Text Appeal - by Amber Roberts (Paperback)

About the Book

"As the only woman programmer at her firm, Lark is thrilled to land an account for a huge client. But her dream job quickly becomes a nightmare when she accidentally projects a scandalous (and completely unsolicited) picture from her phone onto the screen during a presentation. Before she can recover, her coworkers jump in to steal the account, leaving Lark jobless and broke. When a friend suggests text message-based sex work as a stopgap between jobs, Lark is dubious. She's all about sex positivity, but carrying out sexual fantasies-even digitally and anonymously-with complete strangers is daunting. How will she explain how she's earning a living-especially to Toby, her good friend and longtime hopeless crush? Still, she needs the money, and after a few (embarrassing and hilarious) false starts, she actually starts to like sexting-especially with one particularly charming and nerdy client who keeps popping up in her DMs. But as Lark and Toby grow closer, she finds herself with a decision to make: tell Toby she's a sex worker-and try to forget the anonymous client who has her struggling to separate work from real feelings-or keep the secrets that are piling up in her inbox"--

Book Synopsis

STEM gets steamy when a coder takes up sexting to pay the bills in this daring debut novel, perfect for fans of Olivia Dade and Kate Stayman-London.

As the only woman programmer at her firm, Lark is thrilled to land an account for a huge client. But her dream job quickly becomes a nightmare when she accidentally projects a scandalous (and completely unsolicited) picture from her phone onto the screen during a presentation. Before she can recover, her coworkers jump in to steal the account, leaving Lark jobless and broke.

When a friend suggests text message-based sex work as a stopgap between jobs, Lark is dubious. She's all about sex positivity, but carrying out sexual fantasies--even digitally and anonymously--with complete strangers is daunting. How will she explain how she's earning a living--especially to Toby, her good friend and longtime hopeless crush?

Still, she needs the money, and after a few (embarrassing and hilarious) false starts, she actually starts to like sexting--especially with one particularly charming and nerdy client who keeps popping up in her DMs. But as Lark and Toby grow closer, she finds herself with a decision to make: tell Toby she's a sex worker--and try to forget the anonymous client who has her struggling to separate work from real feelings--or keep the secrets that are piling up in her inbox.

Sure to appeal to readers of Helen Hoang and Jen DeLuca, Amber Roberts's Text Appeal celebrates women in STEM, friends becoming lovers, and finding lasting love in the digital age.

Review Quotes

Praise for Text Appeal
"An enormously satisfying friends-to-lovers tale with a You've Got Mail twist."
--Publishers Weekly

"A fun, wild, occasionally sexy read that might just have your group text in a tizzy."
--Seven Days Vermont

"Amber Roberts' debut romance Text Appeal is friends-to-lovers gloriousness as you wait to see if Lark and Toby can figure out how to take their relationship to the next level. The sexting aspect of the story is sex positive and leads to some truly hilarious encounters . . . as well as a few surprising ones. I really enjoyed this read!"
--Alicia Thompson, bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers

"Crackling with sharp humor and filled with sex positivity, Text Appeal charmed me from page one. This fun, flirty debut novel is a total delight from beginning to end."
--Julie Hamilton, author of Just for Show

"With a voice that bursts to life on page one and doesn't let off the throttle, Roberts delivers a fresh debut that examines friendship in all its forms."
--Livy Hart, author of Talk Flirty to Me and Planes, Trains, and All the Feels

"Bursting with feminist and sex positive vibes, Text Appeal is a fun and fresh take on the friends to lovers trope featuring perfectly matched nerdy Lark and Toby. More than a romance, Roberts' debut novel is also a reminder of the power of acceptance and forgiveness, both of oneself and others."
--Meredith Schorr, author of As Seen on TV and Someone Just Like You

"Infused with snark and sex positivity, Text Appeal is a love letter to the MySpace generation. Roberts's thoroughly modern take on some of the genre's most beloved tropes makes this book a must-read for romcom fans. I adored this fun, fresh (and delightfully nerdy) debut!"
--Sarah Adler, author of Mrs. Nash's Ashes

About the Author

Amber Roberts writes contemporary romance about unabashedly nerdy characters in ridiculous situations. She lives with her husband, two children, and formerly feral cats in the Vermont woods, where eating maple creemees is a year-round activity. She spends her time copywriting, forgetting to water her plants, and awkwardly replying "you too" at inappropriate moments.