March 30, 2020
Skilton, the pseudonym of collaborators Sarvenaz Tash (Virtually Yours) and Sarah Skilton (Fame Adjacent), puts a multicultural millennial spin on You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romance. Recently heartbroken Miles Ibrahim and broke L.A. transplant Zoey Abot meet-cute while fighting for the best table at the East Village cafe from which they both happen to be freelancing as ghostwriters for rival online dating companies, sending flirtatious messages on behalf of app-shy clients. Their clients match, but it’s Miles and Zoey who fall in love, even as they both believe their connection is with the other’s client. Unaware of each other’s online alter egos, they also grow closer IRL. But what starts as a clever take on ’90s rom-com tropes falls into the trap of the inevitable third-act miscommunication, resulting in a frustrating conclusion to an otherwise enjoyable romance. Still, Skilton delivers solid laughs—Zoey’s former boss, a Carrie Fisher–esque actor, and her emotional support ferret especially steal the show—and a cute central couple. Rom-com fans will find this one well worth their time. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Literary.
May 1, 2020
Cyrano de Bergerac meets classic rom-com banter in this contemporary romp about the highs and lows of modern dating. Miles Ibrahim is possibly at the lowest point in his life: His engagement is over, his ex-fiancee announced a surprise pregnancy, he's forced to crash on a friend's couch, and his freelancing gig of playing ghostwriter for online dating profiles is in jeopardy. To add insult to injury, Miles now has competition for the free day-old biscotti and large window seat at one of his favorite cafes in New York. Miles' cafe interloper is Zoey Abot, recent transplant from California. Though both Miles and Zoey get off on the wrong foot, they have way more in common than they realize. They're affected by the loss of trust from loved ones. They are firmly in the camp of "starving artist" as they scrounge and scrimp to afford rent and food in the Big Apple. They're also both secretly wooing one another as dating profile ghostwriters for other people. Both Miles and Zoey are complex and lively characters who sizzle and spark when together, and getting to know their adorable family members is an added, heartwarming bonus. Miles' parents are a Muslim and Jewish couple, and they adore their son to bits. Meanwhile, Zoey is still dealing with abandonment issues from her parents, who met in the Philippines while doing disaster relief; thankfully, she has a lovely best friend who is also her grandma. At times, the romantic pacing gets bogged down in the details of Miles' and Zoey's larger social circles, like Zoey's definitely racist boss, Clifford, and the persnickety boyfriend of Miles' best friend. For those feeling the lack of romantic comedies on the screen, this book will undoubtedly scratch that itch with its excellent banter, secret personas, and slow-burn attraction between a hero and heroine vying for a table big enough to put down their laptops. An energetic romance that would make Nora Ephron proud.
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May 15, 2020
This multicultural mash-up of Cyrano de Bergerac and You've Got Mail brings together two ghostwriters from competing companies whose jobs are to spice up online dating profiles to help their clients land the right mate. Aptly enough, "Tash Skilton" is the pseudonym for two writers, Sarvenaz Tash and Sarah Skilton. Zoey, Californian to the core, is in New York, thanks to her former employer/fairy godmother, Mary, a foulmouthed, larger-than-life, retired cult-film star turned script doctor. But Zoey is afraid of New York, only leaving her apartment for the coffee shop across the street. To make ends meet while she is supposed to be writing a novel, she polishes dating profiles and tutors clients on their online interactions. Miles, a total New Yorker also employed to tweak online dating sites, has been couch-surfing since his fianc�e dumped him and his company downsized. He ends up at his old favorite coffee shop, where he has to compete with Zoey for the big table and the free biscotti. A light, hip, and humorous romance, perfect for stressful times.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)