Behind The Book With Jennifer Probst 

Tonight, I finished reading my second read of 2024 A Wedding In Lake Como by Jennifer Probst who I recently did a Q&A with. Now I will do a Behind The Book with her on the novel A Wedding In Lake Como which comes out on May 14^th 2024! 

Q: Jennifer, would you please tell the readers of the blog what A Wedding In Lake Como is about? 

A: It’s a book about three women—Maddie, Ava, and Chelsea– who meet in college and become best friends. As they struggle with career, family drama, and love, they go to Lake Como on holiday and make a pact to be at each other’s weddings no matter where they are in life. But one shocking betrayal rips them apart, and changes everyone’s lives. Five years later, they all reunite in Lake Como for a lavish wedding and secrets are finally revealed. It’s a big, emotional book with a central love story. 

My idea revolved around the intricacies of female friendships. I wanted to explore the good and bad of such close relationships, which can sometimes get toxic, but how friendships can shape our lives even more than family. I also wanted to set the exploration in the gorgeous setting of Italy, and include the beauty and pain of first love.  

Q: In our Q&A you mentioned that you use bits and pieces of your own traits & patterns as well as from family, friends & strangers. Out of the three main characters, which character do you think is more like you?

A: Honestly, I resonated the most with Chelsea! She’s kind of the peace maker – a more behind the scenes character than Maddie and Ava. But in another way, she is the subtle glue that keeps them together – she’s strong of mind, knows what she wants, but goes on a different track than she originally imagined for herself. I think so many young women envision where they will be and end up differently, so I liked resonating with her struggle.

Q: There were so many themes & beautiful sceneries of Lake Como. What lessons do you hope readers will learn after reading this novel? 

A: I think the most important is the bonds of friendship and who we choose to love. And how those friendships and who we invite into our inner circle can change many things in our lives. But most of all—it’s about forgiveness. Of ourselves, of others, of their mistakes and our own mistakes. We do the best we can sometimes so giving the world grace I think is important.

Q: I loved the ending of the novel and how realistic it was. Without spoiling too much, why did you choose to end it the way you did?

A: As I was writing the book, I had no idea how it would end! I allowed myself to follow the story organically and let the characters tell me and eventually, they did. It felt right. So, I was writing from pure instinct and immersion. Those are the best endings to write because you are so in tune with your characters you go on intuition. 

Q: Which scenes did you enjoy writing the most? 

A: I had a lot of fun with this book and the research involved. I think my favorite were the scenes with the girls – shopping in Bellagio, skinny dipping, and how they’d get together at brunch and gossip and have fun. My girlfriends are an important part of my life and some of my best moments revolve around our time together – just being and enjoying each other’s company. There’s nothing quite like female friendship, especially with the ones who knew us when we were young.