Best Woman - by Rose Dommu (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The 'best woman' in her brother's wedding tells a little white lie in her quest to get the girl--her lifelong crush and the maid of honor--in this wildly entertaining debut novel about bad decisions and life's messiest transitions"--

Book Synopsis

The "best woman" in her brother's wedding tells a little white lie in her quest to get the girl--her lifelong crush and the maid of honor--in this wildly entertaining debut novel about bad decisions and life's messiest transitions.

"Irresistibly fresh, bright, funny, and bursting with singular voice, this is the kind of romance I've been waiting for."--Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of The Pairing

Julia Rosenberg loves her brother. Really loves him. Enough to: be the "best woman" at his wedding; leave behind her hard-won New York life, brilliant best friends, and drag brunches for Boca Raton, Florida; entertain the uptight bride-to-be and her vicious cronies; try (and fail) to dodge the hometown hookup buddy she can't resist; and navigate the tricky dynamics with her divorced parents.

She's not that nervous. Her family stood by her when she came out as a woman a few years ago. And it's just one week in Florida--a week of old memories and sisterly duties that will force Julia to confront the tensions that have been bubbling beneath the surface of her closest relationships. No big deal.

When it turns out that Kim Cameron, the gorgeous, self-assured girl that she crushed on hard in high school, is the maid of honor, Julia panics. She tells a teensy little lie to win Kim's favor--a lie that snowballs out of control and threatens to undermine the blossoming attraction between them and complicate an already challenging relationship with her family. Using her wit, charm, and a suitcase full of couture "borrowed" from a pop star, Julia just might survive the horde of clone-like bridesmaids, go-kart racing bachelor parties, and alcohol-fueled speeches. But she won't make it out unscathed. As best woman, she's making the worst decisions of her life.

An utterly contemporary send-up of My Best Friend's Wedding and a riotous coming-of-age novel, Best Woman is rife with crackling wit and devastating poignancy and announces Rose Dommu as an exciting voice in fiction.

Review Quotes

"Part romance, part lit-fic, all wedding bells, Rose Dommu's debut novel contains nostalgic nods to quintessential Nineties romcoms all while managing to revel in the joys of family and the messiness of a brand new life."--Rolling Stone

"Full of snappy pop culture references, Dommu is an especially tender writer of our awkward little yearnings."--W

"[The] near-universal contours of trans experience have rarely been articulated with such specificity in published fiction."--them

"Destined to be optioned . . . [Best Woman] feel[s] deeply cinematic without ever sacrificing laughs or hewing to the audience's expectations. (After all, who says a leading lady can't sow a little pre-nuptial tumult in the estimable company of hot people of all genders?)"--Vogue

"Devourable and quippy . . . an exploration of trans identity through a troublemaking lens. Just like the romantic comedies it takes inspiration from, it's a romp full of painfully true moments."--Xtra

"Dommu knows how to capture an audience. And she brings that in full force with her delightful . . . debut novel. . . . It's engrossing, at times stressful--in the best possible way--and is easily one of those books that you accidentally read in one sitting because you just couldn't put it down."--E! Online

"Hilarious and poignant . . . a sparkling debut."--Hey Alma

"Chaotic [and] funny . . . a wild romp . . . Best Woman is a campy, comedic romcom reminiscent of Fleabag--with its messy, often unlikeable protagonist making one disastrous decision after the other."--Lesbrary

"Queer literary Florida is alive and well in Rose Dommu's Best Woman, a deliciously clever and relentlessly hilarious firecracker of a debut. The book is smart, sexy, and endlessly entertaining. Dommu really shines here."--Kristen Arnett, author of Stop Me If You've Heard This One

"Irresistibly fresh, bright, funny, and bursting with singular voice, this is the kind of romance I've been waiting for, and we're so lucky to finally have it."--Casey McQuiston, author of The Pairing

"Best Woman absolutely sparkles with all the wit, charm, and drama of the best nineties rom-coms and does it in pitch-perfect prose. Who needs Julia Roberts when Rose Dommu has such star power?"--Torrey Peters, author of Stag Dance

"Rose Dommu's wickedly sharp wit and the romance genre are a match made in heaven. Irreverently funny and tear-jerkingly tender, Best Woman takes the wedding cake as my favorite debut of the year."--JP Brammer, author of ¡Hola Papi!

"[A] very queer and very charming story of love and family . . . Perfect for fans of Alexis Hall and TJ Alexander."--Booklist, starred review

"Heartwarming . . . Dommu supplements the slapstick rom-com plot with Julia's strong voice and lucid self-reflections. . . . This fun bit of fluff has surprising depth."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Rose Dommu is the author of the Substack newsletter Mall Goth and host of the podcast Like a Virgin. Rose previously managed LGBTQ+ social media editorial strategy at Netflix. A former senior staff writer at Out magazine, Dommu also hosted the magazine's podcast, The Outcast. As a journalist, she has written for Paper, Vice, Them, Gay Times, Elite Daily, and other publications. She is the co-founder of the queer art collective The Culture Whore, which staged large-scale art events across the United States and Europe. Dommu lives in Brooklyn with her alarmingly large collection of shoes.