Love at First Like

June 1, 2019
An Instagram mishap leads to a fake engagement announcement for a struggling jeweler...and when sales spike, she decides to play along. Eliza Roth spent her childhood dreaming of owning a store, and with her sister, Sophie, she's able to make her dream come alive in the form of Brooklyn Jewels. When Eliza finds out via Instagram that her no-good ex is engaged, she indulges in one of her favorite ways to take out her frustration--creating fake engagement announcements for herself, using the beautiful rings she sells in the store, complete with cheesy, gag-inducing captions. But when Eliza wakes up to a flurry of Instagram activity, she realizes that she accidentally posted her fake announcement, including an eye-roll-worthy caption: "They say when you know, you know...and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Eliza and Sophie are both mortified, but the two of them quickly see that all this online attention is bringing in major sales. And with an upcoming rent hike that means they might not be able to stay in their current building, plus Sophie and her wife's expensive fertility treatments, they need the money. When a wedding venue reaches out to offer their facility to Eliza free of charge, she pounces on it. All the publicity from a highly Instagrammable wedding will surely bring in the money they need. The only problem? There's no groom. She sets off to find a fake fiance in a bar and ends up stumbling upon Blake, a fellow jeweler who seems picture perfect. When they start dating, Eliza doesn't tell him about her plan...and as they grow closer, she thinks it's too late to come clean. But when Eliza starts to develop a real connection to her bartender friend, Raj, things get a lot more complicated. While some aspects of the story strain credulity (Blake frequently says he isn't on Instagram, but it seems unlikely that he or one of his friends wouldn't encounter some of the online press about Eliza's "engagement"), the story is so fun and fast paced that it hardly matters. Orenstein's (Playing With Matches, 2018) writing is quick, witty, and compulsively readable even when Eliza's desperate actions evoke cringes. Although the story is over the top, the feelings are real, and readers will be able to relate to Eliza's struggle to find her soul mate in the age of apps and social media. A classic wacky rom-com and an ideal summer read.

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June 24, 2019
This appealing rom-com from Orenstein (Playing with Matches) smartly reveals the tremendous impact social media can have on someone. Eliza Roth and her sister, Sophie, are co-owners of Williamsburg jewelry shop Brooklyn Jewels. After Eliza hears her ex is engaged, she capriciously posts a photo of herself wearing one of the engagement rings from her shop on her Instagram account, which has 100,000 followers. After her post goes viral, she’s inundated with offers of photos shoots, a free venue for the wedding, and a no-cost gown. There’s one problem: she needs to find a groom. Eliza starts dating Blake Barrett, founder of a watch rental company. As their relationship becomes more serious, Eliza hopes that maybe he will propose in time to agree to the wedding date offered by the wedding venue. But Eliza is conflicted, because though she has been content with Blake, she shares a closer bond with her friend Raj, who works at a local bar and has heard all about the details of the wedding plans. Orenstein keeps the plot snappy and funny as the clock ticks down. Fans of romantic comedies where the characters discover what is most important in life will adore this one. Agent: Allison Hunter, Janklow & Nesbit Associates.

June 1, 2019
Running an upscale jewelry shop with her sister isn't always easy, but it's all Eliza Roth has ever wanted. In their teens, Eliza and Sophie often helped out at a local boutique, where they learned how to tie a sentimental story to a piece of jewelry and planted the seeds for opening their own store someday. Brooklyn Jewels has been fairly successful, but an upcoming rent hike means that they need a big boost in sales. When Eliza accidentally uploads an Instagram photo of herself wearing one of the store's biggest engagement rings, the press takes notice. Sales pour in, and when Eliza gets the offer of an all-expenses-paid wedding, she has to find a fianc�, fast. Orenstein's (Playing with Matches, 2018) thoroughly modern rom-com is a delightful farce. With the gumption of Sophie Kinsella's Becky Bloomwood and the social aspirations of William Thackeray's Becky Sharp, Eliza is a frustrating, adorable, relatable heroine. Fans of the Shopaholic series will enjoy the ups and downs of Eliza's mission to save her store and her love life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

May 24, 2019

Eliza Roth and her sister Sophie co-own the jewelry boutique Brooklyn Jewels. One night, as Eliza is scrolling through Instagram, she finds out that her ex-boyfriend is engaged. A little drunk at the time, she takes out one of the biggest diamond engagement rings the store owns, puts it on her ring finger, and accidentally posts it to the company's official Instagram account. Their followers go crazy at the news that one of the owners is engaged, which leads to skyrocketing sales and press. Eliza wonders what would happen if she kept up the ruse. Senior dating editor (Elite Daily) Orenstein is back (after Playing with Matches), with another fun summer read, this time about the glittery life of a young New York upstart making one of the most important business decisions of her life. While the story is a bit repetitive, predictable, and even outlandish, readers will still enjoy the ride, as Eliza attempts to keep her Instagram followers on their toes. VERDICT This frothy read will be a hit for fans of both Orenstein's first novel and books by Christina Lauren. [See Prepub Alert, 12/17/18.]--Erin Holt, Williamson Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN

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