{"product_id":"the-maidenheads-9798217047147","title":"The Maidenheads","description":"\u003cb\u003eA bighearted debut novel about queer yearning, indie musicians, and bushwacking a thorny path back to your first love\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJamie is bad at endings, which is why she's stuck at a dead-end Baltimore newspaper job, continuing to have break-up sex with her first-ever hetero partner, and haunted by the what-ifs of her ex-girlfriend Mari--a charismatic and brilliant musician--and their former band together, the Maidenheads. Since they (and their band) broke up a decade ago, Jamie hasn't been able to sing. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThen an unexpected opportunity to perform in DC with Mari's successful new band arises, and Jamie jumps at it. What begins as a return to music becomes a reckoning--with the weight of unfinished love, the voice she long buried, and her own complicated past. But as Jamie channels more of her energy into the band, other threads in her life begin to fray, and she must make some urgent choices about her future. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eElectric, spine-tingling, and filled to the brim with tenderness and honesty, \u003ci\u003eThe Maidenheads\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel about the tenacity of first love, the life-changing power of music, and the difficult, necessary work of becoming yourself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Benny B. Peterson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Dutton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/26\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.30w x 1.30d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798217047147\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/16\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBenny B. Peterson\u003c\/b\u003e (they\/them) is a writer and editor based near Washington, DC. A contributing editor at \u003ci\u003eWashingtonian\u003c\/i\u003e magazine, they have also worked at \u003ci\u003eForeign Policy\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew Republic\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eStreet Sense\u003c\/i\u003e, DC's street newspaper. They have written about culture, politics, gender, and LGBTQ+ issues for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, among other places, and received an MFA in fiction from Bennington.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Benny B. Peterson \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":48363844403357,"sku":"9798217047147","price":34.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_7ba5a9a9-6bab-43bf-916b-e9f1b80d5384.jpg?v=1780429245","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-maidenheads-9798217047147","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}