Stranger Things Have Happened
A Novel
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected 14 Apr 2026
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- 289,00 Kč
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- Pre-Order
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- 289,00 Kč
Publisher Description
Can fake dating lead to real love? In Kasie West's next sexy adult romcom two people must decide where the lie ends and the chemistry begins.
Sutton knows she needs therapy. After all, she’s managing her newly opened restaurant remotely while taking care of her ungrateful sick mother. Plus, her boyfriend of two years just dumped her over the phone. But does therapy with a handsome stranger, who she has to pretend to be engaged to, in order to help her friend’s struggling relationship count? Probably not. Then why did she just agree to go? Because she’s had a few too many drinks? Because this stranger, Elijah, is smug and annoying and really, really handsome? Because she feels guilty that she abandoned her best friend, Tara, after high school and this might just make up for it? Whatever the reason, she has committed to this unhinged plan.
What the hell is Sutton doing?
Helping Tara prove a point: a good therapist can tell the difference between real love and fake love. That’s what she’s doing. But as they attend their sessions, Sutton and Elijah only seem to be proving one thing—the lines between pretend desire and real desire are very blurry. This true connection forming between them is threatening to unravel everything Sutton thought she knew about family, friendship, and her own heart.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
West (We Met Like This) delivers a humorous if slightly far-fetched take on the fake dating trope. Sutton returns to her hometown to care for her mother after a car accident. Their relationship is strained and Sutton knows she probably needs therapy to address their traumatic past, but she hasn't found the time. When a stranger in a bar starts bad-mouthing therapy, Sutton jumps in to defend the practice. Turns out, this is her childhood best friend Tara's new fiancé, Michael, who's resistent to Tara's attempts to get them into couple's counseling before walking down the aisle. Michael bets that "two strangers could go to couples therapy and the same generic advice," and Sutton takes him up on it, agreeing to pose as a couple with Michael's brother, Elijah, whom she thinks of as "Villain Pretty Boy." As they attend therapy sessions and do couple-y activities, the pair develop an unexpected bond and consider dating for real—until an improbable reveal rocks the foundation of their relationship and causes Sutton to question everything. This late plot twist somewhat undermines West's message about the virtues of therapy. Meanwhile, many of the leads' genuine traumas remain unresolved, leaving some uncertainty about their future together. Still, there's plenty of fun and laughter to be had along the way, and Sutton proves an endearing heroine. West's fans will be well pleased.
