Sara Goodman Confino Books in Order

Sara Goodman Confino writes warm, funny novels about family, friendship, romance, and the messy choices people make when life refuses to follow the plan. Her books move between present-day stories and mid-century settings, often with Jewish family life, complicated mothers and daughters, and women figuring out what they want next.

She lives in Montgomery County, Maryland, with her husband, two sons, two miniature schnauzers, and a long-lived goldfish. Before writing full time, she spent years teaching high school English and journalism.

The idea that she might become a writer started early. When she was eight, Confino wrote a letter to her uncle Jules, who later gave her a typewriter and told her she would be a writer when she grew up. Her family were big readers, and that small vote of confidence stayed with her.

Getting published took time. Confino self-published two early novels, wrote more manuscripts, found an agent, and had one book that did not sell before her fifth completed novel became her traditional debut. She wrote For the Love of Friends during the summer of 2019, working with the concentrated energy of a teacher on break and a parent making room for a big goal.

That 2021 novel introduced readers to Lily Weiss, a single thirty-something writer trapped in the chaos of five weddings and an anonymous bridesmaid blog. She's Up to No Good followed with a grandmother-granddaughter road trip, old secrets, and a chance to start again after heartbreak. Both books show Confino's interest in the way family lore, long friendships, and other people's expectations can complicate a person's life.

Then she headed back to the early 1960s. In Don't Forget to Write, a young woman sent to stay with her formidable matchmaker aunt discovers that her future does not have to be chosen for her. Behind Every Good Man puts a newly separated suburban mother into the middle of a Maryland Senate campaign, while Good Grief brings a widow and her difficult mother-in-law under one roof. Off the Record follows an ambitious young reporter chasing a Cold War-era story in Washington, DC.

Her characters are often underestimated, sometimes by their families and sometimes by themselves. They may be dealing with a bad marriage, a demanding relative, a public scandal, or a career they have been told is not for them. Confino gives those problems real weight, but she also leaves room for sharp jokes, awkward conversations, and a little hope.

Now writing full time, Confino still draws on the places and pressures she knows well, including the Washington area, classrooms, family gatherings, and the beach. When she is not writing or parenting, she enjoys working out, beach time, and Bruce Springsteen concerts.