Kristina Forest is the author of romance books for both teens and adults. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School and she can often be found rearranging her bookshelf. Visit her online at kristinaforest.com.
Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming a children's book editor, but she's been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondence with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over email turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won't let herself entertain—until he ghosts her without a word. Months later, Lily is still crushed, but she's determined to get a hold of her life, starting with finding a date to her sister's wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, who she feels drawn to for reasons she can't explain. But little does she know, Nick is an author—her favorite fantasy author. Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet girl from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over email months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simply favor between two neighbors is anything but—not when he can't get her off his mind...
The reason I'd been wanting to read this one for so long is because I knew it took place in New York City and that there was a publishing career element to it! As I've just moved to New York City to work in publishing, this book felt super special to me because of that. Lily, having been an editorial assistant for too long, is ready to find her perfect job at a children's imprint. As she and her sisters and Nick explore the city, Lily also explores what she wants her future to look for. As much as this is a romance, it's also a story of how we can know when it's time to take the next step in our careers and lives. Lily has to find the courage to chase after what she wants in this arena, and when she finally does, of course it takes a huge part in the HEA she shares with Nick.
I love how Nick and Lily make an immediate connection over email at the beginning—it gives me major You've Got Mail energy—and then how they reconnect later in the novel. I felt that the back-and-forth they had about whether or not to get together made sense, because of Nick's reservations about relationships. I was glad that they finally found their way to one another. When they decide to be friends, it allows them to build a rapport and for them to discover how much they like one another's company in real life, too. I always find that I enjoy romances when you see the main characters developing a relationship outside of their immediate attraction to one another, and that is definitely present here.
I've always believed that romances set in New York City just have something magical in them, and Forest definitely plays on this idea. She brings New York City to life in a way that only someone who has lived in and loved the city can. The writing and the pacing feels like you're watching a beloved NYC rom com, which I adored, and made the novel all the more entertaining. But even though the book takes place in the big city, Forest also incorporates big family gatherings and always finding your people right where you need them, giving the city setting a cozy home energy, too.
I definitely saw the series potential in this book right off the bat, and I'm so excited that it's coming true! Forest is sharing Violet's story next in The Partner Plot, out March 2024. I can't wait to check it out! Until then, you can find Kristina online at kristinaforest.com.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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