THE WRITE OFF

When two authors with a romantic history reconnect at a book festival, sparks fly.

Margot “Mars” Darling arrived at the University of Arizona with an overriding goal: To publish a fantasy novel and prove to all the skeptics that her creative writing degree isn’t a waste of money. Her classmate West Emerson may not have her single-minded focus but she admires his talent, and the two of them become close friends—and, eventually, more than friends. But the struggles of adulthood and the tumultuous publishing industry push them apart. Years later, Mars is a mega-successful YA fantasy author who has weathered a scandal over the way she ended her blockbuster trilogy. Even as she’s tried to stay away from West, their connection keeps pulling them back together; it doesn’t help that the hero of her books bears a striking resemblance to her old friend. Now she has a new book to promote, and she’s determined to get back into her readers’ good graces—a plan that’s complicated when West shows up at the same book festival she’s attending at their alma mater. West writes literary fiction, and they’re stuck doing an event together even though Mars wants nothing to do with him because of a mysterious betrayal that is eventually teased out in the text. Told in alternating timelines focusing on the present day and the characters’ college years, McDowell’s novel examines the winding paths taken by Mars and West. Their chemistry is intense, even as their own stubbornness keeps them apart. Their very human flaws are on display as West struggles with feelings of inadequacy and Mars places her sense of self-worth solely on her success as a writer. Their youthful foibles make it easy to see why their relationship struggled, and McDowell expertly shows how they’ve grown and changed over the years.

A delightfully bookish second-chance romance with plenty of angst.