John Green, the author of bestselling book The Fault in Our Stars, has announced his return to the fiction world – and this time he is poised to publish his first novel for adults.
Titled Hollywood, Ending, the novel is adapted from a story Green read on “a series of semi-secret livestreams” during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and follows the rise of two young actors in their early 20s, Kai and Juniper, on the verge of a breakout.
But as their buzzy biopic “Andy Warhol Never Gets Old” blows up, they are also falling in love. Now, they must confront celebrity culture and “the private cost of a public life”.
Leaving young adult fiction
The book, published by Dutton Books, a Penguin Random House imprint, is set for release on September 22.
During an appearance at Stanford University in 2024, Green said he expected to move away from young adult fiction, explaining that he felt more “emotionally and intellectually” distant from the age group.
This will be Green’s first fiction novel in almost 10 years.
The 48-year-old recently published two nonfiction books titles, “The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet in 2021” and “Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection” in 2025.
Green’s latest fiction book was the highly acclaimed young adult novel Turtles all the Way Down, published in 2017.
Green stated during his announcement on his YouTube channel that he began working on the new novel following the release of Turtles all the Way Down.
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Exploring trauma and loss
The synopsis of Hollywood Ending reads: “They’re on the verge of breaking out, and maybe even falling in love. Soon, the movie is blowing up, and so are their lives – in exciting, but also terrifying, ways – forcing them to confront the private cost of a public life.”
The novel will be written in dual perspectives and will give readers “an unflinching examination of celebrity and the insatiable attention economy”.
In a statement, Green said: “I’ve spent the last eight years finding my way through this story, and I am so excited to share Hollywood, Ending with the world.
“It’s a book about navigating love and loss all while participating in the strange, complicated exchanges of attention and trauma of the social internet that has become something no longer reserved for movie stars alone.
“It’s been a fulfilling journey to bring Kai and Juniper to the page, and I hope it will be as satisfying for readers to meet them.”
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Carmela Calling 
Wendellyn Mateo 
Adam Peaker