me


A mother, a daughter and a road trip that’s about to take a hard left turn in this heartfelt and witty story about the sacrifices we make for love.

Darcy Evans is getting married. In a week. To a man who is her childhood dream come true. But a late-night confession from her best friend changes everything and before she even has time to unpack it, she must endure a road trip to the ceremony with her estranged mother, Marja. It was always the two of them against the world…until Marja ghosted Darcy three years ago. No car in the world has enough room for all of their baggage.

The drive from Austin to Chicago is nostalgic, claustrophobic, incredibly messy and exactly what both women need. As they each find themselves at a crossroads in their lives, long-held secrets are revealed—ones that reshape Darcy’s memories of the past and forever alter the future she’d recently been so certain of. She hadn’t known what a reunion with her mother might bring, but sometimes following your heart means taking a path you never planned…and finding a love you never imagined.