A Laugh Out Loud RomCom About Booknerds and High School Reunions!
If you've ever been to your high school reunion, you know they can be awkward. But nothing's more awkward than when your twin brother falls for your high school enemy...
This RomCom is all about how high school sometimes doesn't leave us, even when we leave it. Tortured by Josephine all through her high school years, Maylee thought she'd moved on from that difficult life chapter. .At her ten-year reunion, though, a spark ignites between her twin brother, Mitch, and the all-grown-up Josephine. Will Maylee fall into old patterns? Or will she be able to find a way to make Josephine disappear from her life once and for all? Along the way, she also rediscovers a guy named Benson, a super nerd from her high school days who has definitely matured in all the right ways. This book is about friendship, mean girls, and how love comes along right when we least expect it. Check out a FREE excerpt below, and then be sure to snag your copy of this laugh-out-loud romcom! EXCERPT I guess that’s the thing about high school reunions, though. They make you snap a little. At least I can admit to it. This has to be the first step to admitting psychosis, right? Mitch thinks I’ve taken it too far. Shauni, of course, thinks I’m doing the right thing. “Show those snotty jerks just what you’ve become,” she told me yesterday. “Especially the blonde. Show her you’ve won.” I’d smiled, munching on my lunch of celery and carrot sticks in my attempt to shed a few more ounces of water weight. Nevertheless, the whole time I was asking myself a very hard question: Have I really won? If I’m going to so much trouble to fool my classmates into thinking I’ve done so well for myself, aren’t there deeper problems than booblessness and a flabby waistline? Maybe the problem isn’t my body type, my hair, or any of it. Maybe it’s because at twenty-eight, I thought life would be a little different, a little bit more… grown-up. Looking in the mirror, however, I know I can’t pretend to be all introspective and mature about it. Even though I know it’s ridiculous, there’s a part of me deep down that does want to show her I’ve done okay for myself, no matter what. I want the girl who tortured me in high school, who convinced me I was a mousey nerd, to realize I blossomed. Even if it is a bit of a lie. Or a lot of a lie. “Let’s go,” Mitch yells from the living room. I sigh. No more introspection. It’s go time. It’s time to face my past.
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The Importance of Honesty in Mental Health
Don’t tell me you’re okay when you’re not.
Don’t paint on the fake smile that hurts the crevices of your mouth when you feel like you can barely hold it together. Don’t nod and say you agree when you don’t. Don’t try to point out the glitter when really, your deep-rooted wounds are bleeding. Don’t feel like you have to tell me you’re okay when you’re not. So many times, society demands us to put on a mask, to hide the dark truths of ourselves and of humanity. We smile for the camera. We put the rosy update on social media. We paint on the smile and take our voice up an octave in the professional setting because that’s what we have to do. That’s what nice girls do…they never make someone uncomfortable with realities or truths that might be less than beautiful. They tuck away the dark colored paints and only display the sunshine landscape. But I’m here to say….don’t tell me you’re okay when you’re not. Because I’m a safe space to lean when things feel shitty. I’m a listening ear when your world is falling apart or you’re barely holding it together. I don’t need you to pretend you’re okay when you’re not. I don’t need you to smile through the pain. I need you to be real, to be honest, even when it’s hard. I want you to cry if you need to. I want you to tell me you’re horrible when you are. Because I think there are too many women out there who propagate this ridiculous lie that women always have to be just fine. Life is hard, and, in truth, we’re always just seeing a tiny glimpse of who someone else is. But I think, especially as women, if we can bust up the ridiculous notion we must always smile, must always say we’re okay even when we’re not, must put on the high heels and just muscle through…if we can say no to that facade and, instead, be courageous enough to be honest…well, that’s when we can change things. That’s when we can save things. Because I think so many of us, behind the scenes, are breaking, unhappy, struggling BECAUSE we’re forced to lie about how we are. So don’t tell me you’re okay or great or fine if you’re not. Tell me you’re shitty. Tell me you’re tired. Tell me you’re breaking. Tell me you need a minute to cry or tell me you don’t want to talk because life is too hard. Tell me the truth…and I think if we can all vow to do just that, we’ll find a realer world, where no one is under the impression that they’re alone in their struggles. So don’t tell me you’re okay if you’re not. And I’ll do the same.  Since I’ve started writing romance, one of the criticisms I get from publishers and other industry names is that my characters are too complicated, too moody, too difficult, too imperfect. To me, though, I wear that criticism as a badge of honor. Because part of the reason I started writing romance stories was that I was tired of seeing the overly glossy, perfect smile kind of characters and love stories.
I wanted to read about women who felt REAL. Women who were complicated and didn’t have it all figured out. Women who made mistakes, who changed their mind, who struggled sometimes. Women who got pissed when they spilled their iced coffee or didn’t always say the right thing. Women who weren’t wearing ten carat diamonds, who weren’t getting whisked away to private islands, and who still had to sort out what to eat for dinner. I wanted to write about women like me, like my friends, and about the problems we all face but don’t always talk about. Tillie Ashby in my next romance “The Summer Song” isn’t a glossy, perfect character. She’s struggling with some big letdowns. She’s a little bit down in the dumps at the beginning of the book. She’s sarcastic sometimes. She wears her pajamas to run errands some days, and she doesn’t have it all figured out. Not by a long shot. But in “The Summer Song,” we get to watch her rediscover who she is–a dreamer who doesn’t give up. We see her find her groove again. We see her connect with those around her and remember what community is all about. We see her blossom again, like so many of us are craving to blossom. LIfe isn’t perfect, and neither are we. “The Summer Song” is about how no matter who you are in life or what people think you have going for you, we all struggle. I hope this book inspires readers that even when you are at rock bottom, life can always surprise you–and there’s always hope. Grab your copy of “The Summer Song” and find out how a run-in with a popstar complicates Tillie’s life even more–but might just be the reminder she needs that life and love can be magical.  One day, she looked in the mirror and realized she didn’t recognize herself.
The hair, the lipstick, the eyes were different, yes. But it was deeper than that. For when she looked in the mirror, she saw the beyond, saw the girl she used to be simultaneously with who she was and who she wanted to be–and realized how far she’d come, how much she’d changed, and how far she had yet to go. The unfurling of herself, the unraveling from their expectations and their predispositions and her own conformity had been long and winding. She hadn’t noticed the almost imperceptible changes–the rejected dogmas, the new beliefs, the ignited fire in her eyes. The desire for something more, and the willingness to step up in her high heels and grab it, even if it meant kicking in a few doors. Still, for all she knows she’s achieved, for all the better she’s found, it still scares her sometimes to look in the mirror and see that person she didn’t think she could be. For that’s the thing they don’t talk about; how becoming someone new is terrifying. To step so far out of the comfort zone, to abandon old cages you were trapped in, to wander so freely you can become anyone is to become someone you don’t know sometimes. It’s terrifying to go so far outside the lines you have to make new ones. She’s different now, true, and it’s cost her things along the way. She’s lost friends and connections. She’s lost some of the beliefs she used to hold in her heart. She’s lost perspective of who she thought she was once. She’s lost her reputation as the “always nice girl.” Sometimes, she doesn’t even feel like the same person. But in the unfurling process, she’s also gained things too, she realizes. She’s gained confidence in the knowledge she can do things that terrify her, from getting tattoos to taking ballet classes to pursuing new jobs to listening to her gut when it says she needs yet another new beginning to understanding when she’s not on the path she should be. She’s gained a belief in herself, that she is worthy of respect, of grace, of opportunity. And more than that, she’s gained her voice, not in an Ariel sort of way…but in a deep-rooted, ruffling feathers, I am here, hear me, sort of way. She looks in the mirror and sees the red lips, the fire in her eyes, the long hair. She doesn’t quite recognize herself, but she smiles because she knows that’s more than okay. Because to really live, to really truly find fulfillment, you sometimes have to undo yourself completely. And you might not recognize yourself at first…but as she fixes that red lipstick, she smiles, knowing that’s sometimes what it takes to grab the reins of your life and become the person you were always meant to be. Thanks Plum Deluxe Tea for my free tea!
Sponsored (I did receive the tea for free, but I don’t get any money or anything for this post <3)
Since January, I’ve been on a deep self-care journey…eating healthier, trying to find more peace, and trying to take better care of myself all week long. One of the habits I’ve added is a hot tea in the evening along with extra time to read, one of my favorite pastimes. It’s been really fun, too, playing with different flavors and kinds of tea, so when Plum Deluxe reached out, I was so excited! Plum Deluxe Loose Tea A few weeks ago, Plum Deluxe reached out to offer me a free gift of some of their literary lover-themed teas, and I was all game! They sent me:
I gave them a try, and honestly, they’re sooo good! The Comfort Blend is my favorite because it has just a hint of orange and cinnamon, which is my favorite kind of tea. The teas are only around $7 per bag, and totally worth it in my opinion! They have so many fun flavors, too, so this makes a great gift option for your mom, grandma, or friend. They also have a lot of gift set options and a Tea of the Month Club. I’m really a fan of their packaging as well, and how beautiful the tea looks! It’s perfect for a self-care Sunday ritual...or any day of the week. Head over to their website and give them a try…and then come back and let me know what flavors you’re loving! 
 To all the girls whose worth was reduced to a number on a scale by others, by yourself…I want to say, rise above that twisted belief.
You deserve to feel beautiful, worthy, unstoppable. You deserve to know you are a damn Queen. You deserve to feel at home in your body, to eat the cookie without a guilt fest, to savor every tiny part of life just as you are. You deserve to rest when you’re tired, to step off the treadmill, to stop hiding from the clothes you don’t think you can pull off. You are not a number on a scale. You are not a tag on your clothes. You are not the lumps and bumps or a smooth stomach or the thickness of your arms. You are, my Dear, wonderfully, beautifully magic, exactly as you are, today. It’s perfectly fine to pursue the healthiest version of yourself, to eat in a way that makes you feel good, to move your body. It is not fine, however, to let anyone dictate to you that you have to weigh a certain amount to be valued. It is not okay for anyone to make you feel like you would be more worthy if you shed some pounds. It is not okay to live in a status of depravity and punishment. It is never okay to let anyone define you by a number on a scale. Ever. Not your boyfriend or husband or wife or girlfriend. Not your sister. Not your parents. Not your boss. Not that agent who wants to work with you. Not that friend. Not that social media influencer. Not that stranger at the grocery store. Not that personal trainer. And most of all, not you. You are worthy and beautiful and deserving of living life to the fullest. You do not have to be a certain # on the scale to do that. You do not have to look a certain way to believe you are worthy of incredible things. So eat the cookie. Choose joy. Celebrate how your body moves and looks today, as it is. Congratulate yourself on being a whole person, beautiful and magical and true. Live life wildly, boldly, and unapologetically. And never let the number on the scale dictate your worth. Ever. |
 
 *As an Amazon Affiliate, I get a small fee for any books purchased through the links below.
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