Parker Navarro is just about to release his second novel and the early reviews are promising when the very critic (with a huge following) who trashed his first novel goes online with a devastating review of his latest. Selena Chan believes that reviews and criticism are important — and holds to her opinion without intended rancor or fawning. She believes Parker has great potential but uses “200 words when he could have used 20” and doesn’t really … have a point! Thus starts an online feud which causes extreme angst on some parts, and extreme excitement (more clicks!) on others.
This enemies-to-lovers romcom goes much deeper than I expected with a real dive into every aspect of the current literary world where one bad internet review can destroy a book before it gets started, where literary websites can get skewed to chase clicks, and where nasty internet commentary explodes no matter what you do, say, or accomplish. I’m glad I grew up in the analog age where things were simpler!
Alternating chapters between Parker and Selena, we understand their perspectives, their ambitions, and their ability to handle serious derailment. And my favorite part — we get to watch them come to terms with their own biases and their ability to execute path corrections to maintain integrity and adhere to their own true values.
Good writing, humorous, informative, and thought provoking — pretty good for what could be read as simply an engaging rom-com with a happy ending!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on October 6th, 2026.
Books to look forward to ... 