Published by Berkley on June 16, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Romance, Enchanted Realism
Rating:
Goodreads
A heartbroken romance novelist is forced to address her writer's block when the villainous cowboy character from her books shows up in the real world, desperately in need of his own Happily Ever After. . . from the bestselling author of GMA book club pick The Love of My Afterlife.
Gertie Bickerstaff writes happily-ever-afters for a living. . . . Or she did, until her own love life fell apart. Now her ex is thriving, her deadline is looming, and she can’t write a single word.
The last thing Gertie needs is more drama—like waking up to find a confused and rugged cowboy on her sofa. And not just any cowboy, but River Oakley, the villain from her unfinished novel. Somehow very real . . . and very shirtless.
River wants to go home. Gertie wants her life back. So they strike a deal: he’ll use his cunning ways to help her win back her ex, she’ll finish the novel, and, surely, he’ll return to whatever world he rode in from.
But as River Oakley proves to be so much more than just the bad guy, Gertie has to choose: the ending she thought she wanted . . . or the plot twist she never saw coming.
Struggling with writer's block following her breakup but on a tight deadline, Gertie agrees to partake in a "manifestation ceremony" with her neighbor. She didn't expect anything, but lo and behold, the ceremony DID manifest something, or rather, someone - River Oakley. Now Gertie and one of her fictional characters must work together to figure out how to return River to his own world.
This book as so much fun! The set up seemed like something I had read before until it didn't. I loved the way Greenwood surprised me. As expected, there were hijinks and hilarity which delighted me, but this was also a great story of growth and healing.
Gertie had been in what she thought was a solid relationship for four years. She was taken by surprise when her partner asked for a "break". Trying to write a romance novel with a broken heart was no easy task. She thought she needed him back in her life, but she gained a lot of clarity spending time with River as they plotted to win back her ex. She had a lot of eye opening experiences, took some chances, and realized how brave she could be. There were a lot of parts of Gertie's life that needed healing, and she finally took the steps to make it happen.
River was a surprisingly wonderful character. He was villain in Gertie's book series, but that was only half his story. As we always find out, he contained multitudes, and being with Gertie prompted him to reflect on his life as well. It was a treat watching both River and Gertie grow together. This was a definite highlight of the story, though, I won't lie, River's thing with the neighbor's dog was one of my favorite parts, and the neighbor was an actual hoot.
Overall, this book was a delight from beginning to end, and I found it impossible to keep a smile off my face.
Published by Atria Books on June 16, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
From USA TODAY bestseller Kayla Olson, a new rom-com about a high-maintenance woman who embarks on a wilderness trek to prove to her ex how low-maintenance she can be—only to find herself with no makeup and an extremely attractive trek leader.
Sadie Whitlock has always been praised for being the most prepared person in the room, the one who’s thought of everything—and every backup plan—for any given situation. She knows exactly what she wants, exactly what she loves, and goes to great lengths to make sure her life runs perfectly as planned.
So, when her laidback boyfriend breaks up with her for being “too high-maintenance,” Sadie is eager to prove him wrong, and signs herself up for a weeks-long guided wilderness adventure in the High Sierras of camping, hiking, rappelling, and kayaking. It’s the most miserable, uncomfortable situation she can think of.
Sadie’s a five-star resort girl at heart, but she has a compelling—and suspiciously attractive—tour August Thorn. Thorn lives for adventure and always keeps a professional distance from the trekkers under his care…but there’s just something about Sadie, and for the first time, he finds himself wanting to get closer. As they explore the wilderness together, Sadie realizes the great outdoors might truly be great with the right person.
She thought he was the one, but her boyfriend broke it off saying Sadie was "too much". Sadie was going to prove him wrong by taking the trip he planned and hiking the Sierras. This trip may have started out as revenge, but it turned out to be exactly what Sadie needed to rediscover all her best qualities.
As someone who has been told she is "too much", I absolutely LOVED being part of Sadie's journey. She had a bit of an Elle Woods vibe (which is a good thing), and I had no problem cheering for her as she pushed herself. I admired her grit and perseverance. Hiking the Sierras was way outside her norm and many creature comforts were sacrificed, but Sadie never gave up.
It didn't hurt that she had Thorne to guide her. The consummate outdoorsman, Thorne could not believe the things Sadie did and didn't pack, but he was drawn to this intriguing woman, and like me, appreciated the way she pushed her personal limits. Like Sadie, Thorne was nursing some residual wounds from a breakup which helped them bond as they made their way through the mountains.
It was wonderful watching Sadie and Thorne's friendship grow while Olson vividly depicted the trails they traversed. Some days were bright and amazing, others difficult and dangerous, but each day was punctuated by something important. There was drama, bonding, lessons learned, moments of clarity, and lots of growth for almost everyone on this trek, but I was most proud of Thorne and Sadie (of course).
Overall, I had an amazing time on the trail with Sadie and Thorne and was so happy to share this journey with them.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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