Jo Piazza Returns to the Book Fest

You know they must be having a great time when they keep coming back. Surely, it’s what Jo Piazza’s readers are feeling as they await the newest novel by this international bestselling author of twelve books. And we’d like to think the reason Jo keeps returning to the Collingswood Book Festival is that she always has a great time here!

“The readers are so excited and engaged,” Jo tells us. “I have gotten some of my very best questions at the festival.”  

Her newest novel, Everyone Is Lying to You, arrives on shelves in July. In her words, it’s a "bananas, gonzo roller-coaster ride of a thriller." Her publisher, Penguin Random House, promises readers that it’s “the #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for.”

We are introduced to Lizzie and Bex, best friends in college, now estranged. Bex, known to her internet fans as Rebecca, a “traditional” Instagram influencer with millions of followers, convinces Lizzie, a struggling magazine writer, to join her at a high-profile influencing conference. When Bex goes missing and her husband is found brutally murdered, Lizzie follows the trail through the dark side of social media.

Jo Piazza started writing the story for fun on her Substack, until, a couple of chapters in, she realized the potential for a novel.

“I had a frenzied call with my agents and editor about it, and we came up with a plan that would get it published as quickly as possible,” Jo writes. “I really felt like the tradwife moment was NOW. That was last summer and even I couldn’t imagine the world this book would be publishing in and how of-the-moment it would feel.”

Over the years, Jo interviewed thousands of influencers and attended dozens of mom-influencing conferences. A lot of the dialogue in the book is inspired by conversations she had or overheard at these events.

“I created a fictional influencer conference in the book called Mom Bomb,” she tells us. “It started out as satire, but in the end, it’s pretty close to what these conferences are actually like. I’ve spent the past few years waist-deep in the murky waters of momfluencer culture, and I watched the rise of the tradwives start about two years ago, right around when things on the internet started to feel extra unhinged post-lockdown.”

“the #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for.”

The term “tradwife” refers to a married woman who embraces traditional gender roles, sharing photos and videos of her lifestyle online while her husband is at work. The social media trend, associated with conservative values, often portrays the stereotypical 1950s housewife, or even 19th-century homesteader, and is seen as a return to romanticized domesticity of the past. A defining aspect is that each of these women chooses the lifestyle for herself. Another aspect is the high quality and volume of content they share consistently. But they aren’t just selling a lifestyle. Jo notes that they are “selling a worldview.” She continues, “The deeper I dug, the more I realized that the tradwife aesthetic isn’t just vintage aprons and sourdough starters. It’s a full-blown political costume. It’s Stepford cosplay with a dark underbelly. And the performance is so effective because it’s rooted in nostalgia. We want to believe in the soft-focus fantasy of safety, structure, and well-behaved children with braided hair and matching outfits. But that fantasy only works if you don’t ask who’s being silenced or sacrificed to keep it intact. And that’s where things get really creepy. Because once you see the tradwife aesthetic not just as a personal choice, but as a form of branding with coded language, racial implications, and political alignment, it starts to look a lot less like a charming cottagecore dream and a lot more like soft propaganda in a dress that looks like a picnic table.”

The book launches at a time when many readers may be looking for something to read while they are lying on the beach. First and foremost, Everyone Is Lying to You is a thriller, perfect beach reading material.

“I hope people have a good time reading it,” Jo tells us. “I want them to have fun. That’s what a summer read should do for you. But I also want people to look at social media with a critical eye. It can also be fun and entertaining, but it is good to remember that a lot of it is smoke and mirrors.”

We ask what stands out most for her as she prepares for her return to the Collingswood Book Festival, where she has a chance to meet and converse with her readers.

“I think fiction is one of the best tools we have for connecting with one another,” she replies, “so I love seeing how readers react to my books and what they make them feel.”

Jo Piazza will appear in the main tent on Saturday, October 4. Stay tuned to the website and social media for the full line-up and timeslots. Meanwhile, pre-order Everyone Is Lying to You, and catch up on her previous books, most recently The Sicilian Inheritance. A copy is waiting for you at the Collingswood Public Library, all in time to meet Jo in October!