Title: The Roughest Draft
Authors: Emily Wibberley and
Austin Siegemund-Broka
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Berkley Books
Date published: January 25, 2022
A complimentary digital copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
They were cowriting literary darlings until they hit a plot hole that turned their lives upside down.
Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten books topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms, for reasons neither would divulge to the public. They haven’t spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract.
Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives, they’re forced to reunite. The last thing they ever thought they’d do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they’ve hated each other for the past three years isn’t easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel.
While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right.
⤖ My Review ⬻
I really liked the concept behind the plot in The Roughest Draft. I don’t normally go for second chance romance, but I was really intrigued by the synopsis for this book. I was also all there for the forced proximity trope!
When I started reading, one of the first things I noted was that a lot of the time, The Roughest Draft read more like adult fiction than contemporary romance. I definitely expected more cliche language and situations. But this was not a bad thing! The book was very well written, and the plot was well thought out and executed.
I appreciated how well structured The Roughest Draft was too. The reading also made it very easy for me to imagine the situations the characters would get into as well as the setting.
I’d never been to Florida when reading The Roughest Draft, but I definitely felt as if I was there with the characters. Now, having been to Florida since, I’m happy to say that the vibe was accurate! Overall, I had a very good experience reading The Roughest Draft, and recommend it to those who enjoy forced proximity, second chance romance, as well as a moderate amount of pining!
⤖ About the Authors ⬻
Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka met and fell in love in high school. Austin went on to graduate from Harvard, while Emily graduated from Princeton. Together, they are the authors of The Roughest Draft, as well as several novels about romance for teens. Now married, they live in Los Angeles, where they continue to take daily inspiration from their own love story.