Love is an Open Book: A Fun and Flirty Friends-to-Lovers Summer Read Between a Bestselling Author and Her Best Friend Testing All the Romance Tropes

A successful romance writer stuck in a rut gets unexpected help from her best friend in exploring the best romcom tropes in this charming new book for fans of Alexa Martin and Abby Jimenez

An avid reader since childhood, romance novelist Mia Brady never dreamed of being an author until heartbreak in college pushed her to write her own happy-ever-after. Years later, her bestselling series is now a hit TV show, and with the final season earning the highest ratings yet, she has signed a deal to revisit the series and write a fourth book, the love story of the best friend characters that fans have been shipping all along. But for the first time in her career, Mia faces writer’s block because deep down, she doesn’t think the friends-to-lovers trope can ever have a happy ending.

Gavin Lane has been Mia’s best friend since junior year of college. They met right after she confessed her love for her friend—Gavin’s roommate—only to find out he’d been secretly dating her sister for weeks. That former friend is now married to Mia’s sister, and the situation is a constant reminder for Mia that friendship doesn’t equal relationship material. Gavin was attracted to Mia from the start but didn’t want to make his feelings known while she was processing her unrequited love. Before he could find the right time to ask her out, he discovered she’d lost her childhood best friend after their failed dating attempt in high school. These heartbreaks led Mia to vow she’ll never again mistake platonic feelings for romantic love. If a relationship is destined for romance, there will be instant sparks, and if not, friendship is the safe bet.

Now, with her deadline fast approaching and no words to show for it, facing pressure from eager readers and fans, not to mention the cast and crew depending on her to create an emotionally resonant conclusion to the series, Mia is desperate to fix her writer’s block. Her last relationship ended a year ago, and she wonders if the lack of romance in her real life has driven away her muse. She hatches a plan to go out on casual dates with guys from dating apps to ignite her inspiration, but Gavin is shocked that his friend who believes in the sanctity of true love would offer up her own heart as a sacrifice to her career.

His alternative is to ask her out on a date instead, for research purposes only. He knows full well it could never be real with Mia, given her boundaries about dating friends. But she warns him about the emotional pitfalls of fake dating, using examples from her own books. Chatting about tropes sparks a new idea: what if they act out tropes on an individual basis instead of going all in with fake dating?

Testing tropes would lower the risk of romance bleeding into their friendship. For the duration of each test, they’ll pretend to be interested in each other, like actors on set, but the moment the date ends, they will resume their very platonic relationship. Even though Gavin worries the scheme might resurrect his old crush on her, he jumps at the chance to help his friend. Secretly, he also hopes this will prove to his own heart there’s no future with Mia. A few awkward attempts at romance should serve the dual purpose of jumpstarting her creative process while showing him that a strong friendship doesn’t equal romantic chemistry.

But as they brainstorm tropes to act out and find themselves caught up in ever-increasing relationship stakes situations, Mia discovers her heart isn’t immune to Gavin after all, and he learns firsthand the risks of faking it. Mia might rediscover her muse, but is it worth losing the most important person in her life?