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The sequel to The Coat Check Girl arrives December 9, 2025

The Book of Reservations picks up one year after The Coat Check Girl ends. It is autumn 2000 and Miss Sylvie’s Bistrot in Greenwich Village is struggling to survive. Growing pains, an unreliable clientele, and the threat of a hotshot real estate developer loom large. Josie Gray, co-owner, is confident things will turn around, while her much more pragmatic partner thinks she’s being unrealistic. She’s not—she has the benefit of friends on the other side of the veil who make her feel like everything’s going to be all right. Unfortunately, those same friends drive a wedge further in her relationship with her partner, who wants nothing to do with the spirit world. This would be okay were it not for the fact the spirit world is trying desperately to reach him, and Josie is their only conduit.

Praise for The Book of Reservations:

"Go on and treat yourself to this delicious page turner, revolving around a New York City restaurant with a supernatural component. Buchwald is a natural born storyteller and her characters hum with life, even when they're returning from the dead."
—Richard Grant, New York Times best-selling author of A Race to the Bottom of Crazy

"A cross between Ghosts and The Bear, this novel is set in a busy NYC restaurant that’s a hub for people on both sides of the veil. A lovable, eclectic cast of characters, and a protagonist who can talk to the dead, makes The Book of Reservations a moving and lively tale. Satisfying, page-turning and other-worldly.”
—Carlene O’Connor, USA Today bestselling author

"The supernatural has a way of sounding sublime in the sparkling words of Laura Buchwald. Mix it with some romance and a healthy dash of mystery and you've got a feast on your hands. The Book of Reservations is another delicious chapter in the spellbinding tale of Josie Gray I couldn't put down."
—Hannah Bos, co-creator of HBO’s Somebody Somewhere

"Bravo, Laura Buchwald, for once again delivering lush prose, a richly textured setting, and characters as complex as they are deeply human. In this compelling sequel, we’re drawn even closer to Josie, Derek, and the beloved crew of Miss Sylvie’s as they navigate the challenges of genuine emotional connection. With heart and honesty, they support each other in processing past trauma and discovering the quiet strength in embracing life’s tender and beautiful vulnerabilities." 
—Claudia Zuluaga, author of Fort Starlight

"Buchwald’s writing always pulls me in, and this book is no different. The author handles the supernatural elements beautifully, and the characters are vivid and realistic. This book is a haunting and compassionate story about found family and forgiving the past, set in a world you wish you could live in.”
—Leslie A. Rasmussen, award-winning author of When People Leave

"If you enjoy richly drawn characters, smart dialogue, and rare insight into the human heart, you’ll want to follow Josie as she problem solves her way through an emotional gauntlet of grief, loss, love, and ultimately, self-discovery, in this world and the next. .”
—Norman Woolworth, author of The Lafitte Affair and The Bolden Cylinder

"The Book of Reservations sweeps us back into the haunting world of Josie Gray as she navigates her gift of extrasensory powers amidst the higher stakes of a deepening romance and the sometimes-controlled chaos of restaurant ownership. Buchwald's genuine, breezy and eerie prose serves up a devourable sequel to The Coat Check Girl.”
—Elena Perez, author of The Art of Disappearing

“A delicious read full of ghostly wisdom and soulful love."
—Jill Dearman, author of Jazzed