Dating by the Book

March 4, 2019
Set in a small town in Indiana, this smart and snappy contemporary romance is marred by a painfully self-involved narrator. Maddie Hanson owns the beloved bookstore in her small Indiana hometown of Orion, and her first novel, written as Claire Kincaid, is about to be published. However, dimming all this success is the fact that her fiancé, Peter, recently left her at the altar. Maddie misses him—though it’s not clear why, as they had textbook irreconcilable differences—but other potential romances surround her. A significant one is blogger Silver Fox: Maddie (as Claire) sends him a nasty note after he gives her book a tepid review, but the emails they go on to exchange make Maddie rethink her whole life. For all Maddie talks about loving the bookstore, she often treats running it as a chore, and even her writing career seems like an afterthought compared to finding her romantic hero. She snubs her roommate’s freelancing as not a “real job,” turns down offers of help despite supposedly cherishing Orion’s community, and is generally self-centered and unlikable. As frustrating as it is to watch Maddie’s obliviousness, though, the suspense will keep readers engaged as they wait to see whether she finally comes to appreciate everything she’s taken for granted. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary.

May 15, 2019
A negative review of her book inspires an author and bookstore owner to rewrite her love life. Just when Maddie Hanson realizes her dream of opening a bookstore in her hometown, her fiance leaves her at the altar to go back to the city. And her first published novel earns a disappointing three-star review from a man called Silver Fox, who claims that the romance in the story falls flat. To add insult to injury, he adds, "I'm left suspecting the author hasn't had a single romantic experience." Against her better judgment, Maddie writes him back (using her pen name) to defend herself and her work, but she secretly worries that he might be right. To test her theory, she decides to give each of the men who show up for her book club a chance to be her romantic hero in real life: Charlie Hamilton, a handsome college professor; Max Beckett, her nosy childhood friend; and Dylan Black, an old flame who's back in town for a break from his music career. She's even more confused when her ex-fiance, Peter Mercer, shows up to offer her a second chance. Drawing on everything from Pride and Prejudice to You've Got Mail, Maddie provides a dizzying analysis of which fictional character each man would be--"It occurred to me he wasn't Rhett Butler or Rochester. He was Casanova or the Marquis de Valmont." The men take it surprisingly well. Meanwhile, she and Silver Fox spar over whose life is more pathetic until, miraculously, their animosity morphs into mutual respect. Silver Fox's first few emails are truly awful--"I find myself wanting to mentor you to a better mental place," he tells Maddie--but he becomes a viable suitor once he opens up about his life and even shares his own writing. The final few chapters pick up steam as Maddie comes closer to meeting her nemesis--who could be her true love--in real life. Romance junkies will get a kick out of this fun, self-referential spin on just about every trope in the book.

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