Midsummer Nights - by Lara Stokes (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Life imitates art when a down-on-her-luck TV star returns to her hometown stage and redefines her dreams in a funny and heartwarming spin on Shakespeare's most magical romantic comedy.

Miranda Belmont is a regular on a popular TV series, but her acting career is not exactly moving forward. After she's publicly humbled, her next steps are definitely backward: playing Helena in a community theater production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in her stifling hometown, directed by her parents, and sharing the stage with her high school boyfriend.

Backstage, it's borderline Shakespearean drama. Between her ex, an intriguing costar making sweet overtures, and an unwelcome blast from the past, Miranda is caught in a real-life, nearly magical tangle of romantic confusion that threatens the production at every turn.

Opening night will bring them all down to earth--especially Miranda, who's navigating her way, onstage and off, through all the chaos these mere mortals create. As she reconnects to her roots, the creative spark she's been missing awakens Miranda to who she truly is.

(c) 2026 by Lara Stokes, all rights reserved.

Review Quotes

Praise for Midsummer Nights

"Fans of the Bard, rejoice--Lara Stokes's stellar debut, Midsummer Nights, is here to scratch your theater-and-hijinks itch. When burned-out big-city actor Miranda returns to her childhood small town of North Lake to perform at a community theatre owned by her thespian parents, she views the move as a giant step backward. What she finds instead is community, rekindled friendship, Shakespearean magic, and a swoony love story. Stokes has created a hilarious, lovable, wisecracking force in Miranda, a character you will cheer and laugh alongside as she stumbles toward transformation. Highly recommend--Midsummer Nights is a pleasurable read from start to finish!" --Uzma Jalaluddin, bestselling author of Yours for the Season

"Put Midsummer Nights on your must-read list, and you can thank us later! Lara Stokes brings this moving story to life in the rich setting of a small town and its beloved community theater. Her characters brim with an oh-so-satisfying blend of wry humor, emotional depth, and meaningful reflections on the pursuit of fame--and what that can cost us. Midsummer Nights will leave you cheering for an encore!" --Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, coauthors of Ten Thousand Light Years from Okay