Love by the Book - by Jessica George (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Friendship is the love story you can count on.

Remy is lucky. Her debut novel, based on her three best friends, became an instant bestseller when it was released, and her agent and publisher are clamoring for a follow-up. But just as Remy's creative inspiration seems to leave her, so too do her friends: one moves to New York, one gets pregnant, and one gets back together with her (awful) boyfriend. After an ill-advised one-night stand complicates matters further, Remy is left deeply alone--and unable to find her next book idea.

Simone is successful. A Kindergarten teacher with a passion for kids, and a well-paying side hustle that affords her all the material comforts she desires, Simone doesn't have time for a robust social life. All she needs is her close-knit family--but after the true nature of her work is revealed, they cut her off, and she realizes for the first time just how isolated she is.

When Simone and Remy bump into each other (literally) in a bookstore, it isn't exactly soulmates at first sight. Simone is guarded and prickly, Remy is insecure and heartbroken, and each woman is harboring a secret. And yet they might just be the missing piece the other has been searching for--if only they can let each other in.

Can Simone help Remy make one of the most important decisions of her life--and can Remy help Simone recover all that she's lost? In Jessica George's heartwarming, funny, and soulful second novel, she explores the restorative nature of female friendship and the life-changing power of platonic love.

Review Quotes

"Love by the Book reads like a rom com for platonic friendship. After Maame, Jessica George brings us another fresh look at young women's lives. Love by the Book offers a charming and nuanced take on contemporary friendships, putting the spotlight on the value of different kinds of love in people's lives. A celebration of women's friendships and families, in various configurations." ―Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake

"Friendships are often the central relationships of our lives; why are they usually treated as storyline B in novels? Not in this transporting new novel by Jessica George. As enveloping, soul-filling and moreish as an evening with a friend, Love by the Book challenges us to take a closer look at adult friendship and platonic love. As is true with the best friend-dates, I couldn't wait for evening to come so I could hang out with Remy and Simone (and especially with Remy's mom). This novel might just inspire you to put yourself out there and ask a new friend out to dinner." ―Emma Knight, bestselling author of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

"A sparkling triumph, Love by the Book is the love story I didn't know I needed. Once again, Jessica George delights readers with her charming and unique knack for unfolding a story. As witnesses to the evolution of long-held friendships and the blossoming of new ones, we're left rooting for her funny, fabulous characters while falling in love with them ourselves. George infuses whimsy and heart into her incredible tale despite touches on weighty topics and pressures placed on the book's leading ladies." --Diane Brown, author of Black Candle Women

Praise for Maame:
"Sparkling." ―The New York Times

"Lively, funny, poignant . . . Prepare to fall in love with Maddie. I did!" ―Bonnie Garmus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

"The voice of Maame is singular and interesting―raw and new. On one page I was crying, yet on another page, I laughed hysterically." ―Jenna Bush Hager, Today

"By turns tender and comic, this portrait of a young woman's journey to self-understanding is triumphant." ―People

"Fresh, vulnerable....George writes with a natural cadence that keeps the story engaging, her characters multidimensional, each of them deeply believable....Readers will be drawn into the peaks and troughs with this intrepid protagonist, feeling a sense of connection to and trust in her character." ―The Washington Post

About the Author