Wish You Were Her

by Elle McNicoll

Overview

Book Lovers meets Notting Hill with a slice of You've Got Mail in this rivals-to-lovers romance from bestselling, award-winning author Elle McNicoll.

18-year-old Allegra Brooks has skyrocketed to fame after starring in a hit television show, and she's the overnight success that everyone's talking about. They just don't know she's autistic. And now all she wants is a normal teenage summer.

Her destination for escape is the remote Lake Pristine and its annual Book Festival, organized by the dedicated but unfriendly senior bookseller, Jonah Thorne.

In small towns like Lake Pristine, misunderstandings abound, and before long the two are drawn into high-profile hostility that's a far cry from the drama-free holiday Allegra was craving. Thank goodness for her saving grace: the increasingly personal emails she's been sharing with a charming and anonymous bookseller who is definitely not Jonah Thorne . . .

An unforgettable romcom about finding the one person who makes you feel like yourself when the whole world is watching.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250335586
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/26/2025
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

ELLE MCNICOLL is a bestselling novelist and award-winning screenwriter. She has been nominated four times for the Carnegie medal and is an honoree of the Schneider Award. Her television work is Emmy-nominated, and won a Royal Television Society Award. She is autistic and lives in North London.

Editorial Reviews

"Complex, compelling characters populate a satisfying romance." —Kirkus Review

“Full of wit and literary charm, this work is a romantic and compassionate look at two of an infinity of autistic experiences that examines the effects of burnout and masking, and the beauty beyond the struggles of being autistic.” —Booklist

“McNicoll empathetically presents Allegra’s struggles to fit in—whether because of her celebrity status or neurodivergence—across this honest tale about the brutal scrutiny of fame and self-perception, as well as a reassuring and cozy romance.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2025-05-16
World-renowned actor Allegra Brooks escapes her celebrity life for the summer and grapples with fame and love as an autistic person.

Eighteen-year-old Allegra is ready for a break from the Hollywood grind of being on set and going on press tours. She heads for the respite of quiet Lake Pristine, the small-town setting of 2024’sSome Like It Cold. She’s planning to spend time with her father, who owns a bookshop there and runs a popular annual book festival. This interlude provides Allegra with an experience unlike any she’s previously had: She gets to focus on making friends, working a normal job, and navigating the complexities of authentic relationships. She does all of this while trying to escape constant public scrutiny and find her way as an autistic person in a neurotypical world. When she meets Jonah Thorne, who’s also autistic, they form a deep and meaningful connection, although it’s fraught thanks to disagreements, romantic tension, and external forces working against them. Allegra is a beautiful, talented, mid-size, neurodivergent woman whose autism is described with nuance and honesty. Despite its richly drawn characters, the plot is unevenly paced, bogged down by a subplot involving a mysterious email correspondence that feels like an unnecessary complication. Characters largely present white.

Complex, compelling characters populate a satisfying romance with some plotting issues.(Romance. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews