Exclusive Cover Reveal + Q&A: Elle Kennedy’s Thornbird

Romance readers know the name Elle Kennedy well. The bestselling author of many swoony contemporary love stories, she’s probably best known for her Off Campus series—The Deal, Mistake, Score, Goal, Legacy—an interconnected group of novels about college hockey players that’s being adapted for television by Prime Video. But her next project will see her try something entirely new. Kennedy’s poised to be one of the latest big-name writers to dip her toe into a new genre next year with her young adult debut, Thornbird. 

Published under the penname E. Kennedy, Thornbird represents is a deliciously exciting swerve for the author, a dark, compulsively readable thriller that will undoubtedly garner her a legion of new fans. At the heart of the story is Ryan, daughter of an infamous serial killer, who must confront her family’s past when she’s forced to return home to her small Tennessee hometown ahead of her father’s execution. Will trying to find the truth about his crimes finally set her free? Or destroy her all over again?

Here’s how the publisher describes the story. 

Ten years after her father—the infamous serial killer Gabriel Thorn—was caught, Ryan Shipley is back in Starling, Tennessee, trying to lay low. No one can know who she really is. No one can know the truth about her past.

But as fresh eyes dig deeper into the case, old secrets refuse to stay buried. Cryptic texts, eerie coincidences, and a chilling note leave everyone wondering—does Ryan know more than she’s letting on? As the truth unravels, one thing becomes clear: in a town full of secrets, Ryan might be the biggest mystery of them all.

Thornbird won’t hit shelves until next summer, but we’re thrilled to be able to give you a first look at its dramatic cover right now. 

 

We also had the chance to chat with Kennedy herself about what fans can expect from her YA debut, the mystery at the heart of Thornbird, and more. 

Paste Magazine: Tell us about Thornbird! Where did the idea for this story come from and/or what made you want to write it?

Elle Kennedy: Thornbird combines my love of true crime (and the utter obsession you see online for these types of cases) with my love of twisty mysteries. And of course, it features a romance as well, since I’m a romance writer at heart. 

I’m also a huge fan of thrillers, both in the fiction realm (Stephen King!) or the queen of true crime, Ann Rule. Although I’d written romantic suspense in the past, I’d always wanted to try my hand at writing a thriller, and a couple years ago my schedule finally allowed me the time to really dig into this story, which had been in my head for so long.

Paste: This is your ~ official ~ debut in the world of YA. Congrats! Did you know you wanted to take a crack at writing a YA book as a sort of challenge to yourself as a writer or did you just come up with a story and thought, yes, this is a right fit for the YA space?

Kennedy: It was a little bit of both. I love reading YA and thought it would be fun to write one, but at the same time, when I started thinking about the type of story I wanted to tell, YA naturally felt like the right fit because I wanted to explore coming-of-age and identity themes that lent themselves better to a younger protagonist. 

Writing in the YA space was a challenge, though, particularly in terms of how much I could show on the page, whether it was romantic elements or darker ones relating to the gory case at the heart of the story.

Paste: You’re primarily known for writing (excellent) romances — what’s different or more exciting about dipping your toe into the thriller space? And what do you think is drawing so many readers into this particular corner of the YA world?

Kennedy: Thank you! The thriller space is definitely a different kind of writing experience—it’s all about keeping readers guessing and on the edge of their seats, giving them just enough to form theories without revealing too much. 

In romance, the heart of the story is the journey that brings two people together, while in a thriller, it’s about pulling at every thread and slowly unraveling the mystery. I think both genres can be challenging to write, but I’ve always loved a challenge, so working on Thornbird was so rewarding.

Paste: Tell us about your main character, Ryan, and the journey she goes on over the course of this story?  I feel like “serial killer’s daughter” isn’t a character description you see every day.

Kennedy: Ryan is seventeen and has been living a lie so that nobody discovers she is the daughter of an infamous killer. Part of what made this story so interesting to me was combining the widespread fascination with true crime (especially among women) with a protagonist that readers can both relate to and feel completely different from. 

Ryan’s background might not be something readers can identify with, but her struggles with identity, grief, shame, and childhood trauma are themes that many people can relate to. Ryan wants so badly to be invisible, but at the same time, she is also desperate to connect with people and not be judged for her father’s sins, and that was a fascinating dynamic for me to explore.

Paste: What excited you most about this book and its story when you were writing it — and what are you hoping readers take away from the experience of reading it?

Kennedy: What excited me most was the chance to write something different, something that pushed me creatively. Don’t get me wrong—I absolutely love writing my happily-ever-afters, but stepping into a new space was refreshing and energizing. 

As for what I hope readers take away… I want them to lose themselves in the story, connect with the characters, and keep turning the pages because they just have to know what happens next.

Thrornbird will be released on June 30, 2026, in the U.S., followed by a U.K. launch on July 2, but you can place a pre-order in both countries right now. 

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Lacy Baugher Milas writes about Books and TV at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter and Bluesky at @LacyMB