First published 2024
Arden James needs to salvage her Hollywood career after her wild reputation costs her a dream role. Her publicist hatches a plan that requires returning to her Christmas-obsessed hometown for the first time in four years. There, Arden shows up at Caroline Beckett's door with an offer. Caroline has spent those years building her journalism portfolio and trying to forget her former best friend who vanished without explanation. Arden proposes twelve fake holiday dates and a fabricated romance story that Caroline can write for Cosmopolitan. Caroline agrees, thinking she can tolerate Arden for twelve days if it means getting her byline and advancing her career. Both women believe they can stick to business and make their professional dreams reality. But as they navigate their snow-covered town's holiday festivities, old feelings resurface. The fake dates start feeling real, and both Arden and Caroline discover that their biggest wishes might not be about their careers after all.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating, second-chance-romance
Setting: Hollywood, Christmas-Obsessed Hometown
Period: 4 Years Ago
320 pages · Kindle Edition · Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers