LOVE AND MASKS

In Winkler’s novel, a young Californian gets a second chance at love after a life-changing diagnosis.

It’s early 2020, and 31-year-old model and influencer Liv Mathers is cancer-free for the first time in three years. She celebrates with her friends at LA’s most exclusive nightclub, and sparks fly when she meets the owner, Damon Lautner. Both are scarred by past heartbreaks, but they find they have an undeniable connection during a coffee date; the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic brings them closer when Damon invites Liv to move in with him. She’s hesitant to accept—and even more concerned about her vulnerable immune system—so she agrees on a temporary basis, only to fall hard for her new roommate in the months that follow. Together, the pair navigate multiple obstacles: caring for Damon’s estranged stepson with a rebellious streak; managing tensions with Liv’s mother and her new conservative boyfriend; and later confronting a much larger challenge, which could change everything. Their relationship is the emotional core of the novel. Damon emerges as an almost impossibly generous and noble figure, which will certainly endear him to readers, but it also flattens his character, especially when undercut by the couple’s seemingly ceaseless declarations of love. The story veers into melodrama at times, but readers who are drawn to unapologetically emotional romances will likely embrace it. Also, the prose is earnest and accessible, with a steady pace that lets weighty themes land without overwhelming the romance. In fact, the book’s greatest strength is its ability to weave together such charged issues, from the sociopolitical fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic (“It’s like Covid has caused a civil war,” Liv notes at one point) and the reckoning sparked by George Floyd’s murder to the widening rifts between liberals and conservatives, even within families. Liv and Damon’s love is set against a backdrop of cultural upheaval, and although not every thread is fully developed, the narrative effectively suggests a path forward by showing people with different views supporting each other in times of need.

A heartfelt love story that blends personal struggles with the challenges of a tumultuous era.