October 11, 2021
Married coauthors Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka (Time of Our Lives) break from their usual YA rom-coms for a surprisingly bleak adult debut that’s light on both romance and comedy. Three years ago, Nathan Van Huysen and Katrina Freeling co-wrote the bestseller Only Once, which centered on an affair. Nathan was married at the time, and rumors about their art reflecting their lives drove Katrina to an early retirement and Nathan to tell the New Yorker that writing with Katrina was “torture.” But when Katrina’s literary agent turned fiancé, Chris, runs into financial trouble and Nathan’s solo book proposal is rejected, the pair reluctantly agree to work together again. They hole up in Florida and insult each other through drafting their new manuscript—until their true feelings reveal themselves on the page. The prose is rather pedestrian for how loftily both characters discuss literature, and the alternating timeline between their work on the new novel and their collaboration on Only Once adds little. Most rom-com readers will object to the emotional affair between Katrina and Nathan while Nathan was married, and the pretentious, privileged Nathan and self-involved Katrina do little to redeem themselves. This literary spin on Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story aims for bittersweet, but lands on depressing. Agent: Katie Shea Boutillier, Donald Maass Literary.
May 1, 2022
Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huys wrote a best-selling novel together. They haven't spoken since. Reunited to write their contracted next book, their story unfolds in flashbacks. Back then, Nathan was married and the two began to fall in love. Both remained professional but it is clear Nathan is expressing his feelings for Katrina in the pages he writes for their book. When Katrina and Nathan head back to the same beach house and begin to write their new novel, they must confront the unresolved issues from their past as they continue to communicate through their daily pages. Both characters stay entrenched in their emotionally tortuous positions until the very end, with an unsatisfying resolution that seems to come out of a desire to give the reader a happy ending, rather than giving these characters what they really need: couples therapy. Imani Jade Powers has a beautiful voice that glides over the words and lifts the material to a different level. Dan Bittner has a pleasant "everyman" voice that would fit well with any genre. VERDICT Well written, but excruciating in terms of human behavior. Better to read than to listen.--Laura Brosie
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