WHEN NO ONE ELSE WILL by Amanda Skenandore will be released on May 26, 2026, by Kensington.
When Mimi Lukas’s husband’s baseball career comes to end thanks to his broken leg, she resumes her nursing career to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. But a woman who has been out of the profession for over ten years, it’s hard for Mimi to find a decent job . . . until a friend recommends her for a job at a women’s clinic. At first, Mimi is appalled. It’s 1939, and abortions are illegal. Torn between her beliefs and her obligations to her family, Mimi takes the nursing job. She soon learns that this is not a back-alley operation but a professionally run clinic. Mimi bonds with her coworkers and comes to commiserate with the women who are forced to seek out of the clinic’s services. Despite the bribes that are meant to keep the police away, the police raid the clinic and Mimi
Like all of Skenandore’s novels, WHEN NO ONE ELSE WILL is beautifully written. Through Mimi, she shows the typical life of a housewife in the late 1930s. Mimi’s life revolves around her home and the family. Her husband is the family breadwinner. He handles the bills and makes the decisions for the family. After his injury, Stan falls into a deep depression. Mimi has no choice but to fall back on her nursing skills. Her moral opposition to abortion is a war with her need to take care of her family. As the story progresses and Mimi gets to know some of the women she’s helping, her opinion changes. For most of these women, having an abortion is the only option. This is a story about women helping other women survive in a world controlled by men.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.