Quick Lit February 2024 Archives

The Hookup Plan

by Farrah Rochon

The enemies-to-lovers trope is the backbone of this contemporary romance: London and Drew were arch rivals in high school, fiercely competing for top of the class. Years later, they once again find themselves in competition: London is a star surgeon at her Austin community hospital; Drew is the businessman with the power to privatize or close that hospital. I loved the contemporary Austin setting: as is the case in so many of Farrah's novels, I found myself googling neighborhoods, parks, restaurants, food trucks, shopping destinations, and more so I could see the real places where the fictional story unfolds. I've enjoyed this series for its strong female protagonists, essential female friendships, and pleasantly complex family relationships. (Open door.) (Listen to my conversation with Farrah on What Should I Read Next #419: Romance is my entire personality.)

Going Zero

by Anthony McCarten

From the publisher: "Ten Americans have been carefully selected to Beta test a ground-breaking piece of spyware. FUSION can track anyone on earth. But does it work? For one contestant, an unassuming Boston librarian named Kaitlyn Day, the stakes are far higher than money, and her reasons for entering the test more personal than anyone imagines. When the timer hits zero, there will only be one winner… From four-time Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten comes a breakneck, wickedly entertaining thriller for our times, a twisty, action-packed novel reminiscent of the best Michael Crichton technothrillers."

Several People Are Typing

by Calvin Kasulke

From the publisher: "Gerald, a mid-level employee of a New York–based public relations firm has been uploaded into the company’s internal Slack channels—at least his consciousness has. His colleagues assume it’s an elaborate gag to exploit the new work-from home policy, but now that Gerald’s productivity is through the roof, his bosses are only too happy to let him work from ... wherever he says he is. Faced with the looming abyss of a disembodied life online, Gerald enlists his co-worker Pradeep to help him escape, and to find out what happened to his body. But the longer Gerald stays in the void, the more alluring and absurd his reality becomes. Meanwhile, Gerald’s colleagues have PR catastrophes of their own to handle in the real world. Their biggest client, a high-end dog food company, is in the midst of recalling a bad batch of food that’s allegedly poisoning Pomeranians nationwide. And their CEO suspects someone is sabotaging his office furniture. And if Gerald gets to work from home all the time, why can’t everyone? Is true love possible between two people, when one is just a line of text in an app? And what in the hell does the :dusty-stick: emoji mean? In a time when office paranoia and politics have followed us home, Calvin Kasulke is here to capture the surprising, absurd, and fully-relatable factors attacking our collective sanity ... and give us hope that we can still find a human connection."

Family Family

Laurie Frankel seems to write as a form of wish fulfillment: she writes the world as she wants it to be, and hopes it can become. Her new novel about adoption is easy to read and hard to describe; thank goodness we can talk about it more at our Spring Book Preview event! The story begins with an actress named India, who finds herself at the center of a media firestorm for criticizing her new movie in the press. Her precocious ten-year-old twins, recognizing their mother is living a PR nightmare, take it upon themselves to seek help from a person uniquely positioned to do so: a family member their mother doesn’t know they know about, and whom they’ve never met. Alternating between the present day media fracas and India’s early days as an actress, and moving between LA, Seattle, and NYC, Frankel firmly roots her tale in the world of theater and film, exploring the many forms family can take and the limits of love. With its unforgettable scenes, bold plot choices, Shakespeare and musical theater references, and at least one gasp-out-loud moment, this is a book I’m still thinking about months after turning the final page. I can't wait to talk about it with everyone I know—especially because this is a book that begs to be discussed!

When in Rome

by Sarah Adams

From the publisher: "Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her adoring fans, is burned-out from years of maintaining her “princess of pop” image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film, Roman Holiday, she drives off in the middle of the night for a break in Rome . . . Rome, Kentucky, that is. When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn’t have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He’s too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. Despite his better judgment, he lets her stay in his guest room—but only until her car is fixed—then she’s on her own. Then Noah starts to see a different side of Rae Rose—she’s Amelia: kindhearted and goofy, yet lonely from years in the public eye. He can’t help but get close to her. Soon she’ll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then, Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she’s been missing, and she’ll help him open his heart to more. Amelia can’t resist falling for the cozy town and her grumpy tour guide, but even Audrey had to leave Rome eventually."

The Woman in Me

by Britney Spears

From the publisher: "Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last."

Quick Lit February 2024

The Hookup Plan

Going Zero

Several People Are Typing

Family Family

When in Rome

The Woman in Me

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Quick Lit February 2024

The Hookup Plan

Going Zero

Several People Are Typing

Family Family

When in Rome

The Woman in Me

summer reading starts May 16th

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations for every mood

100 Book recommendations
for every mood