The Christmas Countdown by Holly Cassidy

A special thank you to the author, Holly Cassidy, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All Callie wants for Christmas is to hibernate. She's still reeling from being dumped by her childhood sweetheart, and under no circumstances will she go home for the holidays considering her ex will be right next door with his new, perfect partner. Callie is officially in grinch mode, but her meddling sister, Anita, won’t let her give up on life, love, and Christmas quite so easily.

Anita stages a Christmas intervention for Callie with a homemade Advent calendar challenge—cheerful tasks to push Callie out of her comfort zone and into the holiday spirit, inspired by a childhood tradition. Callie reluctantly plays along, but when she comes face-to-face with a charming baker who just might be the spoonful of sugar she needs, her strict rules on love and the holidays are tested.

As they strike a deal to do the activities together, could the twenty four little doors on Callie’s Advent calendar not only open up one, but two closed-off hearts?

Full of Advent activities—carolling, sledding, hot chocolate, eggnog, and even ugly Christmas sweaters—this holiday rom-com will you have you decking your halls and jingling your bells. The Christmas Countdown is the perfect gift!

HOLLY CASSIDY is the pen name for internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon. Her suspense novels include The Neighbors, Her Secret Son, Sister Dear, You Will Remember Me, Never Coming Home, The Revenge List, and Only One Survives. 

McKinnon was born in England, grew up in Switzerland, and now lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and three sons. 

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Q & A with Holly Cassidy*

GWR: How long did it take you to write The Christmas Countdown, and how many drafts were there before publication? 

HC: It took about 4 months to write and self-edit the first draft I shared with my editors. After that we had a large round of structural edits, followed by two smaller ones. Once those were done, we went through another few rounds to cover line, copy, and proof edits. I’m so happy with the result and adore Callie and Marco’s story.

GWR: What was the inspiration for the novel? 

HC: At the end of my first Holly Cassidy rom-com, The Christmas Wager, the protagonist Bella describes a homemade calendar she has prepared for her boyfriend, Jesse. That tiny segment was the inspiration for The Christmas Countdown although the books are standalones and feature a new setting and an entire new cast of characters. It was fun to have one of my books inspire another.

GRW: Do you have a favourite chapter or scene? 

HC: I loved the carolling and sledding scenes—and of course the one where Callie follows Dazey Rocket onto the roof, which made me laugh out loud. I adored everything that touched on Switzerland. I grew up in Interlaken and lived in Switzerland for decades before coming to Canada in 2010. Incorporating my heritage was wonderful. For example, the Mailänderli and Basler Brunsli cookie recipes are straight from my high school home economics book, which I still have and use.

GWR: What were the most important characteristics and dynamic that you wanted Callie and Marco’s relationship to have? What about Callie and Anita’s?

HC: I wanted the relationship between Callie and Marco to be a friends-to-lovers arc with a grumpy/sunshine dynamic. They’ve both been hurt by other people and are wary of opening their hearts to anyone. It was important for me to demonstrate those vulnerabilities, and how they can affect us. 

Regarding Callie and her sister, Anita, I wanted to show a different side of Callie, not only her romantic one. She and Anita get along well, but like most siblings, there’s friction at times. Anita’s far more outgoing and spontaneous and thinks Callie should move on from her ex, stat. It was interesting to have siblings who are so different yet have a close and ten­der bond. It gave the story and the characters more depth.

GWR: The advent calendar was so creative—where did you get the ideas?

HC: It’s based on an Advent calendar I made for our three sons when they were young. Each year, I’d syphon off Halloween candy, which I’d pop into twenty-four little bags I’d string up on the banister. I’d add one little note to the bags, always alternating between a task and a treat. A task would be things for the boys to do such as laying the table or paying someone a compliment. A treat would be us reading an extra bedtime story together or them staying up 15 minutes later. This became the basis for the Advent calendar Callie and Anita’s mum made for them when they were small, and which Anita levelled-up to help Callie find her zest for life again. It was a lot of fun taking something so simple for my past and building an entire world around it.

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

HC: Oh, fun question. How about the “Grinch Cocktail” mentioned in the book, made from midori liqueur, rum, lemon lime soda, and maraschino cherries? Delicious!

GWR: What are you working on now?

HC: My next Hannah Mary McKinnon thriller is tentatively called A Killer Motive and slated for publication in the fall of 2025. It’s about a guilt-ridden true crime podcaster, Stella Dixon, who promotes her show A Killer Motive on the radio. A disgruntled listener asks why there hasn’t been another podcast episode about her brother, Max, who vanished from a beach party Stella took him to six years ago. Days later, Max’s alleged abductor contacts Stella, and after she dismisses him as a crank, Max’s best friend disappears. The abductor challenges Stella to find him or he dies. If she succeeds, she’ll finally learn the truth about Max’s whereabouts…but she can’t breathe a word to anyone. I think it features my most twisted protagonist yet!

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

Heart on My Sleeve by Jeanne Beker

A special thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jeanne Beker’s name is synonymous with style and grace in fashion. Recognized by many as the beloved host of Fashion Television and the The NewMusic, Jeanne has spent an entire career interviewing celebrities and uncovering their most private selves. Now, in Heart on My Sleeve, Jeanne reveals who she is in an all-new way.

This is not just a memoir but a wardrobe of memory. Jeanne walks us through her recollections of specific pieces of clothing and jewelry, precious items that have made an indelible impact on her. She invites readers to think more deeply about how what we wear—whether it’s a thrift-store find or high-end couture—acts as a touchstone to our most treasured recollections, reminding us of who we once were or of loved ones we hold dear.

With Jeanne as our style guide, we get up-close and personal with a star-studded cast, including Paul McCartney, Madonna, Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Moss, Oscar de la Renta, Beyoncé, and Keith Richards. But equally important, Jeanne introduces us to the family members and loved ones who form her closest entourage—including her wise Yiddish mother and her industrious father, both Holocaust survivors; her childhood neighbour Mrs. Jaskolka, a style maven ahead of her time; her two trailblazing daughters; and her many warm and exuberant friends who have seen her through the best and worst of times.

Jeanne proves that a life lived with style and substance is always in fashion. Bold, colourful, and authentic, this is Jeanne Beker at her very best and brightest. 

Style maven Jeanne Beker delivers an uplifting and inspiring memoir that is a love letter to fashion as well as a chronicle of not only some of her incredible pieces, but of her experiences and wisdom. Beker's writing is candid, engaging, and authentic. 

Heart on my Sleeve is more than an account of Jeanne's many successes and accolades. It is also a testament to her perseverance, resilience, and spirit. You will enjoy her company immensely—it is as much of a treasure as she is.

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JEANNE BEKER was the host of the hit show Fashion Television, which aired in over 130 countries for twenty-seven years and was one of the most successful shows in Canadian TV history. Prior to that, she hosted the groundbreaking show The NewMusic and was a founding member of MuchMusic. A seasoned newspaper and magazine columnist, Jeanne was editor-in-chief of FQ and SIR magazines from 2003 to 2009. Currently, she is a frequent keynote speaker and style editor for TSC, where she hosts her eponymous show Style Matters. 

Beker has received honorary doctorates from St. Mary’s University and OCAD University. She was named to the Order of Canada in 2013, inducted into the American Marketing Association’s Hall of Legends in 2015, and received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2016. 

Jeanne lives in Toronto, Canada. 

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Q & A with Jeanne Beker*

GWR: You were a pioneer in music and fashion journalism—what was this like to be such a trailblazer in Canadian television? 

JB: We were flying by the seat of our pants, no question, making it up as we went along. We didn’t really think of it as trail blazing at the time—we were just hell bent on being original and making great TV. We had no role models, of course, and it certainly was liberating to be able to be that unconventional. But it wasn’t always easy because not everyone understood what we were doing—or trying to do. 

GWR: When it comes to fashion, you have covered the gamut. What was your favourite trend? Do you have a least favourite? 

JB: I’m not really a big fan of the notion of “trends” to begin with, though I realize they often dictate the way people choose to dress. But in the early 90’s, the idea of “doing your own thing” came on strong again—the way it did in the ‘70s—and it was wonderful to see so many fashion enthusiasts break rules, and not worry about what everybody else was wearing. Once upon a time, fashion was definitely about doing what everybody else was doing—but self expression came into play in a big way, and that, to me, was the absolute healthiest direction to take. We saw a lot of exuberance in fashion in the ‘90s because of that mindset—and happily, it’s a kind of “trend” that never did really go away. I’ve also always loved the vintage vibe, and vintage dressing is certainly a wonderfully sustainable way to go. 

In terms of “least favourite” trend—well, that’s a tough one because I’m one of those people who never says never. Certain things are jarring when they’re first introduced, but our eye gets very used to some of these things very quickly, so I’m good with all of it!!! 

GWR: What are some of your wardrobe staples?

JB: Several pair of great fitting black pants, in a variety of fabrics, that can be dressed up or down; a well tailored black jacket; a few colourful silk shirts; a few little black cocktail dresses (sorry for all the black! LOL); as many cashmere sweaters as I can get my hands on; a great fitting pair of blue jeans; a leather moto jacket; a handful of silk scarves; high heels that are relatively comfy to wear (because nothing makes me feel as sexy as a pair of heels!); and empowering accessories—whether they’re bold, or sentimental, or whimsical, or just beautifully designed.  

GWR: In Heart on my Sleeve, you thread together moments from your life by writing about pieces from your wardrobe that have special meaning, weaving in life lessons and experiences. How did you come up with the concept of telling your story through the lens of fashion?

JB: Although I appreciate being known for many things, I guess “fashion” is what most people associate me with, because SO many people grew up watching me on Fashion Television! But I was thinking of a way to get into my story-telling, and I thought about how my own wardrobe was so rife with so many memories. For some crazy reason, I almost always remember exactly what I was wearing on any adventure. Maybe it’s because I often look at what we wear as “costume”—the way we dress can help us feel our best, most authentic selves, and communicate so much about who we are to both others, and ourselves. I thought that by reminiscing about my cherished wardrobe pieces, I might encourage others to do the same. At any rate, all these pieces served as great springboards for my story telling, and gave me—and hopefully will give my readers—some fun insights into past eras, and the role fashion often played. 

GWR: How did you decide on which items to feature? 

JB: Well I felt I had to have a pretty good story to offer with each piece. There have been untold cherished pieces in my wardrobe over the years, but not all were worthy of featuring because they didn’t have a particularly compelling story to go along with them. Many of the pieces I wrote about I still actually own! Some are relegated to mere memories….and some I still have photos of. My talented daughter Bekky O’Neil did the illustrations in the book, so you’ll at least get an idea of what all these wonderful pieces looked like. And there are several old photos in the book as well, to really take you back. 

GWR: Heart on my Sleeve is not a chronicling of your successes but rather a testament to your resilience, your spirit, and your perseverance. Why did you choose to write it this way? 

JB: I feel that at this time in my life it’s really important to share as many life lessons as possible. The stories in this memoir, which are not in any chronological order, hopefully all offer some kind of lesson— from having faith, confidence, and compassion, to dreaming big, fearlessness, and the power of positivity. 

GWR: What is the best piece of advice you’ve received? 

JB: The advice my dad always gave me, which was his personal motto:  Don’t be afraid.  And never give up. 

GWR: What do you hope readers take away from Heart on my Sleeve?  

JB: I hope they understand how a little girl with stars in her eyes, who always kept an open mind and an open heart—and worked extremely hard—managed to realize countless fantasies during a brilliantly exciting era in pop culture. I hope readers will understand the role authenticity has played in my life, and how fashion, as superficial as it often is, can be a catalyst for self discovery and great communication.   

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be?

JB: A cross between hot ginger tea and a vodka martini, straight up, with olives!

GWR: Can you share what you are working on next?

JB: I’m co-curating a huge, fashion-themed exhibit with Canadian designer Paul Hardy which will be presented at Calgary’s Glenbow Museum (currently under renovation) when it re-opens in 2026. Incredibly exciting for sure! Details will be announced in the next few weeks.  

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

The Lightening Bottles by Marissa Stapley

A special thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

He was the troubled face of rock ‘n’ roll…until he suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Jane Pyre was once half of the famous rock ‘n’ roll duo, the Lightning Bottles. Years later, she’s perhaps the most hated—and least understood—woman in music. She was never as popular with fans as her bandmate (and soulmate), Elijah Hart—even if Jane was the one who wrote the songs that catapulted the Lightning Bottles to instant, dizzying fame, first in the Seattle grunge scene, then around the world.

But ever since Elijah disappeared five years earlier and the band’s meteoric rise to fame came crashing down, the public hatred of Jane has taken on new levels, and all she wants to do is retreat. What she doesn’t anticipate is the bombshell that awaits her at her new home in the German countryside: the sullen teenaged girl next door—a Lightning Bottles superfan—who claims to have proof that not only is Elijah still alive, he’s also been leaving secret messages for Jane. And they need to find them right away.

Told in both the past and the present, Stapley's latest is a gritty account of a famous band torn apart by addiction and fame. Her writing is complex, as are her characters, and she hits all the right notes in this atmospheric ode to the 90s. The Lightening Bottles is a visceral and searing portrait of addiction, love, loss, and the price of fame.

Part mystery, part romance, and part love letter to one of rock music's most influential decades, The Lightening Bottles is a smash. 

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MARISSA STAPLEY is a journalist and the bestselling author of Mating for Life, Things to Do When It's Raining, The Last Resort, and Lucky which has been optioned for television. 

Stapley lives in Toronto with her family.

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Q & A with Marissa Stapley*

GWR: How did you start writing/become a writer?    

MS: I was a journalist for many years, writing in-house and freelance for several newspapers and magazines—but I always knew I wanted to write creatively. The key to starting to write is to just…start! It’s that simple, and that impossible. I finally sat down and started working on a novel which would eventually become my first. I managed to get an agent and sell it to a small Canadian publisher, but sadly that publisher went out of business before the book came out. There were a few years of false starts and challenges but I kept at it, and eventually wrote Mating for Life, my debut novel which truly kickstarted my career as an author. 

GWR: You have written nine books (Marissa is also the author of: Lucky, The Last Resort, Things to Do When It’s Raining, and Mating for Life; co-authored as Maggie Knox All I Want for Christmas and The Holiday Swap with Karma Brown; co-authored Three Holidays and a Wedding with Uzma Jalaluddin; and has a new holiday novel, The Holiday Honeymoon Switch, writing as Julia McKay). Do you approach each the same way, or does your process differ based on genre?

MS: My process is only different now because of how many deadlines I have. I used to “pants” my way through a fairly lean first draft of each book, and then go back and do a sort of retroactive outline. That may be a slightly more fun and exciting way to work, but it’s not entirely predictable. Meaning that now I have become a plotter, and I’ll probably never go back. (Then again, never say never!) I tend to come up with an idea, write a one page pitch that I’ll share with my agent. We’ll discuss it, I’ll think about it for  a while, and then I’ll come up with a detailed outline. I actually adore outlining. Uzma always used to tell me when we were writing together that outlining is my super power. I do think I’m very good at taking ideas and running with them, and creating detailed road maps are now one of my favourite parts of the writing process. I do this with every novel, whether it’s one of the novels I publish under my own name, or a holiday rom-com. 

And I certainly take all my books seriously, no matter the genre. The rom-coms may be more fun, but it is just as important to me to get everything about them right.I always say easy reading is absolutely NOT easy writing. In fact, it can often be the opposite. And just because I'm always heading towards a happy ending with those books doesn’t mean I can’t delve into serious topics or take my characters to interesting, thought-provoking places.  I look forward to doing so much more of that in the future. 

GWR: What was the inspiration for The Lightning Bottles?

MS: I’ve been calling this novel the book of my heart. It is inspired by who I was as a teenager: music obsessed, and especially fixated on the world of grunge and alternative music. But that music scene had so much tragedy—not to mention a lot of misogyny.  Far too many artists were lost  too young, and far too many female artists did not get the credit they deserved.  I started to wonder what it would feel like to rewrite the history I lived through--and the idea for this book was born. 

GWR: Jane is a strong female and is perceived as being difficult and not overly liked by her peers and higher ups in the industry. Why do you think that women in music, especially during that time, were thought of as such, rather than as influential and/or creative? 

MS: I really don’t understand why any of this happens. Why was Yoko Ono seen as less than, when in truth she was integral to John Lennon’s art, so much so that the words to ‘Imagine’ came from  her poetry, and this was only acknowledged later—and still not really talked about? Why did she bear the blame for the Beatles break up? Why was Courtney Love accused of everything from killing her husband when he clearly took his own life, to not writing her own music when she is clearly a talented musician herself? Why have rockstars historically been able to get away with heinous acts (such as staggering amounts of statutory rape, casually detailed in a sickening number of rock memoirs) but Sinead O’Connor stood up against child abuse and was erased for it? I think there is still a fight to be had when it comes to equality and that we need to keep doing the hard work. Which means, for example, that when a female artist like Chappell Roan stands up and asks for boundaries and refuses to smile and be nice when she’s being treated horribly by the paparazzi we need to allow that, not vilify it. We cannot allow “the way things have always been” to dictate what our future looks like or we will always be stuck in the dark ages. 

GWR: This book takes a deep dive into other issues—mental health, addiction, toxic relationships—why was it important to include these elements in the story?

MS: I could not possibly have been true to the realities of the grunge music era without delving into those issues.  I did so much research on addiction and mental health and also drew from personal experience, as I have supported family members and friends through both. These are not easy topics. I remember thinking as I did my research that for addicts—such as Kurt Cobain—and those dealing with mental health issues—such as Jeff Buckley—fame just made it all so much worse. I started thinking that escape would have been the only option for them to ever get to a place where recovery was possible. This really informed the story. As far as toxic relationships, I wanted to try to see what would happen, fictionally, at least, if the characters in such toxic relationships were perhaps able to grow and learn from their experiences and hardships. So again, this informed the course of the story greatly. 

GWR: Tell me about the research you did for the novel?

MS: I’ve said many times that the books I read as research for this novel would stack all the way up to my office ceiling—and I have a high ceiling! I thought I knew the grunge and alternative music world inside and out, having come of age during that time. But there was so much research I needed to do to understand the inner workings of the music world, as well as song-writing—not to mention the harsh realities of addiction and mental health. I read endlessly. Music memoirs, addiction memoirs, books about songwriting, books about music. I also spoke with many industry experts, such as the great Alan Cross, to really get the story right. 

GWR: Why did you choose a third person perspective and a dual timeline?

MS: The dual timeline was really the only way to tell this story. We had to start at the beginning—which was also sort of the end—and work back. As far as third person, I don’t think Jane is the type of character who would have allowed first person, if that makes sense. She is far too closed and self-protective, and it would have been really challenging as an author to try to get in as close as first person writing requires. I don’t know that there’s ever a conscious, 'I am going to sit down and write this story in this exact way’ moment, at least not for me. I have my idea, and once I get past the conceptualizing stage and sit down to write, it just begins when it does and comes out the way it comes out. I might get a few chapters in and realize the story needs to be first person but I’m writing in third, or that I need to tell the story in a linear way when I’ve started it as dual timeline, but that’s usually the sort of thing I figure out pretty early. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

MS: A shot of Chartreuse, straight from the bottle. 

GWR: What are you working on now?

MS: My second holiday rom com, writing as Julia McKay, which is out next fall and I’ll have more news on soon. And two screen adaptation projects. 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

The Offing by Roz Nay

A special thank you to the publisher, Viking, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ivy is in trouble. A recent break-up has left her humiliated and raw, so when her best friend, Regan, offers her a month-long escape in the form of a trip to Australia, it feels like a lifeline, one that Ivy grabs with both hands.

Regan is everything Ivy’s not—confident, free-spirited, charismatic—and a natural at backpacker fun. But Ivy is drawn to a calmer type of holiday, so when she spots an ad for crewmembers on a small yacht being sailed by a doting father and his daughter, the girls decide to take the job. Together with a handsome third crewmember, they set off north into tropical heat, but it's not long before doubts start to creep in. Are the girls simply claustrophobic on the boat, or have they stumbled into something they don't understand? 

Tensions rise as the past threatens to catch up with them, and dark secrets emerge that will change everything. A dangerous cat-and-mouse game on land and at sea, this fast-paced, twisty thriller keeps you guessing until the very last page.

Two young women are trapped in a deadly chase through the beautiful, dangerous waters around Australia. Drawing on her own crew experience, Nay is an expert guide to reader. 

Perfectly paced and expertly plotted, The Offing is a claustrophobic, high-octane thriller that can easily be devoured in one sitting. It is slick and propulsive and full of shocking twists. This escapist novel is as menacing as it is beautiful—a must-read this summer. 

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ROZ NAY is the award winning bestselling author of Our Little Secret, Hurry Home, and The Hunted.

Nay has lived and worked in Africa, Australia, the US, and the UK. She lives in British Columbia, Canada with her husband and two children.

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Q & A with Roz Nay*

GWR: How did you start writing/become a writer?    

RN: I always wrote stories as a child and remember being sent out of English to a music lesson in fifth grade, only to return early and find the teacher reading my work to the class. I was mortified! (That hasn't changed.) Beyond that, my husband signed me up for a writing class as a hobby after we had kids. I loved that class and it kind of snowballed from there.

GWR: How long did it take you to write The Offing, and how many drafts were there before publication?

RN: From start to finish, it took me about a year to write this one, but the early drafts took a while to pin down. Sometimes I'm impatient with the characters and think I know them before I really do. I find that I write scenes that don't make the second draft, because once I'm deeper into knowing who these messy people are, I can spot all the moments that don't quite ring true.

GWR: What was the genesis of the novel?

RN: The Offing is actually frighteningly autobiographical. When I was 27, I went backpacking on my own to Australia, and took a job on a whim as crew on a family-owned yacht. The boat in the story is an exact replica of the real one, along with the journey, the dad, the daughter, and the cat. Obviously in my version, there's less murder and more of a successful finish line, but I'm ashamed to say that I did all of the stupid and dangerous things these girls did, which is why it was easy for me to write about them.

GWR: Do you pair your characters to the book—what characters would survive the scenario—or do you write them situationally?

RN: With this one, I had the boat, the skipper, the daughter, and the cat first, because they were in the original true version. I also knew the setting, including how claustrophobic the boat was, so that part was also in place. After that, I had to figure out where the danger was coming from, and who might be running from it. I wanted to explore female friendship, too, so I knew I needed two young backpackers who knew each other but not that well... In a sense, with The Offing, the main characters came late to the cast list, but I think that's because I lived this story and had some characters ready to go. 

GWR: What do you have more fun with, character development or plot?

RN: Again, with every book it's different but with The Offing, I liked how I was pushing myself structurally as a writer. The book has several worlds running concurrently—that of the boat itself (which feels present but isn't), the police interviews (which are present), and anything that might have happened prior to the girls climbing on board. I also had to solve the problem, plot-wise, of creating a thriller on a boat but not letting the girls feel so freaked out that they'd simply get off at the next stop. That's more complicated than it sounds and I enjoyed the challenge of it. 

GWR: What’s the one element of a thriller that is a must?

RN: Menace. I think you can create compelling characters, a cool setting, some hooky love interest, a good twist - but unless you have a pervasive sense of dread and menace right from the outset, you'll lose your thriller reader to the TBR pile. It's a busy genre and you have to keep them turning pages.

GWR: How do you write effective red herrings when you are so close to the material?

RN: By the time I've finished a first draft, I've got my red herrings in place—and in fact, they present themselves quite quickly once the plot is watertight. What I do in the second draft—now that I've told myself the story—is make sure I'm not overcooking them. The trick is to keep readers unsure for as long as possible, so that those blind alleys remain tempting and don't feel like too obvious a decoy.

GWR: Did the story end the way you’d initially thought?

RN: Yes, although the body count stacked up a bit. I didn't have all the outcomes for the villain(s), but I knew who'd done what and to whom.

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

RN: I'm going to say it's a Negroni because it's layered—it has solid gin that you can trust, but then that complex, bitter Campari, and can you really rely on the sweetness of the Vermouth? 

GWR: What are you working on now?

RN: I'm writing my fifth thriller which is about a house swap that takes place between a woman in the UK and a man in the USA. It's like the movie The Holiday, but the thriller version. So, you know. Creepy plotline and no Jude Law.

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

The Haters by Robyn Harding

A special thank you to Grand Central Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Camryn Lane is living her dream. After years of struggle and rejection, her first novel has finally been published. Her editor is happy; her teenage daughter is proud; and her boyfriend and friends are all excited for her. She’s on top of the world—until she receives a disturbing message from an unknown sender. 

Rattled by the accusations she finds there, Camryn swallows the sick feeling in her stomach and resolves to put the missive out of her mind. But when she checks her ratings on a popular book site, she finds a scathing one-star review. The reviewer is so articulate and convincing that soon, Camryn’s book is flooded with bad reviews. Could the reviewer be the same person who sent the ugly email? And why do they want to ruin her?

As the online harassment creeps into Camryn’s personal life, she vows to find out who’s behind it. Is it really a disgruntled reader? Or could it be someone she knows? The troll’s actions are escalating, and when the abuse turns deadly, it will take everything Camryn has to unmask the enemy so intent on destroying her—and finally learn why she's being targeted.

Set in Vancouver, this psychological thriller is a dark tale of obsession that's served with a side of revenge. 

Told in first person from Camryn's perspective, The Haters is rife with cancel culture, negative reviews, and doxing. Harding cleverly employs mise en abyme (a novel within a novel) with the inclusion of chapters from Camryn's book Burnt Orchid. This ratchets up the tension—making the attacks more personal—Camryn's fear is palpable and consuming.  

Completely binge-worthy, The Haters is a cautionary tale about the perils of fame and the pitfalls of social media. A must read! 

ROBYN HARDING is the author of thirteen novels including The Swap, The Party, Her Pretty Face, The Arrangement, and The Drowning Woman. She has also written and executive produced an independent film.

Harding lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family and two cute but deadly rescue chihuahuas. 

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Q & A with Robyn Harding*

GWR: How did you start writing/become a writer?

RH: I’ve been writing for so long I can barely remember how it all started! I published my first novel in 2004, and I submitted it the old-fashioned way: sending snail mail partial manuscripts to agents and publishers. I signed with my agent in 2003 and I’ve been with him ever since.     

GWR: What comes first for you, the overall idea or the characters?

RH: I always start with a premise, just a kernel of an idea that I can turn into a tense complicated mystery. Next, I decide on the characters, the people I want to drag through the muck. After that I build out the world they inhabit.

  

GWR: How long did it take you to write The Haters, and how many drafts were there before publication?

RH: I was on a tight timeline for this novel and wrote it in under six months. I don’t recommend it! Luckily, the first draft was in decent shape, so my editorial notes were not significant. I did a second draft and then there were just a few minor tweaks after that.

GWR: What was the spark of the novel?

RH: Sadly, it was online hate I’ve received in the past, specifically one really abusive email. I had to remove the “contact me” link from my website after that. It was so upsetting! I tweeted about it and so many writers chimed in about experiencing similar attacks. I knew there was a story there.

GWR: The Haters is a bit of a departure for you in that it takes place in your native Vancouver. Why was it important for you to set the novel here?

RH: I’ve been trying to set a novel here for years! My former editor didn’t think a Canadian setting would be relatable to US readers, but my current editor is okay with it (and I’m pretty sure American readers can handle it). I love my city and it was nice to give some local flavour to the story.   

GWR: Character development or plot—what do you have more fun with?

RH: Equally fun! I love creating a twisty plot, but I also love diving into the psychology and backstory of my characters.

GWR: What draws you to darker themes? 

RH: I’m not sure what’s wrong with me but I love to read, write, and watch murder. I think it’s because we have the luxury of feeling safe in our homes, and in our country, so many of us are looking for an adrenaline rush.

GWR: What do you hope readers will take away from The Haters?

RH: I always write to entertain, but if there’s a message here, it’s that people in the public space have feelings. Everyone has a right to express their opinions in various forums, but messaging or tagging an author, artist, actor, or other public figure with a negative review of their work is hurtful. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

RH: A dark and stormy. (I don’t even know what that tastes like, but the name is perfect.)

GWR: What are you working on now?

RH: I’m working on a new novel about a couple trying to repair their marriage in a remote house high in the hills above Spain’s Costa Brava. I’m having so much fun writing it and I feel transported back there (I visited in 2022). It’ll be on sale spring 2026!

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

Every Time We Say Goodby by Natalie Jenner

A special thank you to the author, Natalie Jenner, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is facing the greatest challenge of her life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. 

The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Lowry's last chance for a dramatic career. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job in as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. 

There she finds a vibrant movie making scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeates the very soul of Italy.

As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also must face the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the mystery of what really happened to her deceased fiancé. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a brilliant exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary. (From HarperCollins.)

Jenner's latest once again brings a vibrant cast of characters to life—including cameos from her previous two novels (The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls) and by classical Hollywood cinema's leading ladies. 

The story takes place in post-war Italy where a group of American and British expatriates become entangled in controversy while making a movie about a female Italian resistance fighter during the occupation called "La Scolaretta," the Schoolgirl assassin. Her story makes up the dual narrative. 

Meticulously researched, this novel demonstrates how impactful art is not only to preserve our history, but as a medium to communicate to the masses as well as entertain. 

Every Time We Say Goodbye is a cinematic novel of love, art, grief, and of confronting the past to face the future.

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NATALIE JENNER is the author of the instant international bestseller The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls. A Goodreads Choice Award runner-up for historical fiction and finalist for best debut novel, The Jane Austen Society was a USA Today and #1 national bestseller, and has been sold for translation in twenty countries. 

Born in England and raised in Canada, Jenner has been a corporate lawyer, career coach and, most recently, an independent bookstore owner in Oakville, Ontario, where she lives with her family and two rescue dogs.

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Q & A with Natalie Jenner*

GWR: How long did it take you to write Every Time We Say Goodbye, and how many drafts were there before publication?

NJ: I tend to have a “four seasons” energy when it comes to writing: I start with the hopefulness of spring, finish with the sharpened-pencil mood of fall, buckle down in our Canadian winter to edit, and deliver the final MS at its end. With Every Time We Say Goodbye, it was the same: roughly a year, May to April, and about three substantive drafts in total—but months of line editing in between! 

GWR: What was the genesis of the novel?

NJ: In the spring of 2021, I was rewatching Day For Night, an old Francois Truffaut film about film, and ended up falling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole when I learned that Rome’s famous Cinecittà studios had been used as refugee camps during and after WWII, and that some refugees might even have been extras during filming there of the Hollywood epic Quo Vadis. This lit a creative spark in me, and I decided (helped by lack of travel in 2021 due to the pandemic!) to set my next book in Rome, my favourite city.

GWR: What do you have more fun with, character development or plot? 

NJ: I write line by line, without outlining or knowing what is going to happen, so everything—plot and characters—is fun for me. This also means that the characters drive the plot: I feel like I am a tin can tied to their collective bumper, being pulled along in their wake, and only discovering their secrets along the way. The absolute most fun for me is when I finally realize what those secrets are.

GWR: Your books are always meticulously researched and detailed—can you tell us about the process?

NJ: My process is very haphazard, in part because the subject matter of each book drives the research. But basically, I research just enough before I start writing to ensure a sense of time and place, then as I write I research whatever pops up in the plot. I can say that the research for Every Time We Say Goodbye was the most intense, intensive, and harrowing that I have ever done. From war orphans, partisan resisters, religion and censorship, to Italian laws, culture, cinema, and politics: much of this was brand new to me, and I felt a real imperative to get it as right as possible, out of respect for that amazing country and its equally amazing people.

GWR: What made you decide to write a dual timeline? Was it easier or more challenging?

NJ: I never had any intention of writing a dual timeline. In fact, I was halfway through the book, when one morning (and I will never forget this moment) I sat down at my laptop and suddenly the words “The handbag is almost empty inside” just popped onto the page. Right way, I realized I was inside the head of la scolaretta, the fictional “schoolgirl assassin” that many of my 1950s characters had been referencing in the plot. In a way, she made me write her, probably to get her right—or at least better than I had been doing! So again, the story sowed the seeds for that decision. It wasn’t necessarily easier, but I did love finding ways structurally to connect the two timelines, and create echoes between the respective plots, themes, characters, and settings.

GWR: Setting always plays such an important part in your novels. Although this book is largely set in Rome, it begins and ends in England—do you have ties to either country? 

NJ: My love for Italy, and Rome in particular, started in adolescence: I happen to be one of the last high-school Latin graduates in the province of Ontario! For six years I daily parsed the writings of Virgil, Ovid, and Catullus, and saw the intricate connection between that dead language and our own—in fact, it’s one of the few subjects I studied that impacts me still to this day and in a very fun, writerly way. I have since visited Italy several times, and Rome remains my favourite city in the world. 

I only recently realized that all of my books end in England, which makes me appreciate what some call ancestral memory—all I know, is that I have always felt an incredibly strong attachment and affinity to all things British. My father, brother, and I were born in England, and I grew up in a very British-Canadian household: kippers for Christmas morning breakfast, Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em on the tv. I continue to visit my paternal family and friends there every chance I get.

GWR: Was it hard to say goodbye to the characters in these books?  

NJ: No, but probably only because I always try to leave my characters in the best place in life that I can, ready to face whatever life throws at them next. I think I purposefully do that in order to feel closure—yet I keep finding ways to revisit many of my characters in subsequent books, so I think perhaps I am just really bad at goodbyes!

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be?

NJ: An Aperol Spritz: summery and long-lasting, with a refreshing bite. 

GWR: What are you working on now?

NJ: I am putting the finishing touches on Austen at Sea, which is the tale of two daughters of a Massachusetts supreme court justice who start a correspondence with Jane Austen's last surviving sibling, a ninety-one-year-old retired admiral, and travel by mail packet steamship to meet him in the summer of 1865 just as the civil war has ended. In their absence, their widowed father's colleagues on the bench start a judicial reading circle dedicated to Austen as a means of distracting him. Louisa May Alcott also makes an appearance in the plot, leading the other women on board ship in a charity performance of vignettes from A Tale of Two Cities. A literary treasure hunt soon ensues, culminating in climactic court cases on both sides of the Atlantic involving a piece of Austen history and a multitude of characters including theatre impresarios, street waifs, newspapermen, suffragists, gypsy fortune tellers, and many more (my quasi-tribute to Dickens). These is also a very loose connection to my first novel, The Jane Austen Society, which has made the entire writing experience especially gratifying and “full circle” for me as a writer—see my failure at closure, above!

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Pacific Hills, California: Gated communities, ocean views, well-tended lawns, serene pools, and now the new home of the Shah family. For the Shah parents, who came to America twenty years earlier with little more than an education and their new marriage, this move represents the culmination of years of hard work and dreaming. For their children, born and raised in America, success is not so simple.

For the most part, these differences among the five members of the Shah family are minor irritants, arguments between parents and children, older and younger siblings. But one Saturday night, the twelve-year-old son is arrested. The fallout from that event will shake each family member's perception of themselves as individuals, as community members, as Americans, and will lead each to consider: how do we define success? At what cost comes ambition? And what is our role and responsibility in the cultural mosaic of modern America?

Gowda's scorching new novel follows an Indian-American family struggling to climb the social ladder and how an incident with the police highlights the systems of prejudice that are still at work. The Shahs are victims of the systemic racism that they thought the gates of their community protected them from. Their differing views further illustrate the generational and cultural divide. 

Told through multiple perspectives, this timely novel represents the separation that immigrant families feel from their adolescent children who were raised in a country different from their own. Gowda wades into the divided climate we live in, deftly handling polarizing views while still leaving much to be discussed—this book would make an excellent book club choice.

A Great Country explores themes of immigration, generational conflict, social class and privilege, the myth of the model minority and the price of the American dream.

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SHILPI SOMAYA GOWDA is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of four novels: The Golden Son (a Target Book Club Pick, a Costco Buyer’s Pick, and was awarded the French literary prize, Prix des Lyceens Folio), The Shape of Family (an international and American bestseller), A Great Country and Secret Daughter (an IndieNext Great Read, a Target Book Club Pick, a ChaptersIndigo Heather’s Pick, an Amnesty International Book Club Pick, and a finalist for the South African Boeke Literary Prize and the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award). 

Shilpi was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, and now lives in California. 

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Q & A with Shilpi Somaya Gowda*

GWR: How did you start writing/become a writer?    

SSG: I began writing in 2006, during a transitional period in my business career. I took some university night classes in creative writing after moving to a new city, and slowly began learning how to structure and write a novel. It provided a great framework for someone like me, with little creative writing experience. In that program, I wrote the first draft of my first novel, Secret Daughter. I spent the next two years revising the manuscript, finding a literary agent, and selling it to a publisher. It’s a great lesson that unexpected life changes can lead to exciting new things.

GWR: Are you a pantser/gardener or a plotter/architect? What does your writing process look like and does it differ from book-to-book? 

SSG: My process is a combination of planning and organic exploration. I start with a central character and story premise, and try to roughly outline the plot, but there are invariably large gaps. I often have a sense of the climax or central conflict, but almost never know the ending. I start by writing the pieces I know, which means I don’t write chronologically. As I develop the characters along the way, I find more details, including the secondary characters and sub-plots. The process does vary a bit with each book, since each story presents a new challenge. It seems like it should get easier over time, but not yet!

GWR: What was the genesis of A Great Country?

SSG: I began writing this novel in 2021, to try to make sense of the world around me. It was one year into the worldwide pandemic, in the wake of the George Floyd video, and amidst a rise in violence against Asian-Americans. The discussions I witnessed were fraught and often extreme, and there was a distressing decline in civil discourse. A new conversation was starting to emerge. The minority group often deemed to be “model” in the U.S. was being forced to reconsider its role and comfort level in this country. Should we be seeking common cause with other communities of color? Or protecting ourselves in dangerous times? What did it mean to be American, hyphenated or otherwise? These were the ideas—the social, cultural, political forces in America today—I wanted to explore in A Great Country. 

GWR: What character did you sympathize with the most and did that change while writing the book?

SSG: One of the keys of writing for me is to find a way to empathize with each of the characters. If I can’t put myself in their shoes, I can’t write them with any conviction. I can always find a connection with mothers, because of the universality of that experience. I also find myself rooting for those characters that have a hard time expressing themselves, like Ajay, and I end up working harder to show their perspective. 

GWR: Did any minor characters become major characters over the course of the novel?

SSG: I always knew the main character (Priya) would have a good friend throughout the story, but Archana (Archie) grew to have a significant role in the novel. She’s there to provide support, but also to remind Priya who she is/was, to show a contrast with how other friends and acquaintances react, and to offer to her professional guidance as a psychologist. Readers often tell me Archie is their favorite character, and don’t we all deserve a friend like her in our lives? I’m fortunate to have several of them.

GWR: What was the hardest scene to write?

SSG: The hardest scenes for me to write are always the ones where the characters go through a gruelling emotional experience. I have to feel what they’re feeling in order to write it. There were several of those scenes in this novel, but one of the toughest was an argument between Ashok and his eldest daughter, Deepa. There is a wide gulf between their views. They both have legitimate perspectives and are desperate to have the other understand; in that process, they say hurtful things to each other and are each left terribly, perhaps irrevocably, wounded.

GWR: You have many points of view that illustrate the cultural and generational differences—why did you choose to write the novel this way?

SSG: I conceived of this novel as a community story. While it’s centered on the Shah family, it also zooms out to a wider perspective to include four other families, each with a differing background, race, class, immigration status. I thought it was important to show where some of our political differences come from, how each family’s life experience drives how they see the American dream a bit differently. Within each family, generational conflicts arise between parents and children, and these further complicate the community dynamic.

GWR: What do you hope readers will take away from A Great Country?

SSG: I’ve learned that many people long for more civil dialogue as a way to face our society’s problems. It can be hard to approach these hot-button topics, but fiction can offer us a way to step into another person’s shoes. I hope that readers come away with a willingness to spark reflection and to perhaps understand a different perspective. Even better, they could use that as a basis to open respectful dialogue with their book club, neighbour or colleague. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

SSG: Masala chai, of course!

GWR: What are you working on now?


SSG: I have a couple of ideas I’ve been simmering on, but haven’t started writing. I’ve been reading, researching and jotting down notes. When an idea really begins to gather steam in my mind, that’s when I know it’s time to start writing.

A Man Downstairs by Nicole Lundrigan

A special thank you to Viking for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What if the childhood you remember isn’t really what happened at all?

Molly Wynters has moved back to her small hometown to care for her father, recently felled by a stroke and no longer able to communicate. She is ready to make a fresh start with her son after her divorce, but is haunted by both old events and new realities in her childhood home.

What Molly recalls of her young life with her father is full of love and care, even though a violent trauma defined her when she was a young girl, she witnessed her mother’s murder, and her testimony—“There was a man downstairs”—sent a teenager to prison. This tragic episode is still very much alive in the culture of the town, and the more Molly remembers, the more she fears that what she said on the stand all those years ago might not have been the whole truth.

After Molly, a trained therapist, volunteers for a local helpline, the threats begin. At first they seem random, but soon Molly realizes that she is a target, and even those closest to her seem suspicious, especially as unsuspected links between them emerge. More than one life was destroyed on that horrific long-ago day, and now someone intends to hold Molly accountable.

Lundigran's latest is a psychological thriller about a woman who is tormented by her memories. The thread that has kept Molly sewn together begins to unravel when she returns home to the small town that is both the keeper of secrets and the scene of her mother's murder.

On the simplest level, this is a page-turner. With short, punchy chapters, Lundrigan deftly shifts between a dual timeline and multiple points of view—Molly's, Gil's, and "His." The beautiful writing is juxtaposed with the grittiness of the novel. It is sublimely atmospheric and wickedly suspenseful.

A Man Downstairs is a compelling examination into the human psyche and the unreliability of memory.

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NICOLE LUNDRIGAN is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including Hideaway, which was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel, The Substitute, Glass Boys, and An Unthinkable Thing. Her work has appeared on “best of” selections from The Globe and Mail, Amazon.ca, Chatelaine, Now magazine, and others. 

Lundrigan grew up in Newfoundland, and now lives in Toronto.

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Q & A with Nicole Lundrigan* 

GWR: How did you start writing/become a writer?    

NL: When I was young, I never considered becoming a fiction writer. I had my daughter shortly after finishing an MSc, and while I was home with her, I wrote various articles. At some point I opted to continue down that creative path and attempted a book. And then a second book…

GWR: This is your ninth novel—do you approach each the same way? Can you share a little about your writing process?

NL: With my first novel, I had no idea what I was doing. At one point I remember googling ‘rules of writing fiction,’ and quickly closed my laptop. In hindsight, I believe being completely naïve gave me the confidence to try. I have learned a great deal by going through the process, but with each new project there is fresh insecurity. Part of my approach is not focusing on writing a book, but instead a little cluster of words each day. 

GWR: What is your favourite part of the publishing process?  

 NL: I find writing the first draft to be daunting, but once I have something down, the process becomes more enjoyable. When I receive feedback (sometimes in the form of really good questions), and the direction is suddenly illuminated, that’s an amazing feeling.

GWR: Character development or plot—what do you have more fun with?

NL: Definitely character. While I’ve gotten better at developing plotlines, exploring the psychology of the characters is what draws me in. When I’m thinking about writing a book, it usually starts with an emotion.

GWR: What’s the one element of a thriller that is a must?

NL: Sense of tension. That something *might* happen, even if the character is just walking to the fridge to get milk for coffee.

GWR: What was the genesis of A Man Downstairs?

NL: I happened upon a news article about a three-year-old boy testifying in court against his mother’s boyfriend. At the end the judge gave him a bag of chips. That was the spark, and various threads rolled out from there.

GWR: Tell me about the research you did for the novel?

NL: I tend to research in dribs and drabs, usually when I have a question during writing. Occasionally I get lost for a few hours, slipping down various rabbit holes. It’s neat when certain tidbits of information seem to find me, instead of the other way around.

GWR: Did the story end the way you’d initially thought?

NL: With this book, I had a clear(ish) sense of what would happen from the start but didn’t quite know why. During the writing process, I discovered a great deal about my character’s experiences and intentions and by the end, I understood their behaviour much better.

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

NL: Tricky question! Ideally a drink that is intense, involves a combination of distinct flavours, was popular in the seventies, and has come around again. Let’s go with a Sloe Gin Fizz.

GWR: Can you share what you are working on now and if you have any events/appearances coming up?

NL: I’ve been working on my tenth novel, which is currently unnamed. This will be the first time writing an entire book about women who are around my age. Though I’m not sure why, I’ve always resisted that. We will see what happens.

For events, I’m really looking forward to attending Montreal Mystère in May, which is downtown Montreal’s inaugural mystery book festival. I think it’s going to be a fantastic time.

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

A Friend in the Dark by Samantha M. Bailey

A special thank you to the author, Samantha M. Bailey, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eden Miller’s world is crumbling. Her husband blindsided her with divorce, and her daughter barely speaks to her. In an impulsive decision to escape her present and revisit the past, she sends a friend request to her college crush, Justin Ward. 

One night twenty-three years ago changed the course of her life. It closed the door on Justin and opened the door to her husband, Dave. But what if Eden could have a do-over? 

Eden begins an online relationship with Justin that awakens her in ways she never thought possible, and his voice and words make her take bold risks. But something’s off. He knows too much about her and her family…he’s been following her. 

Eden is forced to awaken from her fantasy and look for answers—who really is the man on the other line? The truth about Justin—and about what happened that fateful night two decades ago—puts her and her family in a fight for their lives. 

Told from first-person Eden and third-person Olivia, this dark, domestic thriller examines the perils of social media. With her well-developed characters, Bailey masterfully manipulates her reader. Eden and Olivia are as compelling as they are complex. 

With its short punchy chapters and jaw-dropping ending, A Friend in the Dark is expertly plotted and perfectly paced. It is sexy, smart, and slick. Congratulations, Sam!

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SAMANTHA M. BAILEY is the USA TODAY and #1 nationally bestselling author of Woman on the Edge and the instant #1 national bestseller, Watch Out for Her, one of the top ten bestselling Canadian Fiction books of 2022 and one of the Globe & Mail's top 100 books of 2022. Her novels have sold in eleven countries to date. 

Bailey lives in Toronto with her family.

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Q & A with Samantha M. Bailey*

GWR: Congratulations on publishing your third book! We’ve previously discussed your writing process, but how did you start writing/become a writer?    

SMB: Thank you! I grew up surrounded by books and read all the time. Even when I was walking down the street, my head would be in a book, and I’d bang into poles. Writers were and are my rock stars. I wrote my first story when I was ten, and it was my first rejection from a publisher. But it wasn’t until I was twenty-nine that I wrote a full-length novel. And I wasn’t published until I was forty-five. But the moment I sat down to write that first book, an indescribable joy came over me and a compulsion to type any time I could. That was when I knew I was a writer to the depths of my soul.

GWR: How long did it take you to write A Friend in the Dark, and how many drafts were there before publication? Do you have a favourite part of the publishing process? 

SMB: An author’s debut is usually the longest process, because it’s before contracts and deadlines, so there’s time to draft and rewrite over and over. With my third book, I wrote the first draft in four months, then my extraordinary editors and I did three big rounds and a few smaller ones, for copy edits and proofreads. All told, it was about nine months from start to finish. 

I love being edited and revising. For me, that first draft is to create the groundwork, a skeleton. The most intoxicating and exciting part is when I get to tear that skeleton limb from limb, rebuild it, and transform it from bones to a fully fleshed out world.

GWR: What was the genesis of the novel?

SMB: I think the pandemic sparked a lot of artistic inspiration and many deep online bonds that formed quickly because we were all so desperate for connection. That was the initial kernel of an idea for me. I message with a lot of author friends, and we develop very close relationships very rapidly because we understand each other. But often, we haven’t even met in person or seen each other face to face. That was the first lightbulb moment. From that idea, Eden came to me, a woman who’s done everything right only for it all to go so horribly wrong. Everything is out of her control. She loses her husband and daughter in the same day, and as someone who’s lived her life by the rules, the supposed tos, she’s lost, hurt, lonely, and yearning for someone to want her. She reaches out to the one person who made her want to be reckless, lose her inhibition, feel everything, do everything she’s scared of. That risk and fear is exhilarating and addictive. It’s that exhilaration, when you follow your desire instead of instinct, do whatever you want regardless of the consequences, was also something I wanted to explore. And how middle age is such a turning point for women. All the physical and emotional changes, our needs and wants, and how we can finally focus on ourselves after decades of taking care of everyone else.

GWR: Give us your best Hollywood pitch.

SMB: What happens when a good girl decides to be bad? 

GWR: Did any minor characters become major characters over the course of the novel?

SMB: This is such a good question! No, the major players are who they were when I initially started planning the novel. All the minor characters have a purpose, which is to drive the main characters’ motivations and actions.

GWR: I love the exploration of the pitfalls of social media—why was this topic compelling enough for you to write about?

SMB: For so many reasons. As an author, I’m on social media all the time. I’m careful what I post and share publicly, because I’m very protective of my private life. Information is so accessible, and sometimes to the wrong people. And because it feels like an insular world, where we connect with like-minded people who have the same interests, dreams, and goals, we often miss how much we’re putting out there about ourselves. I have two teenagers. When I was a teen in the 80s and 90s, I didn’t worry about strangers seeing photos, reading my innermost thoughts, having access to my personal life. Now everything is out there in posts, videos, reels, stories. As much as it connects us, provides comfort and communication, it’s also very frightening. We have to be so cognizant of who we trust and who we truly don’t know much about at all, but it’s also so easy to lose ourselves in that heady feeling of connection.

GWR: What’s the one element of a thriller that is a must?

SMB: Genre is tricky because it places a work of art in a box. And that box doesn’t always fit. I describe my books as domestic thrillers and domestic suspense because they’re about relationships as much as they’re about murder and mayhem. When I read thrillers, I want an escape, to feel frightened, surprised, yet also emotionally invested. I don’t have to like the characters or want to be like them. I actually prefer complicated, flawed characters who possess and portray all the different sides of humanity. I aim to do this when I write, as well. But I do think an element of danger is a must.

GWR: Did the story end the way you’d initially thought?

SMB: In some ways, yes. In other ways, no. I make very detailed outlines before I write so I know the lay of the land. But I definitely veer from that map, organically following my characters, who they are and what they want, even when they make terrible mistakes. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be?

SMB: I’m going to go with a Canadian favourite, which I didn’t realize was Canadian until I tried to order it at a bar in New York City. A Bloody Caesar, which is celery salt to rim the glass, vodka, Clamato juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and garnished with a celery stalk. It’s bold, savory, spicy, and smooth. At first, it tastes comforting then hits you with a kick.

GWR: Can you share what you are working on now? 

SMB: I’d love to! My fourth domestic suspense will be published by Thomas & Mercer in March 2025. For my entire life, I’ve wanted to write a story about Hollywood and celebrity. Finally, I’ve gotten that chance, and it’s so exciting for me. I even recently spent five days in LA for research, which was a dream. I’m drafting the book now, so I can’t share too much, but the working title is Hello, Juliet, and it’s up on Goodreads if you’d like to add it to your TBR!

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada. 

Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday

A special thank you to the author, Jenny Holiday, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once upon a time, teenage Aurora Evans met a hockey player at the Mall of America. He was from Canada. And soon, he was the perfect fake boyfriend, a get-out-of-jail-free card for all kinds of sticky situations. I can't go to prom. I'm going to be visiting my boyfriend in Canada. He was just what she needed to cover her social awkwardness. He never had to know. It wasn't like she was ever going to see him again…

Years later, Aurora is teaching kids’ dance classes and battling panic and eating disorders—souvenirs from her failed ballet career—when pro hockey player Mike Martin walks in with his daughter. Mike’s honesty about his struggles with widowhood helps Aurora confront some of her own demons, and the two forge an unlikely friendship. There’s just one problem: Mike is the boy she spent years pretending was her “Canadian boyfriend.”

The longer she keeps her secret, the more she knows it will shatter the trust between them. But to have the life she wants, she needs to tackle the most important thing of all—believing in herself. 

Told in alternating perspectives with some epistolary elements, this is a novel about taking risks, finding joy, and second chances. Canadian Boyfriend is also a fresh take on the fake dating trope—Mike Martin doesn't know that he's Rory's fake boyfriend. 

Holiday doesn't shy away from sensitive topics—eating disorders, mental health, death of a parent—and writes them with care, compassion, and purpose. The narrative is lightened with Canadiana and humour. 

Rory and Mike are working through their own issues, yet are still present in communicating with one another and are committed to being friends first. Holiday has an impeccable ear for dialogue made apparent by both the witty banter and the touching conversations. 

Canadian Boyfriend is heartwarming, emotional, and therapeutic.  

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JENNY HOLIDAY is a USA Today-bestselling author whose books have been featured in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and The Washington Post. She grew up in Minnesota and started writing when her fourth-grade teacher gave her a notebook to fill with stories. When she’s not working on her next book, she likes to hike, throw theme parties, and watch other people sing karaoke. 

Holiday lives in London, Ontario, Canada.

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Q & A with Jenny Holiday*

GWR: How did you start writing/become a writer? 

 

JH: I guess it depends how you define writing. I have been writing stories since elementary school (oddly, those were usually horror stories!). And I had a whole professional career as a writer and editor in the non-profit sector, which I did for many years before writing books and then in parallel with writing books until I was able to ditch the day job. So I some ways I think I’ve been a writer my whole life. I feel like I’ve been writing as long as I’ve been thinking. 

 

But if you’re asking about book writing specifically: I was a late-comer to the romance genre as a reader, but when I discovered it, I went all in. Eventually, I started thinking, “I wonder if I could write a book? How hard can it be?” (The joke was on me because it was in fact very hard!) 

 

GWR: Are you a pantser/gardner or a plotter/architect? What does your process look like? 

 

JH: I think I probably fall somewhere in the middle. I don’t outline my books, but I usually have a pretty good idea about the emotional core of the story and how it’s going to get resolved. I definitely don’t plot in terms of what is going to happen in a literal sense, but I like to know who my characters are and what they need to learn or how they need to grow by the end of the book.  

 

I usually write pretty linearly, but I get snippets and flashes of stuff I think will go later in the book, and I quick write those at the end of my document. So the closer I get to the end, the more I have fragments already there that I can weave in (or trash!).

GWR: Give us your best Hollywood pitch for Canadian Boyfriend. And who would you cast? 

 

JH: The pitch: an teenage American ballerina having a tough time socially has a passing encounter with a hockey play at the Mall of America and goes on to pretend that he’s her long-distance boyfriend. Years later, she meets him again, and in a more lasting way, and has to grapple with the ways in which he is and isn’t like her imaginary “Canadian Boyfriend.” 

 

Casting: I usually have trouble answering this question, because I am not a visual thinker. I typically don’t even have that great an image of what my fictional people look like, much less who in Hollywood might play them. But this book is an exception, at least when it comes to Mike. For him, I would cast Joshua Jackson, one of the quintessential literal Canadian boyfriends (even though he is technically a tad too old…aren’t we all?!). For Rory, I didn’t have an immediate actress in mind, but sitting here thinking about it, I would cast Jenna Dewan—because she’s a dancer, obviously, but also because I think she has a certain vulnerability mixed with strength that would suit the character.

GWR: Did any minor characters become major characters over the course of writing the novel? 

JH: Not really, but I did enjoy the character of Sansa’s mom. Super minor, but I love a dance mom. They loom large regardless of the actual size or scope of their intended role. 

 

GWR: What were the most important characteristics and dynamic that you wanted Rory and Mike Martin's relationship to have? What about Mike and Olivia's? 

 

JH: I wanted Mike and Rory to be true friends who grow to trust each other and who then feel like their romantic feelings sort of sneak up on them. Their initial connection is born from them helping each other, striking a mutually-supportive arrangement. I wanted that sense of them having each other’s backs to extend throughout the book, even as their relationship changes. 

 

I wanted Mike and Olivia’s relationship to be uncomplicated. I don’t meant that literally, I suppose. Their relationship is complicated by the fact that Olivia’s mom died and Mike is “only” her stepdad. But I wanted him to be unwavering in his love for her and his determination to support her, even when she is being a typically pissy tween. Mike might make mistakes, but he doesn’t make them with Olivia.

GWR: This book takes a deep dive into other issues—death/grief, eating disorders, mental health—why was it important to include these elements specifically? 

 

JH: I didn’t set out to include them. They emerged from the story rather than vice-versa.

GWR: What made you decide to write the book from a dual point of view? Was it easier or more challenging to explore the parallel storyline? 

JH: This is how all my books are. It’s the default for me, so in that sense this was my comfort zone. I love dual point of view for many reasons, but a big one is the delicious dissonance between what one character thinks is happening with the other and what is actually happening. When done well, it can feel like that we as readers are in on a kind of secret, and part of the joy of those books is (im)patiently waiting for the character(s) to catch up with reality. 

 

GWR: The Canadian representation was so refreshing and well done! Not having grown up here, what is the most surprising thing you have learned about Canada/Canadians? And what are some of your favourite Canadian things? 

 

JH: I feel like I’m pretty Canadianized, but the fact that I didn’t grow up here comes up—mostly when people get nostalgic about their childhoods. I have never seen Mr. Dressup, for example! 

 

In a superficial sense, my favourite Canadian things include the fact that vinegar on fries is normal and widely available at restaurants, Blue Rodeo, and our vibrant, safe, diverse cities. 

 

In a deeper sense, and at the risk of sounding schmoopy, I deeply love Canada and I think my most favorite thing about it is what I would call our national personality: a kind of self-deprecating humour mixed with quiet progressivism.  

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

JH: Maybe a crisp, dry champagne, like Rory and Mike drink with their McDonalds on Christmas Eve. Fizzy and refreshing but with a hidden depth. 

 

GWR: What are you working on now? 

 

JH: I have a book coming out in April called Earls Trip. It’s the start of a Regency rom-com series inspired by Ted Lasso. A group of earlfriends takes an annual trip and shenanigans ensue. At the moment I’m working on the second book in that series. It’s called Manic Pixie Dream Earl, and it comes out spring 2025.