FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY

Former bandmates reunite for one performance, but their fake-dating plan brings up old feelings.

Once upon a time, Valerie Quinn and Caleb Sloane headed the pop punk band Glitter Bats. Along with bandmates Jane, Keeley, and Riker, they performed to crowds of obsessed fans. While listeners suspected they had a romantic relationship, no one knew for sure—and when the band suddenly broke up, the band members all moved on to various jobs. Now, Valerie stars in a superhero-themed musical TV show, and Caleb is a teacher. Their lives couldn’t be more different—but when Valerie’s bad press and dramatic romantic entanglements threaten her show’s chances of renewal, she knows she needs an image rehabilitation, fast. So, she proposes a Glitter Bats reunion: one epic concert to make the fans happy and garner herself some good press—not such a big deal, right? The band members all have hard feelings from the way things fell out, no one more than Caleb. But his feelings for Valerie never went away, and when she suggests playing up their will-they-won’t-they relationship for the press, he goes along with it. Pretty soon, though, all this fake dating is feeling very real, and they have to decide if what they have is worth keeping, or if it’s really just, as the title suggests, for one night only. In her debut, James creates a sense of realism around the Glitter Bats reunion by including interview transcripts, gossip site articles, and fan social media posts, as well as Glitter Bats song lyrics. Valerie and Caleb’s inability to communicate can occasionally be frustrating, but their bond feels real, and their happily ever after is well earned.

A steamy, second-chance romance full of behind-the-scenes music drama.