September 18, 2023
For this entertaining meta rom-com, La Rosa (For Butter or Worst) introduces romance writer Sophie Lyons, who’s struggling with writer’s block following the runaway success of her debut. Part of the problem? She’s never been in love, a fact the internet at large finds out when a video of her crying about it goes viral. Hoping to use the notoriety to her benefit—and gain some insight for her novel—Sophie decides to track down her ex-boyfriends and -girlfriends and ask why the relationship failed. Reluctantly helping with this endeavor is her best friend’s reclusive brother, Dash Montrose, a social media whiz. Dash, a former teen heartthrob, wants nothing to do with the limelight after his career spiraled into alcoholism. Now sober, he satisfies his creative urges through posting anonymous crafting videos on TikTok. As he and Sophie work together on her channel, they discover an attraction that they cannot ignore and agree to be friends with benefits. With Dash’s family pressuring him to return to the screen and Sophie’s deadline looming, however, love would be an unwanted complication. Readers will swoon for Dash and Sophie as they struggle to resist their growing feelings. This is a true romance lover’s romance. Agent: Jessica Errera, Jane Rotrosen Agency.
September 1, 2023
Romance novelist Sophie never expected an extended bout of writer's block to stall her second novel. With only six weeks left to turn it in or face dire consequences, she gets extremely drunk and then goes viral for accidentally admitting that she has never been in love. To capitalize on the attention, Sophie decides to bring her growing social media audience with her as she talks with men from her past relationships to see where things went wrong. Her hot and reclusive landlord Dash, an actor of minor note from a major Hollywood family, is a social media genius and offers his assistance. Maintaining his sobriety is Dash's priority, so when increased proximity to Sophie strengthens their mutual attraction, they decide to enter into a friends-with-benefits situation. With so much on the line for both of them, what they initially view as harmless fun ends up affecting them and their goals in unanticipated ways. Secondary characters add depth and humor to this witty and sexy novel that doesn't shy away from serious topics like substance addiction. VERDICT La Rosa's second "Hollywood Series" book, after For Butter or Worse, is recommended for all collections where contemporary romance is popular.--Nicole Williams
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 15, 2023
In La Rosa's follow-up to her debut rom-com For Butter or Worse (2022), Sophie is a romance writer who has never fallen in love, and one drunken night she declares that fact to her karaoke audience and, unwittingly, to the whole world once it goes viral on TikTok. Her landlord, Dash (who is her best friend's brother, so he's off-limits, no matter how hot he looks), is a former teen heartthrob from a Hollywood dynasty who is currently focused on living life one day at a time to maintain his sobriety. After Sophie's embarrassing social media moment, Dash helps her navigate the fallout, including a scheme for her to meet up with all of her exes, while Sophie writes Dash's speech for an upcoming event with his difficult family. The two battle, and then explore, their steamy attraction to each other. This book takes on some very serious topics, which are lightened by Sophie's zany antics, and will appeal to fans of Christina Lauren and Tessa Bailey.
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October 15, 2023
A romance writer reconnects with her exes and gets to know her best friend's brother--her landlord--in this steamy forced-proximity romance. Sophie Lyon is a pansexual published romance author working on her second book, but she has a major case of writer's block. After a night out with her best friend, Poppy, a video of Sophie--extremely drunk at a karaoke mic--goes viral, showing her wild-eyed and sobbing, proclaiming that she's never been in love. In a disastrous morning after, she finds out about her drunken proclamation, the existence of the video, and that people in the comments have recognized her, and in her extremely hungover state, she pukes all over Poppy's brother Dash, her landlord. (Considering that they live in Hollywood, it seems only natural that Dash and Poppy are part of a movie dynasty, and Dash is an actor Sophie's had a crush on since she was a teenager.) Dash suggests she post a response video on TikTok, so she decides to meet with all her exes, some male and some female, to talk about why their relationships didn't work out. And so she does, posting videos about what she finds out about herself and her relationships. Meanwhile, Sophie and Dash are physically drawn to each other, but because of Dash's struggles with sobriety, he doesn't feel like he can be in a relationship. Secrets, family complications, social media repercussions, agony over mistakes, the difficulty of establishing new emotional pathways, and sex are all part of this surprisingly sweet story that embraces characters' flaws as part of the whole package that makes up an individual. An engaging novel that seamlessly weaves together an exploration of love, the challenges of sobriety, and robust sex.
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