Book cover for Not A Perfect Science by Hadley Leggett
“Unputdownable, laugh-out-loud funny, and thought provoking all at the same time.”
— Christine Gunderson, bestselling author of Friends with Secrets
“Satisfyingly emotional.... A true on-the-edge-of-my-seat reading experience. Women’s fiction at its exciting best.”
— Kitty Johnson, Amazon bestselling author of Five Winters and Where the Sea Lavender Grows
“A compelling deep-dive with Leggett’s trademark sharp commentary, this time trained on gender dynamics.”
— Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, co-authors of Ten Thousand Light Years from Okay
“A delightful exploration of messy relationships, beautifully illustrating that true love, in all its forms, can't be measured by any machine.”
— Laura Barrow, author of Call the Canaries Home and The Marriage Slip
Where to pre-order
Coming November 10, 2026

Marriage may be the greatest experiment of all


Book cover for Not A Perfect Science by Hadley Leggett

Dr. Darren Mitchell’s groundbreaking research can measure love on a brain scan, and he’s built an empire teaching couples how to make marriage last.

Meanwhile, Nora Mitchell has played the devoted wife and mother, sacrificing her dream of becoming a journalist to support Darren’s skyrocketing career. She keeps her resentment buried deep—until a glamorous new neighbor moves next door.

A successful journalist and recent divorcée, Erika is everything Nora longs to be: bold, unapologetic, and fiercely independent. Their instant friendship awakens a dangerous desire in Nora to imagine herself outside her husband’s shadow. But unbeknownst to Nora, Erika didn’t arrive by accident. She’s investigating an anonymous tip alleging every scrap of Darren’s award-winning research is fake.

As Nora’s unwitting revelations lead Erika closer to the truth, and as Erika’s influence drives a deepening wedge in Nora’s marriage, both women must ask themselves: What are we willing to destroy to have the lives we were meant to live?

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