Gossip Girl author to bring back fan-favorite character in sequel

Grab a headband, a bunch of peonies and a pair of kitsch stilettos, because Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf is about to return as the star of a new book sequel.

The character’s Upper East Side exploits will continue in a new standalone novel by Gossip Girl author Cecily von Ziegesar, who famously depicted a group of privileged Upper East Side teens through the eyes of an anonymous blogger. The book series consists of 13 works in total and was turned into an acclaimed CW series starring Blake Lively and Leighton Meester, which ran between 2007 and 2012.

Deadline reports that the novel, titled Blair, has been sold in a competitive bid to Grand Central Publishing in the U.S., while Orion, a division of Hachette UK, will publish alongside the U.S. in a global English-language launch.

Portrayed on-screen by Meester, Blair is the privileged, brattish and manipulative daughter of the fashion designer Eleanor Waldorf, who lives in a sprawling penthouse in Manhattan.

The book series followed Blair’s high-maintenance lifestyle from high school to college, her friendship with frenemy Serena and the pair’s continual fight over their shared love interest, Nate Archibald.

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The last book in the series, I Will Always Love You, was published in 2009. It ended with Blair and Serena making amends and celebrating the New Year together after years of squabbling over Nate.

While the details of Blair’s storyline are being kept under wraps, it is expected that readers will meet the character in her 40s as she returns to the Upper East Side to climb her way back up the socialite ranks.

The publishing date is expected for Summer 2027.

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The original 2002 Gossip Girl novel sold more than 6 million copies, was translated into 25 languages and remained on the New York Times bestsellers list for more than 100 weeks.

The six-season Gossip Girl CW series, which is based loosely on the book series, was led by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and Warner Bros between 2007 to 2012, with a critically panned two-season revival on HBO Max in 2021.

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The original Gossip Girl cast included Blake Lively as Serena, Kelly Rutherford as her controlling mother Lily and Ed Westwick as the lothario Bass Industries heir Chuck Bass.

You star Penn Badgley also portrayed the tortured poet Dan Humphrey, while Taylor Momsen played his younger sister, Jenny.

The late Michelle Trachtenberg, who died aged 39 in February 2025, played the antagonist Georgina Sparks.