‘A very special book about a family with a secret. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think.’ Liane Moriarty, No. 1 bestselling author of BIG LITTLE LIES.

Laurie Frankel’s THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS is ‘a sparkling tale about the power of secrets, loyalty and love’ (Sunday Mirror). Perfect for readers of WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES and A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS.

This is how a family keeps a secret…and how that secret ends up keeping them.

This is how a family lives happily ever after…until happily ever after becomes complicated.

This is Claude. He’s five years old, the youngest of five brothers, and loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess.

When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.

Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They’re just not sure they’re ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude’s secret. Until one day it explodes.

Laurie Frankel’s THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS is a novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. And it’s about the ways this is how it always is: Change is always hard and miraculous and hard again, parenting is always a leap into the unknown with crossed fingers and full hearts, children grow but not always according to plan. And families with secrets don’t get to keep them forever.