Two women do the best they can to make something of their lives—even at the expense of their friendship—in a witty, emotional, and startling novel by the author of Family Reservations.

Helen Hicks may not have any friends, but she does have a plan: prove her doubting, elitist parents wrong and become a literary sensation before she turns thirty. When she’s finally accepted into the esteemed Hayward Writing Intensive at twenty-four, Helen believes she’s right on schedule.

At Hayward, Helen meets Cherry Stewart, a free-spirited, ambitious kid whose eclectic tastes skew far more pedestrian than Helen’s, but as Cherry’s champion and mentor, Helen decides they’ll set the publishing world on fire and go down as one of the literary world’s most iconic duos.

But as Helen turns thirty with no debut novel in sight and a breathtaking case of writer’s block, she is forced to put her dreams on hold. Thinking Cherry shares her sad fate, Helen is shocked to learn that her best friend has not only finished and sold a novel in secret, but even more devastating it’s…genre fiction.

As Helen and Cherry’s yearslong friendship comes crashing down, Helen finally has the clarity and inspiration to take her own art to the next level. It’s going to get personal.

© 2025 by Liza Palmer. ℗ 2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.