Shaken To The Core

Out Now

Shaken To The Core is available to order at any of the sites below.

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About SHAKEN TO THE CORE

When life is cut short, what do we do with the time we have left?

Joy Stern, a free-spirited photographer, thought she had it all together. She built a traveler’s life with her husband, Andre, an architect who designed their days like the buildings he created. Children weren’t part of the plan.

When Joy’s mom dies suddenly, everything changes. Being behind the lens, capturing photos of families, doesn’t feel like enough anymore—until Joy discovers a hidden key to her mother’s diary. One entry inspires a choice that could transform the trajectory of her life.

Then the unthinkable happens: Andre receives devastating news, which upends their carefully constructed world. As Joy struggles to pursue her own dreams while supporting the man she loves, Joy wonders: Can she do it all?

An uplifting story of hope amid heartbreak, Shaken to the Core explores motherhood, chosen family, and love that transcends life’s greatest hardships.

Shaken To The Core

Featured on Zibby Owens’ Summer 2026: Most Anticipated List, in Bookstr’s Excellent Books To Read on Your Summer Vacation, and in Southern Living’s 17 New Books Your Book Club Will Love For Summer!

Praise for Shaken To The Core

“Dara Levan’s exploration of grief and the small moments that can change our world is heartfelt and lovingly celebrates the power and beauty of summer camp.”

– Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost

Praise for Shaken To The Core

“At turns hopeful and heartbreaking, SHAKEN TO THE CORE asks the big questions about love, legacy, motherhood, and how we react when the life we’ve built comes tumbling down around us. Dara Levan’s poetic prose and deft storytelling bring her characters to life with tenderness and empathy, reminding readers that our time might not be infinite but perhaps that’s what fills our days with so much purpose. A true testament to the simple moments that sometimes save us, Levan’s latest is an absolute must read!”

– Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times Bestselling author of Beach House Rules

Praise for Shaken To The Core

“An important, emotionally rich novel about life’s most profound milestones. It’s a story of mothers and daughters, legacy, and a marriage tested. I loved it.”

– Jamie Brenner, bestselling author of The Weekend Crashers

Praise for Shaken To The Core

“When a daughter is inspired by her mother’s diary, her own dreams come true in the form of found family and hidden strength. SHAKEN TO THE CORE, Dara Levan’s sophomore novel, is a love letter to mothers in all shapes and forms. A beautiful, moving, and surprisingly uplifting story about moving forward through grief and hardship. The perfect book club read!”

– Meredith Schorr, USA Today bestselling author of RoomMating

Praise for Shaken To The Core

“Shaken to the Core is a beautiful rendering of love and loss, capturing the quiet, devastating ways each reshapes who we are. With emotional precision and deep compassion, Dara Levan traces how grief can fracture a life—and how love, even in its absence, continues to transform us.”

– Jane L. Rosen, author of The Fire Island Trilogy

Praise for Shaken To The Core

“In Shaken to the Core, Dara Levan crafts an emotionally astute portrait of a woman reshaped by sudden loss. After her mother’s unexpected death, Joy finds herself conflicted between devotion and doubt. As she uncovers her mom’s old journals and in them, her long-buried dreams, Joy begins to see that motherhood isn’t just about biology—it’s about memory, courage, and the fierce desire to nurture something that outlives us. With warmth, humor, and emotional honesty, this uplifting novel reminds us that when life breaks our hearts, it can rebuild them even stronger and better than they were before.”

– Gila Pfeffer, award-winning author of Nearly Departed

Praise for Shaken To The Core

“Dara Levan’s Shaken to the Core is a tender story of love, loss, and perseverance, a tale reminding readers at each surprising turn that regardless of what the universe dishes out, we all have choices.”

– Corie Adjmi, USA Today bestselling author of The Marriage Box