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Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming a children’s books editor, but she’s been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over email turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won’t let herself entertain—until he ghosts her without a word.
Months later, Lily is still crushed, but she’s determined to get a hold of her life, starting with finding a date to her sister’s wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, who she feels drawn to for reasons she can’t explain. But little does she know, Nick is an author—her favorite fantasy author.
Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet girl from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over email months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but—not when he can't get her off his mind...
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
February 28, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593675625
- File size: 291303 KB
- Duration: 10:06:52
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from October 3, 2022
Fan mail sparks romance in Forest’s adorable adult debut (after YA Zyla & Kai). Nick Brown, pen name NR Strickland, published The Elves of Ceradon right after college, fancying himself “the Black George R. R. Martin.” His dreams didn’t pan out, however, and he’s abandoned the series to become a travel journalist, capitalizing on the job’s anonymity and rootlessness to avoid his estranged parents’ attempts to shake him down for money. When editorial assistant and Strickland superfan Lily Greene reaches out to Nick via email, she’s not expecting her favorite author to actually write back. But Lily doesn’t realize that hers is the first piece of fan mail Nick’s ever received. So respond he does, and the pair form a tentative friendship—until their correspondence grows too intimate, and Nick ghosts Lily for fear of disappointing her. Months later, Nick coincidentally moves in next door to Lily’s apartment and they grow close once more—until Nick realizes Lily’s identity. His fear of commitment keeps him from saying anything, which comes back to bite him when Lily enlists his help finding a date for her sister’s wedding. Forest expertly balances this perfectly matched duo’s emotional connection with their physical chemistry, making them easy to cheer on. This is a winner. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. -
Starred review from June 10, 2024
On a whim, Lily Greene, a shy editorial assistant, emails her favorite fantasy author N.B. Strickland, who emails back. During several months of correspondence, Lily shares her dread about blind dating and her aspirations of being a children's book editor. Strickland discusses his global travels and his self-imposed anonymity. Then, Strickland suddenly ghosts her. Several months later, Lily runs into her new neighbor Nick Brown and musters up the courage to talk to him. They hit it off instantly, and that is when Nick realizes that, as his pseudonym Strickland, he ghosted Lily. With attraction growing between them, it may be time for Nick to finally come clean. Keylor Leigh and Malik Rashad narrate YA author Forest's (Zyla and Kai) gratifying adult debut with aplomb. Leigh's optimistic vocalization of Lily is the right match for the bookish co-lead. Lily feels less accomplished than the rest of her Black, affluent family but looks on the positive side. Rashad's down-to-earth yet elusive Nick doesn't feel worthy of Lily because of his past. However, he finds their bond too irresistible to break. VERDICT The audiobook defies many traps of the secret-identity trope, making this romance a slow burn worth its sizzle.--Anjelica Rufus-Barnes
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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