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Editor’s note: This column was completed in early June 2026, prior to the author criticizing those who gave her novel poor reviews and ratings on Goodreads. Selinger described these people as review bombing, which is a coordinated flood of unfairly negative ratings meant to punish or damage an author. However, after her own behavior was questioned on social media, she has made her own social media accounts private. The situation has led to multiple discussions on Threads about morality clauses in book contracts. The publisher has not commented.
Hannah Selinger is a James Beard Award–nominated lifestyle writer and mother of two. Her work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, the Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. Valley of the Moms is her second book and her first work of fiction.
In Valley of the Moms, it’s not that Anna Plummer doesn’t like Hamilton, Massachusetts, but she never thought she’d be married with two young kids, comfortable, complacent … and growing more bored by the minute. So, when she realizes her second grader won’t be able to attend the “Ziti with Your Sweetie” school dance because she didn’t pay for a premium membership, she snaps. She sends an email to the terrifying president of the PTO, and all hell breaks loose. One year later, Anna is found dead in the frozen Ipswich River. Left to pick up the pieces, her husband, Denny, is shaken to his core. He’s no expert, but he’s seen enough Dateline to know that the police think he’s the main suspect. If they aren’t going to get justice for Anna, he will. Valley of the Moms is told through the alternating perspectives of Anna and Denny exactly one year apart, and with a shocking concluding twist.
When asked what contributed to the book landing on the USA Today bestseller list, Selinger said: “Last year, I launched a memoir that had a lot of legacy media hits. But when the book actually came out, I found that it underperformed. This time around, my publicity and marketing team and I had a different approach.” For Valley of the Moms, they pivoted their focus to social media influencers and BookTokkers who aligned with the book’s demographic. (It’s worth noting that the book did hit the traditional media radar enough to make several best books lists, including in Town & Country and People Magazine.)
“We were also fortunate in two other ways. First, the book has a really captivating cover, designed by Polish acrylic artist Kasia Davies. And second, it was selected as the Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick for the month of June, achieving massive sales numbers,” Selinger said.
Selinger emphasized that being a bestseller is a relative achievement. “It’s harder or easier based on what you’re up against. And other people also determine them. What’s more meaningful is whether or not people are consistently buying your books—if you are building an audience and if you are making inroads with your publisher. Are you building a career? Do you have a good relationship with your editor? Do you have someone who will go to bat for you at acquisitions? Can you continue to do this for the rest of your life, if that’s what you want to do? To me, that’s the end goal: longevity.”
