A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

My first full Emily Henry book (I’m not a fan of friends-to-lovers storylines, so I skimmed the vacation book), this book has received a lot of buzz, so my expectations were high.

Henry met my expectations.

For starters, as a novelist myself, I appreciate the more realistic view of a writers life (instead of the books where someone with no experience who never reads whips out an international bestseller on their first try). While non-writers will just have to take Henry at her word, those of us in the industry can actually relate. Thank you!

I was expecting more rom-com than women’s fiction with this book, but I would definitely consider it more women’s fiction than rom-com: there are some serious issues and serious hurts happening. Yes, there are some funny situations, but I’m more inclined to call this a dramedy than rom-com, and that’s okay with me! I love dramedies.

And finally, Henry’s writing makes it look effortless, so I’m incredibly jealous. The book grabbed my attention from the beginning and I stayed up way too late finishing it.

If you’re a fan dramedies/more serious rom-coms (something like Float Plan), I recommend this book.

R-rated for some swearing and sex scenes. Get your copy here!

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