December 19, 2022
Spalding makes her adult debut (after the YA No Boy Summer) with a sweet, queer contemporary that gives equal weight to familial and platonic love as to the central romance. Nina Rice works for a Hollywood talent agency through which she meets and starts to date up-and-coming queer actor Ari Fox. Despite the glossy L.A. setting, the ensuing love story feels like small-town romance because of Spalding’s focus on the cozy local spots familiar to Nina’s close-knit community. The warmth and comfort of familiarity pervade as the women go on dates and spend time with Nina’s friends and family, especially her beloved aunt Lorna. The conflict feels similarly low-key: due to a bad past relationship, Nina fears that she is “toxic”—when really she just needs therapy, something it takes her hip 30-something friends perhaps an unbelievable amount of time to suggest. Even so, the steady support of Nina’s chosen family alongside the seemingly inevitable romance with Ari make this a cozy comfort-read. Agent: Kate Testerman, KT Literary.