[tps_title] 10. In a New York Minute, Kate Spencer [/tps_title]

Starting off our most anticipated romance books of 2022… Franny Doyle is having the worst day. She’s been laid off from her (admittedly mediocre) job, the subway doors ripped her favorite silk dress to ruins, and now she’s flashed her unmentionables to half of lower Manhattan. On the plus side, a dashing stranger came to her rescue with his (Gucci!) suit jacket. On the not-so-plus side, he can’t get away from her fast enough.

Worse yet? Someone posted their (entirely not) meet-cute online. Suddenly Franny and her knight-in-couture, Hayes Montgomery III, are the newest social media sensation, and all of New York is shipping #SubwayQTs.

Pre-order a copy here.

The post The 10 Romance Books We’re Most Excited About in 2022 appeared first on off the record.

Pick up a copy of the novel here.

Accidentally Engaged is an immensely sweet and entertaining romantic comedy. The story centres around Reena, a woman struggling through a dead-end job, but is immensely passionate about baking bread. Reena’s parents continually try and set her up – their newest option for her is Nadim, her new neighbour. Both Reena and Nadim are completely different to the image their parents have created for them, and Reena draws a line refusing to marry Nadim. However, in order to enter a cooking contest, she must pretend to be engaged to Nadim, sparks begin to fly between the pair as the story unfolds.

The most engaging part of the story is in the intricate family dynamics at play – Reena’s relationship with her sister is particularly compelling, a strained relationship that her sister is trying to repair. The relationship with her parents is similarly complicated, owing to her headstrong and independent nature, constantly trying to subvert their expectations. These relationships almost play a larger role in the story than the central relationship between Reena and Nadim. The novel is cautiously steamy and spirals in pace as the novel continues to unfold. Though there is nothing ground-breaking about the novel in terms of plot, the book still offers an interesting look into familial relationships and subverting expectations, particularly within Muslim culture.

The post REVIEW: Accidentally Engaged – Farah Herron appeared first on off the record.

Girl A, Abigail Dean (Harper Collins, 2021), A

Girl A is the daring thriller by Abigail Dean that tells the story of a girl who runs away from an abusive home – The House of Horrors – and the story that unfolds 15 years later as she revisits the path that led to the worst of her abuse.

Read our full review here.

Pick up a copy of the novel here.

Memorial, Bryan Washington (Riverhead, 2020), B

A painfully intimate examination of the crumbling foundations of a relationship.

Read our full review here.

Pick up a copy of the novel here.

One Last Stop, Casey McQuiston (Griffin, 2021), B+

The hotly-anticipated follow up to McQuiston’s cult favourite debut Red, White and Royal Blue, One Last Stop is an immensely heart-warming and charming love story between August and Jane with a  supernatural twist.

Pick up a copy of the novel here.

Accidentally Engaged, Farah Herron (Piatkus, 2021), A-

Another delightful romantic comedy novel about a woman who fakes an engagement to her neighbour in order to enter a cooking contest. It’s a charming and whimsical read perfect for a summer beach read.

Pick up a copy of the novel here.

Our Women on the Ground, Edited by Zahra Hankir (Penguin, 2019)

A devastatingly honest collection of essays from various Arab female journalists examining their experience reporting on the Arab world – it’s a necessary and important read that shines the spotlight on a relatively unexamined area of prejudice and hardship.

Pick up a copy of the novel here.

The post Everything We Read in June 2021 appeared first on off the record.