First published 2017
Tess arrives in New York City during summer 2006 with little money and no connections. The twenty-something from a small town rents a room in Brooklyn and lands a job as a backup server at a well-known Manhattan restaurant. Her new workplace introduces her to an intoxicating world of fine dining and late-night excess. Simone, a seasoned waitress, takes Tess under her wing as a mentor. Tess falls for Jake, an enigmatic bartender who maintains a complex relationship with Simone. As Tess navigates her first year in the city, she discovers oysters and champagne alongside cocaine and dive bars. The triangle between Tess, Simone, and Jake intensifies as Tess learns about friendship, desire, and love. Her immersion in restaurant culture becomes a crash course in adult relationships and self-discovery. The year transforms Tess as she confronts the most significant lesson of her young life.
Genres: contemporary, adult-fiction, 21st-century, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, friends-to-lovers
Setting: New York City, Brooklyn
Period: 2006
349 pages · Hardcover · Malpaso
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse, drug-use