First published 2026
Delilah Cohen stands at the altar watching her famous fiancée walk away. Her debut solo album deadline looms, but her love songs now feel hollow. She hits the road on what should have been her honeymoon trip. Two hours in, she stops for a hitchhiker named Emmett. This mysterious passenger seems like the perfect rebound with a built-in end date. Emmett carries secrets though. They are a golem from Jewish mythology, made of clay to serve a master who has died. Their journey leads to a California cave where they plan to undo the magic keeping them alive. As Delilah and Emmett travel from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, visiting historic queer landmarks, their connection deepens. Each mile brings them closer to California and to impossible choices. Delilah must finish her album, but she faces losing someone she never expected to love. The road trip becomes a race against time and fate itself.
Genres: literary-fiction, adult, adult-fiction, fantasy-romance, contemporary-romance, road-trip
Vibes: bittersweet, emotional, intimate, introspective, lyrical, romantic
Tropes: forced-proximity, found-family, second-chance-at-love, slow-burn-romance
Setting: Brooklyn, Los Angeles, California
Period: contemporary
368 pages · Paperback · Dell
Content warnings: death