by Helen Ellis
First published 2023
Helen Ellis opens her coral-painted New York apartment room to friends for wild gatherings. Guests play "What's in the box?" while others tackle jigsaw puzzles featuring headless priests. Bridal shower attendees wear blindfolds for party games. A stranger once left a note asking for the paint color after peering through her window. When COVID-19 locks down the city, Helen retreats to this vibrant space with her husband. They binge Joan Collins in Dynasty and spoil their two cats. Twenty years of marriage haven't dulled the spark between them. Helen realizes her husband still makes her pulse race in ways that surprise her. The Coral Lounge becomes both party central and intimate refuge, a place where longtime love gets its second wind.
Genres: romance, domestic-fiction, family-life, contemporary, 21st-century, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: New York, Coral Lounge
Period: COVID-19, Twenty Years
224 pages · Paperback · Diversified Publishing