Pretending

June 1, 2020

Making her U.S. debut, popular UK author Bourne presents modest, gentle-souled April, who realizes that men really want a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door with No Problems and starts pretending. With a 100,000-copy first printing.

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November 1, 2020
The key to finding love is to just be yourself. Except that advice has only ever gotten 33-year-old Londoner April dumped. A self-proclaimed reluctant heterosexual, April is furious at the ways men control the dating narrative and their impossible standards. So after another unceremonious, post-coital breakup, she becomes Gretel, a woman who is just the right amount of aloof, naturally beautiful, and sexually adventurous. Gretel also doesn't have April's hang-ups about sex, which stem from the unresolved trauma of a violent ex. As Gretel, she feels more in control than ever, despite the fact that April's work as an adviser for a sex and relationships charity keeps opening old wounds. Gretel meets Joshua, a nice guy who is easy to please, and April has a hard time holding on to her determined detachment. Though her relationship with Joshua drives much of the plot, the real journey is April's alone as she fights off facing her trauma, then slowly learns to cope. This moving, funny debut is perfect for readers who are (rightfully!) cynical about the patriarchy but love a happy ending.

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