Archives de catégorie : Contemporary Romance

BEST MEN de Sid Karger

A romcom that puts a gay spin on classic favorites like Bridesmaids or My Best Friend’s Wedding.

BEST MEN
by Sid Karger
Berkley, Spring 2023
(via Writers House)

Max Moody is in his 30s and thinks he has everything figured out, not the least of which is the best-of-best-friends a gay guy could ask for: Paige. She grew up with Max. She can light up any party. She finishes his sentences. She is always a reliable splunch (NOT brunch) partner. But then everything in Max’s life is turned upside down when Paige announces some big news: she’s engaged! And it turns out there’s not just one new man in Paige’s life… There are two. The groom, who’s a perfectly nice guy. And his charming, younger, and…really (really) hot gay brother, Chasten. As Paige’s wedding draws closer, Max and Chasten realize they’re like oil and water, yet they still have to figure out how to co-exist in Paige’s life while not making her wedding all about them. But can the tiny spark between them elevate their best man roles in a wedding to the best man in each other’s lives?

Sid Karger has been a contributing writer for SNL and Billy on the Street, and has also written and directed for Comedy Central, MTV, IFC, FX, NBC, CBS, SyFy, Sundance, BET, AMC and truTV. BEST MEN is his debut novel.

LOLA, AT LAST de JC Peterson

JC Peterson breathes new life into Pride and Prejudice’s most infamous sibling, Lydia Bennet, proving that you can always start over no matter who you are.

LOLA, AT LAST
by JC Peterson
‎ HarperTeen, March 2023
(via Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)

Lola Barnes’ summer is not off to the best start. Fresh off a scandal that tanked her social status, Lola has somehow managed to also alienate her twin sister, lose the friends she thought she had, and put a… fiery end to the first party of the summer. (The boat was barely on fire, for the record—and all the partygoers were just fine.) Lola is given an ultimatum: jail time, or spending the summer with the nonprofit Hike Like a Girl. Everyone seems to expect Lola to fail. But even as Lola encounters bugs, blisters, and bears (oh my!), she finds something greater that she’s been missing all along: unexpected friends, a sweet romance, strength she didn’t know she had—and herself, Lola, at last.

Also available: BEING MARY BENNET (HarperTeen, March 2022)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that every bookworm secretly wishes to be Lizzy Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. With a hilariously sharp voice, a sweet and fulfilling romance that features a meet-cute in an animal shelter, and a big family that revels in causing big problems, this charming comedy of errors about a girl who resolves to become the main character of her own story (at any and all costs), is perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Becky Albertalli…and Jane Austen, of course.

Literary references, friendship, family drama, adorable dogs—this book has it all! Fans of Jane Austen will eat up this playful contemporary homage to Pride and Prejudice.” – School Library Journal

JC Peterson is a YA writer based in Denver, CO. She grew up surrounded by the lakes in Michigan and earned her degree in journalism from Michigan State University. She’s steadily worked her way west, living for a stint in Oklahoma City (fewer lakes but more buffalo) before settling in Denver (fewer buffalo but more mountains). JC writes witty young adult novels about found family and fans of cardigans. Her debut, Being Mary Bennet publishes by HarperTeen in March 2022. When not writing, she loves to hike, shop + eat local, and travel with her husband and two children

BEGIN AGAIN d’Emma Lord

A laugh-out-loud funny and emotionally resonant send-up of Legally Blonde and The Ex Talk, this is a vibrant, romantic YA novel about the journey we take to find our people and ourselves by New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord.

BEGIN AGAIN
by Emma Lord
Wednesday Books, January 2023

Andie Rose has a plan. Transfer to the illustrious Blue Ridge State mid-Freshman year. Major in psychology. Become an iconic self-help figure. Create a lasting, positive impression on the world just like her larger-than-life, beloved talk-radio host mombefore she passed away. But even the most carefully-laid plans can fall spectacularly apart. The kind of belonging Andie has anxiously searched forin her high-school boyfriend, Connor, in writing advice columns, in her intense Fix It Plans for other peopleshe finds instead in Shay, her roommate, and Valeria, a new tutorpeople who begin as strangers but slowly begin to feel like home. And in her R.A., Milo, a coffee-addicted grouch with seafoam green eyes that somehow disrupts all her ideas about love and relationships. And finding the power of her voice as The Squire on Blue Ridge States legendary underground pirate radio stationthe organization her mother founded years ago before she became a legend. Andie swore she could never follow in her mothers incredible footstepsbut its Andies turn to become alegend in her own way. Because finding your path sometimes means learning to let go of what holds you back in order to step into the future that awaits you.

Emma Lord is a digital media editor and writer living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, lots of love, and a copious amount of grilled cheese.

A DISASTER IN THREE ACTS de Kelsey Rodkey

An aspiring documentary filmmaker tries to use her best friend’s ex as the subject for her film school application, only to discover there’s more to him than what’s in front of the camera. Fans of Elise Bryant and Rachel Lynn Solomon will swoon for this romance packed with snark, banter, and inconvenient crushes.

A DISASTER IN THREE ACTS
by Kelsey Rodkey
‎ HarperTeen, July 2022
(via JABberwocky)

Saine Sinclair knows a little something about what makes a story worth telling. Your childhood best friend refuses to kiss you during a pre-adolescent game of spin the bottle? Terrible, zero stars, would not replay that scene again. The same ex-friend becomes your new best friend’s ex? Strangely compelling, unexpected twist, worth a hate-watch. That same guy—why is he always around?—turns out to be your last shot at getting into the documentary filmmaking program of your dreams? Saine hates to admit it, but she’d watch that movie. There’s something about Holden that makes her feel like she’s the one in front of the camera—like he can see every uncomfortable truth she’s buried below the surface. Saine knows how her story’s supposed to go. So why does every moment with Holden seem intent on changing the ending?

« Madeline is quick-witted, bright, and passionate… a lighthearted page-turner. » —School Library Journal

« This enemies-to-lovers romance includes a business rivalry, a deadbeat mom, and a last-gasp attempt to save a family store… A solid rom-com. » —Kirkus Reviews

« Rooted as much in family as it is in cute banter, book nerdery, and sexual tension… You’ve Got Mail for teens. » —Booklist

Kelsey Rodkey is the author of the YA rom-com Last Chance Books. A burrito lover and banter enthusiast, she’s striving to create the stories she lacked as a teenager. She lives near the capital of Pennsylvania, which a lot of people think is Philadelphia, with her significant other and their cat, Cheese.

A MILLION TO ONE d’Adiba Jaigirdar

Titanic gets an Ocean’s 11 makeover in this high stakes and romantic YA heist novel set on board the infamous ship that sank in 1912, deep in the North Atlantic. Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Girl in the Blue Coat.

A MILLION TO ONE
by Adiba Jaigirdar
HarperCollins Children’s, December 2022

Josefa is an unapologetic and charismatic thief, who loves the thrill of the chase. She has her eye on her biggest mark yet the RMS Titanic, the most luxurious ship in the world. But she isn’t interested in stealing from wealthy first class passengers onboard. No, she’s out for the ultimate prize: the Rubiyat , a one of a kind book encrusted with gems that’s worth millions. Josefa can’t score it alone, so she enlists a team of girls with unique talents: Hinnah , a daring acrobat and contortionist; Violet, an actress and expert dissembler; and Emilie, an artist who can replicate any drawing by hand. They couldn’t be more different and yet they have one very important thing in common: their lives depend on breaking into the vault and capturing the Rubiyat . But careless mistakes, old grudges, and new romance threaten to jeopardize everything they’ve worked for and put them in incredible danger when tragedy strikes. While the odds of pulling off the heist are slim, the odds of survival are even slimmer…

Adiba Jaigirdar is the author of The Henna Wars and Hani & Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating. A Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher, she has an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent, England and a BA in English and History from UCD, Ireland. She is a contributor for Bookriot, and has published short fiction and poetry in various journals and anthologies.