Rebecca Bradley is finally doing what she should’ve done ten years ago—chasing her dreams. After a brutal breakup leaves her untethered, she trades the wreckage of her old life for a spot on her best friend’s West Village couch and a shot at becoming the playwright she once hoped to be. With a deadline for a major theater festival looming, she’s ready to put heartbreak behind her and make New York City the stage for her second act.
What she’s not ready for? Miles Thompson—the perpetually scowling, jazz-obsessed barista at her favorite coffee shop, who seems to dislike Becca almost as much as he dislikes small talk. But when a twist of fate lands her a job alongside him, their reluctant partnership quickly gives way to a slow-burn rivalry, laced with barbed wit and crackling chemistry. From subway races and Times Square scavenger hunts to moody jazz cafes in the village, Becca finds herself drawn not just to Miles—but to the version of herself that only this city, and this unexpected connection, could have revealed. Now, with everything riding on her creative comeback, she must decide: is she writing a play… or living the kind of love story she never thought was possible? |
Kate Larabee is Los Angeles’ leading travel expert under thirty-five, and everything in her life is going according to plan. When her handsome lawyer boyfriend, Charlie whisks her away for their anniversary weekend, Kate is sure he’s going to propose, but when he breaks up with her instead, Kate’s perfectly planned out life is thrown into immediate chaos.
Unsure of her next move, Kate travels home to Kansas City to see her family and recalibrate. It’s there in her childhood bedroom that she finds a love letter diary she kept with her first love, Rob—the one that got away. Contained within the pages is the person Kate used to be—a free-spirited adventurer that she’s lost over time and one she is eager to return to being... Armed with the diary in hand, and a helpful nudge from her sympathetic editor, Kate hits the road on assignment for the magazine. As she makes her way across the country, stopping in places like, Sedona, Santa Fe, Austin, New Orleans, and Savannah, Kate battles mosquitos, humidity and summer thunderstorms in search of the perfect fried southern delicacy, but discovers so much more in the process. |