Tropesick (a Gorgeous, Sweeping, Forced-proximity Second-chance Love Story)

By (author) Lauren Okie
Short description/annotation:

BRING BACK MEN WHO YEARN

With it''s tongue firmly in it''s cheek this fresh, playful and deeply romantic novel openly acknowledges the role of tropes - before nonetheless going on to use them to tell a searing love story of it''s own.

Description:

''Prepare to be swept off your feet'' B.K. Borison
''This one is special, and I''m going to think about it forever, probably'' Lyla Sage

In this lush, slowburn romance, two heartsick exes unite to co-write a romance novel, and soon realise that the tropes they''re writing go well beyond the page . . .

When romance-novel obsessed ghost writer Katie Caruso waits in a New York City café to meet her next writing partner, the last person in the world she expects to see is her own ex-childhood sweetheart, Tyler McNally.

Years of heartache and yearning have only strengthened the forcefield that seems to exist between them, and time has done little to heal the rift. The pair haven''t seen each other since the tragic death of Katie''s older brother. Tyler was her brother''s best friend, and Katie - naturally - was the girl next door.

But despite both their bitter complaints at the reunion, the agent who hired them won''t let them off the job.

Soon, they''re working on their co-written romance novel in forced proximity, and realising that''s not the only written trope that''s coming to life . . .

READERS LOVE TROPESICK
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''THE YEARNING. I simply may never recover from having read this.''
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''The dual timelines, the slow burn, the emotional weight . . . it all builds into something so beautifully layered. And that twist?!''
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''This book completely wrecked me in the best way possible. This was such a brilliant, beautifully written love story that tackled second chances, grief, and addiction in such a raw and realistic way.''
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''This book will crack you right open - it just feels so rare and special. I wish I could read it for the first time again.''
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''I can confidently say this book has officially ruined me - in the most glorious, emotionally devastating, heart-expanding way possible. It has already secured its place as one of my absolute favourite romances of 2026.''

Review quote:
Lauren Okie is one of my favorite new voices in romance. She writes sweeping, tender, emotional love stories topped with a dollop of scrumptious yearning. Prepare to be swept off your feet.
Review quote:
This book will break your heart. It will also take an incredible amount of care to put it back together. Tropesick is unflinching in its exploration of grief and the complexities of love while being deeply and indomitably hopeful. This one is special, and I''m going to think about it forever, probably.
Review quote:
Lauren Okie blends banter and chemistry with grief and heartache to create an instant classic
Review quote:
Tropesick is both an homage and an unspooling of the romance genre, and a love story so layered it demands a second, third, fourth reading. An absolute achievement.
Review quote:
There''s something very fitting about reading Tropesick in the summer. Like the best seasonal indulgences - a perfect beach day, an excellent vacation fling, a novel devoured in one sitting-Lauren Okie''s latest is both escapist and surprisingly insightful. The Hamptons setting supplies plenty of coastal glamour, but what lingers is Okie''s affection for romance itself. She treats the genre''s most beloved conventions not as clichés, but as proof that some stories endure because they continue to speak to our deepest hopes.
Biographical note:
Lauren Okie studied English and American Literature at New York University. When she''s not mining old tra