*I received a free DRC of this book, with thanks to the author and Jenn at Travelling Pages. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: Rylee dreams of moving to California, writing literary fiction, and pursuing her late father’s dreams. But she’s still in Bemidji, MN, caring for her younger brother and running into her high school crush, Carson. Ten years ago, Carson rejected Rylee and she never quite recovered.
Carson had his sights set on the Ivy League, until his girlfriend’s unexpected pregnancy. Being a single father is the most important job he’ll ever have, even if it means postponing his dreams.
Rylee is shocked to discover she and Carson enrolled in the same fiction writing graduate course. They become writing partners, but also take on a secret “side project”–a no-strings-fling that will end once the class is over.
Because they can’t fall in love. Hearts would be broken and secrets would get revealed. Should Rylee and Carson risk everything to find their happily-ever-after?
While main character Rylee is a great fan and advocate for Regency romance novels, her own love story – told here in alternate chapters between herself and the object of her longstanding crush, Carson Meyers – is more of a modern heartbreak-romance.
It is clear to the reader from the very start that both Rylee and Carson are not only smitten with each other but perfect together, but they each have so many secrets and hidden traumas to deal with that they overcomplicate matters and turn a supportive friendship with tons of chemistry into a big hot mess of lies, jealousy and misplaced noble sacrifice. Quite a skill for two otherwise clearly lovely people (and passionate creative writers)!
I loved the fictional literary thread that runs throughout this story, and how the author acknowledges the prejudices against genre fiction – especially romance writing – before sweeping them away definitively in a defence of all kinds of fiction… especially the famous Happily Ever After trope. I am also passionate about all kinds of genre fiction – and literary fiction too… I’m an equal opportunities lectiophile! – and always love to see it championed in books.
As is often the case, I do think that many of the challenges and roadblocks Rylee and Carson face in the story could easily be resolved by a bit of honest and direct communication, but the author makes a good case for why their individual backstories would make that so difficult for them to manage and they do both improve in that respect by the end.
In fact, my only niggle ended up being that, with Carson’s role as Eddie’s father being so important in his life, I would have expected Rylee to have built up more of a bond with Eddie before the end of the story, or maybe for him to have more of a role in the eventual resolution of some of the difficulties? But then, with the complications of divorce, cheating, ‘no strings fling’ and so on, it is probably wise that he was kept well clear of all of the adult troubles. And the overall book was a fun, easy read with a clear signpost to that HEA I was craving.
Fans of sweet romance stories will enjoy this fling-with-strings novel, as will fans of books about books and writing… a books-within-books biblio-ception hooks me in every time!
I shouldn’t care, but I had a huge crush on Carson Meyers a million years ago (okay, more like ten). I thought he’d be my happily-ever-after.
And how’s this for irony? Because my father died so young, I don’t even believe in Happily Ever Afters.
They only exist between the pages of romance novels. Trust me—I’m an expert: I’ve read hundreds, I wrote three, and I’m working on my fourth. But I learned the difference between truth and fiction a long time ago.– Laurel Osterkamp, The Side Project
Purchase Link: The Side Project on Amazon
About the author
Laurel Osterkamp is the award-winning author of roughly a dozen novels, including Favorite Daughters and the #1 Amazon bestseller, Beautiful Little Furies. In addition to her novels, she has short fiction published in literary journals all over the web. When she’s not writing (which is rare) she’s often teaching adult ESL or middle school enrichment classes, going running while listening to audiobooks, or educating her daughter about the OG teen soap opera, Beverly Hills 90210. She lives in Minneapolis with a family who loves to argue, and their cats, who love to hiss at each other. Ramona Quimby is her spirit animal.
Website: https://laurellit.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurel_osterkamp/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlaurelosterkamp/
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurellit1
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laurel-osterkamp
Don’t forget to check out the other blog stops on the tour for more great reviews and content (see below for details)!
| Bookstagram Handle | Post Date (January 8-12) |
| @romance_matcha_andpaperbacks | January 8 |
| @thebookreviewcrew | January 8 |
| Heatherfowlermylek | January 8 |
| @ondeanelourens | January 9 |
| thrillers.and.all | January 9 |
| @bookshineblog | January 10 |
| @alisonshanereads | January 11 |
| @miss_turtlebelle | January 12 |
| @germie_reads | January 12 |
| katiewastlund | January 12 |
