A Good Year for Bad Decisions: July

By Tess Marlowe

A sharp, funny, emotionally honest story about chosen family, colliding worlds, and the messy reality of trying to keep your past and present in two separate boxes.

July was supposed to be a victory lap.

Having successfully launched the offshore tech hub and survived her first month of jungle isolation, Erin finally feels like she has her Costa Rican life under control. The timing is perfect for her best friends, Carlos and Tom, to fly down from Chicago, leaving their twin boys behind for two weeks of desperately needed down time.

Instead, Erin discovers that dropping her Chicago family into her new untamed environment throws her hard-won peace completely off balance.

Between Carlos's ruthless observations, Tom's battle with the humidity, and her evolving dynamic with new local friends, Erin realizes her carefully curated world is full of massive blind spots. Stripped of the ability to hide behind her work, she is forced to see her new reality through the eyes of the two men who love her enough to call out her nonsense.

Wry, observant, and unapologetically funny, July explores the chaos of merging worlds, the irreplaceable comfort of found family, and what happens when you think you've finally figured everything out-only to realize you're missing the most obvious clues right in front of you.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HKHYWT6T
• ISBN13: 9798176019780
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.0" x 8.0"