by P. Paramita
First published 2026
Zarina chops vegetables at an upscale New Haven restaurant for terrible pay while dreaming of two things: creating modern versions of her grandmother's Bangladeshi recipes and watching her wrestling hero Sierra Myst dominate in the ring. Sierra is everything Zarina admires: powerful, fearless, and successful. When Zarina posts about Sierra online, the wrestler actually responds. Their friendship starts perfectly. Zarina feels chosen, special, finally seen by someone who matters. But Sierra's demands grow heavier each week. Zarina finds herself managing Sierra's personal drama, offering free emotional labor, and losing herself in someone else's needs. Her own cooking ambitions fade as she pours energy into keeping Sierra happy. The relationship that once felt like salvation now threatens to destroy everything Zarina has built for herself. She must choose between staying in Sierra's shadow or reclaiming her own dreams.
Genres: literary-fiction, domestic-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, adult-fiction
Vibes: bittersweet, emotionally-complex, intimate, introspective, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family-potential, loss-of-identity, parasocial-relationship, toxic-relationship
Setting: New Haven
Period: Contemporary
272 pages · Paperback · Dial Press Trade Paperback
Content warnings: emotional-abuse, toxic-relationship