First published 2004
Lisa Roberty writes for the mind-numbing sitcom You Go, Girl and has no social life. Grant Repka plays indie rock and just hit it big in his forties with a comic operetta about Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson. They meet after one of his shows and exchange email addresses. Lisa trades a book for his CD and mentions she likes his song "My Psycho Ex." She warns him that she could drink him under the table when it comes to psycho exes. This sparks the Psycho Ex Game, an email competition where they trade increasingly horrific stories about their past relationships. Grant tells tales of his ex, the Junkie Queen of Darkness. Lisa shares the damage inflicted by her ex, a tantrum-throwing actor and director known as Mr. Summer Box Office Record-Holder. Points go to whoever endured the most humiliation and psychotic behavior. As their correspondence deepens, Lisa discovers an intimacy she has never felt with a man in person. The friendly competition becomes something more serious, leaving both wondering which one of them might become the next psycho ex.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, comedy
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers
432 pages · Hardcover · Villard