Margin Notes

A round up of recent reads, a highlight of things coming your way and a new feature!

I’ve got a slew of fun things to discuss today, but first, a thank you to everyone who participated in the excellent and robust discussion of Regina Black’s August Lane last week. If you missed that post, you can find it here and please feel free to continue adding your thoughts—I love how the conversation trickles in over time.

A quick reminder that the Virtual Book Club with Regina is tomorrow, Thursday October 9th at 7 PM CT. Link here for the Google Meet and please do RSVP if you can (the form also includes a space to submit discussion questions). This event is free and open to all subscribers.

Onwards!

Recent Reads:

I had a thoroughly excellent week of reading thanks to my rebellious decision to leave my laptop at home during last week’s vacation.

Love Walked In by Sarah Chamberlain. “A sunshiny American bookstore whisperer clashes with the grumpy British owner of the shop she’s trying to save in this winning opposites-attract romance for book lovers.” This one was far more trope-driven than my usual fare, but it was deeply comforting. Somehow it took a list of familiar elements (enemies to lovers, grumpy-sunshine dynamic, bookish jobs) and remixed them into a story that felt like curling up under a warm blanket on a chilly autumn day. There are plenty of obvious “fall” books out right now, but this one felt more autumnal than most—so do with that what you will. (Also, I don’t remember “fall books” being such a thing in years past, though I’ll admit I’m paying closer attention to new releases these days. Is this the natural outgrowth of Pumpkin Spice Latte culture? I think I’m here for it.)

Talking at Night by Claire Daverly. Another book set in the UK! I’m always trying to mix in backlist titles to keep my recommendations affordable and accessible, and after reading this one, I can’t quite believe it escaped my notice last year. Daverly touches on loss, class, mental health, and more, all while telling a second-chance romance that creeps under your skin. It’s a portrait of two people who can’t seem to stop orbiting each other—no matter the years or the hurt. And she does it all with impressive effort at the line level. I can’t say the prose landed consistently for me; at times, it felt like you could see her trying a bit too hard. But at its best, there were lines that felt Rooney-esque. I was occasionally frustrated by the main lead (Rosie) and how inert she felt in her own life, but this feels less like a misstep and more like an accurate reflection of European vs. American character construction. I often find American authors imbue their characters with far more agency? Something I’m percolating on for a future column…

The Launch Date by Annabelle Slator. Okay, this is turning into an unintentional theme, but here’s a third British book to recommend. In all honesty, I picked this one up because the blurb for Annabelle’s next book (out in February) was so compelling: “A woman desperate to keep her start-up afloat is forced to pose as her brother’s assistant during a tech competition, hoping a male-led company will be taken more seriously—only to find her secret identity compromised when she has a hot one-night stand with the head of the competition’s assistant.” I’ll admit I’m not usually a fan of assistant romances, but I loved the Twelfth Night aspect of this setup—and, unfortunately, the idea of a male-led company being taken more seriously rang a little too true from my time in early-stage tech.

That blurb led me to Slator’s debut, in which “rival coworkers become reluctant daters after they’re forced to work together on a brand-new dating app in hopes of winning a promotion.” This one is also fairly trope-driven (enemies to lovers, fake dating), but I was drawn in by Slator’s accurate rendering of the relentless grind of a demanding job that refuses to love you back. Slator also handled the perennially tough enemies-to-lovers construct well, giving us a genuine reason for enmity and then making us believe it could be resolved. It reads like a debut, but a strong one. I’ve already preordered her second book.

And now a rapid fire round so this doesn’t go on forever.

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce. A reread for me. There’s still some fuzziness around the third-act breakup that always irks me a bit, but Jessica Joyce can write. I’ll read anything she publishes, probably twice, and let her prose carry me away. If you haven’t read this one yet, it’s worth it (and often on sale).

The Friendship Fling by Georgia Stone. Another Brit (whoops). The slowest of slow burns. I found the FMC less compelling (another case of the British heroine feeling a little inert?), but I fully swooned over the MMC. Overall, it’s a fun romp, and the banter actually made me laugh out loud a few times. The opening might be one of my favorite intros of the year. This one is available for free on Kindle Unlimited!

It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard. Another debut (as I’m editing this it, it just hit the USA Today list!!), this friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance had an NYC setting that was basically kryptonite for me. Of the two timelines, I found the past storyline particularly strong. I loved watching the characters inch towards each other, and Richards did a truly excellent job depicting two twenty-somethings in creative careers, striving to make it while supporting each other along the way. I thought there were some wobbles in the third-act breakup, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

You Between the Lines by Katie Naymon. On sale for $2.99 (ebook, both B&N and Kindle) as of right now. Another second-chance romance, this one told through more flashbacks than a true dual timeline, about an FMC who “starts a prestigious poetry MFA program only to discover that one of her fellow grad students is her high school crush turned nemesis—who can’t stop writing about her.” Naymon, who has an MFA in poetry herself, uses poems and the language of poetry to great effect here. The yearning is off the charts, and the line-level writing is stunning at times. Worth picking up, especially at that price.

Have you read any of these books? Share your thoughts below (or anything excellent you’ve read recently, I always love getting reccs from you all!)

Coming Attractions:

We have two excellent Love at the Line Level columns coming up—one from Lauren Okie (next week) and one from Ava Wilder in November. I’ll write more about Lauren’s excellent debut, The Best Worst Thing, next week, but it blew me away. It touches on both infidelity and infertility, feeling simultaneously cinematic in its love story and achingly mundane in its preoccupations—the kinds of things that actually animate the lives of so many of my friends.

As for Ava Wilder’s Some Kind of Famous, I was an enormous fan of her previous work, and I read her newest release in a single day. It’s another romance in which realism stands out amid a sea of saccharine plots where people’s problems feel divorced from real life. Wilder allows her heroine to be messy and vulnerable as she navigates substance abuse, ambivalence toward motherhood, and mental health struggles in a way that feels far more rare than it should.

I’m genuinely excited to champion both of these authors and for you to hear directly from them soon.

For Paid Subscribers:

Starting in November, I’m introducing a new feature for paid subscribers. I know our community includes both devoted readers and aspiring authors, and once a month, I’ll offer one paid subscriber the chance to have their first ten pages critiqued by a developmental editor. Part of the column will appear above the fold, but the pages and majority of the critique will live behind a paywall for privacy’s sake—and only paid subscribers will be able to chime in via comments.

An important aside: The vast majority of content on Smart Romance will remain free and geared predominantly towards readers rather than just aspiring authors! This just felt like a fun way to offer value for a subset of the community while supporting other women’s businesses.

I’m thrilled to announce that our first iteration of this feature will be with the incredible Kristen Weber whose Substack I’ve learned so much from over the past few months. Kristen previously worked at Hachette, Grand Central Publishing, and Penguin, and now applies her talents and prodigious experience to editing authors’ books on a freelance basis.

If you’d like to submit your pages for consideration, please email a synopsis and the first 3,000 words of your manuscript to Rena.rani.writes@gmail.com. (Only the pages will be critiqued—the synopsis is just for context.) Submissions are due by November 1st. You may choose to be published anonymously or credited by name, whichever you prefer.

I’m so excited to offer this new feature and hope it will be a fun way for some of us to learn and talk craft together.

And then, finally, a reminder that for Paid Subscribers: Craft Book Club will be on October 15th, and we’ll be discussing How Freaking Romantic by Emily Harding. It’s a quasi-debut (Emily co-authored Austen retellings with Audrey Bellezza, but this is her first solo project). I was struck by Emily’s ability to juggle a true ensemble cast—something many authors attempt with less success—and by the clarity of her voice. The ensemble, the enemies-to-lovers setup, and the prickly, almost-unlikeable heroine should give us plenty to discuss.

This will run on the same day as the Love Letter column, so there will be something for everyone—Paid and Free subscribers alike.

Little Loves:

If you are looking for a fun family vacation inside the continental US, I can’t recommend The Boca Raton more. We’ve been twice this year, the ease and delight of our May trip prompting me to simply copy paste it into our October calendar as well. The resort is absolutely sprawling (a private beach, so many pools, a lazy river, fifteen odd restaurants etc) and gloriously kid friendly while offering food sophisticated enough that parents won’t find it a drag. The historic property has been beautifully renovated and the public spaces (and the florals in particular!) are a joy to spend time in. I won’t belabor the recc here but if you’re thinking about going, drop me a line and I can share my thoughts in detail (as well as tips on getting a good rate). I’ve also been pleased by our travel agent (free to use!) and am happy to share her contact info as well.

I forget who on the internet coined the term “regrettably worth it” but I’m here to share that the Quince Cashmere Throw is excellent and sadly worth every penny. It’s currently sold out and I’m kicking myself for not listening to my husband when he suggested buying one for each couch.

This Olipop flavor is one of my favorite things about fall.

And, finally, I obviously have to weigh in on the Taylor Swift of it all. I miss the lyrical complexity of albums past and was initially skeptical of her description of this album as all bangers, but …. turns out I can’t stop listening to it? Father Figure especially. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Finally, if you made it this far, consider smashing the heart button at the bottom of the post (or better yet, commenting!) - the engagement truly does make a difference (and it’s so appreciated!).