A PROMISE TO ARLETTE

COMING JUNE 17, 2025

With the scope of a saga and the heart of a thriller, this is an evocative historical novel following a married couple whose idyllic 1950s suburban life is threatened by the promises they made during World War II.

Sidney and Ida Whipple are living the suburban 1950s American dream, complete with two children and a white picket fence, which didn’t seem possible when they first met at the height of WWII in France. Reveling in the present, they can almost convince themselves that their past is behind them. But when their neighbors show off a newly purchased Man Ray photograph, Ida comes face-to-face with the person she loved and lost in the war: Arlette.

Only Ida knows the truth about the photograph, and why it can’t possibly be authentic. In an attempt to right past wrongs, she travels to California vowing to confront Man Ray. Sidney wakes to find his wife is missing, the photograph in question stolen, and all the secrets they’ve tried to bury come rushing back. With his daughters in tow, he travels after Ida, hoping to forge a new path together. Instead, their sojourn leads to a shocking discovery that could pull their family apart in this sweeping, unforgettable story about love and friendship, trust and betrayal, and how promises made, broken, and ultimately renewed, can determine our fate.
THE STOLEN BOOK OF EVELYN AUBREY
What if you could write a new ending for yourself?
Publishers Weekly​
"Burdick explores love, loss and treachery in her luminous multigenerational tale...the author charms with lyrical prose and a well-sketched cast of supporting characters. Readers will be hooked."

Hazel Gaynor, New York Times Bestselling author 
"A cleverly-crafted and beautifully written multi-layered mystery of family secrets, jealousy, passion and revenge. Seductive, unsettling and thoroughly absorbing, I stepped into the pages of Evelyn Aubrey's world and didn't want to leave. Serena Burdick, take a bow. Marvelous."

Jillian Cantor, USA today bestselling author of
Beautiful Little Fools
"...deeply compelling characters, beautiful prose, and a mystery that kept me turning the pages. A haunting meditation on what it means to be a woman and an artist and ultimately what it means to find your place in the world--I devoured this book."
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Historical Novel Society 
"This gothic-tinged novel tells an empowering tale of betrayal and delicious revenge."

Library Journal  
“Readers who love novels filled with family secrets, decrepit mansions, and long-lost journals will enjoy.”



THE GIRLS WITH NO NAMES

​NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
“The Girls With No Names concludes in crescendo so fever-pitched that the last page seems to come too soon. Nevertheless, Burdick has spun a cautionary tale of struggle and survival, love and family — and above all, the strength of the heart, no matter how broken." 
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CHICAGO TRIBUNE BOOK REVIEW
​"The first person narratives place us into the minds of each woman, exposing her fears and hopes, and the strength needed to live through another day." 

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Told from the alternating points of view of Effie; her mother, Jeanne; and Mable, the narrative combines lush prose with a quick and riveting plot. Readers will be intensely moved by this historical." ​
 
 KIRKUS REVIEW
"A spellbinding thriller for fans of Gilded Age fiction!"

BOOKLIST
"Burdick's carefully researched narrative shines a light on the untold stories of countless real women, and fans of Joanne Goodman's The Home for Unwanted Girls will be consumed by the fast-paced plot and well characterized, sympathetic girls at the novel's heart." 
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FIND ME IN HAVANA


PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"A poignant and gripping account of the life of Cuban actress Estelita Rodriquez… With great skill, Burdick weaves a heartbreaking narrative of a star’s rise and fall… A deeply affecting tragedy.” 

BOOKLIST
“A sweeping historical account… The Hollywood glamour and the struggles of war will appeal to history fans while Nina and Estelita’s relationship will draw lovers of women’s fiction. The true gem in this story is learning how the author developed the tale of real-life Estelita through interviews with Nina.” 

SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW
"…Always beautiful, feeling elegiac even during the first chapters… Serena Burdick did a wonderful job of capturing a time long past and telling a story that at once embraces a whole time and pinpoints one particular relationship.” 

​HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY 
"Estelita’s tragic story captures the most beautiful and most painful moments of motherhood, artistic drive, and limitless ambition. More importantly, it explores the ceaseless destruction of sexual violence and finds hope in unexpected places. I highly recommend it."
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Serena Burdick 
is the USA Today, Toronto Star and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of THE GIRLS WITH NO NAMES. She is the author of the novel THE STOLEN BOOK OF EVELYN AUBREY, FIND ME IN HAVANA, GIRL IN THE AFTERNOON, and the forthcoming novel A PROMISE TO ARLETTE. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and published in twelve territories to date. She studied creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College, holds a Bachelors of Arts from Brooklyn College in English literature and an Associates of Arts from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in theater.