Jennette McCurdy Debut Novel Half His Age From Ballantine Jan 2026

Jennette McCurdy announced Thursday that her debut novel, Half His Age, will be published January 20, 2026, by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The fiction debut, available for preorder in hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats, follows a 17 year old named Waldo who becomes involved in a sexual relationship with her teacher, and arrives as McCurdy continues work on a television adaptation of her bestselling memoir Im Glad My Mom Died that is set to star Jennifer Aniston.

Half His Age is being presented as a darkly comic, emotionally charged exploration of desire, power and self discovery. In a press release McCurdy described the book as a way to examine the "complexities of desire, consumerism, class, loneliness, the internet, rage, addiction and the oftentimes misguided lengths we will go to in order to get what we want." Speaking to Vogue, she added that she "really wanted to write about sex" and to probe "rampant consumerism and its effects on young people." McCurdy said writing the novel has been the most creatively fulfilling experience of her life and that she hopes readers will connect with Waldo.

The announcement underscores McCurdy's shift from...