Leave This Off the Books

For fans of Abby Jimenez and Jean Meltzer, a contemporary romantic comedy where love, lies, and reality TV collide in a modern Shakespearean retelling.

After a bitter divorce from her abusive ex, Simon, Naomi Hoffman promises herself she's finished with love and resolved to keep her past where it belongs. But her resolve is tested when she meets Will Quinn, the charming producer of one of the country's top news programs.

Allowing herself to love again is daunting, and it becomes even more complicated when she struggles to keep Simon a secret while he relentlessly tries to re-enter her life. As if managing a budding romance with Will weren't challenging enough, Naomi finds herself caught in the crossfire between his boss, Freya, and her best friend, Abby--high school nemeses whose rivalry reignites the moment they cross paths again. Their constant bickering leaves Naomi wondering if the ladies doth protest too much and there's something more going on between them.

Her whirlwind romance with Will goes from private to prime time when he proposes on live TV, turning their love story into a reality show sensation. But just as Naomi's dream wedding approaches, the past she thought she'd left behind comes crashing through the door--literally. A journalist barges into the ceremony, accusing her of an affair with Simon, leaving Naomi abandoned at the altar and humiliated in front of millions.

With her once-perfect moment shattered into a tabloid frenzy, Naomi must help Freya and Abby untangle their feelings while confronting her own. Can she reclaim her narrative and create her own happily ever after, or will the final act of her love story end in heartbreak?

In this modern-day retelling of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, love, lies, and reality TV prove that all the world truly is a stage.

Author: Arden Joy
Publisher: Rising Action
Published: 10/28/2025
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.48lbs
Size: 8.43h x 5.43w x 1.02d
ISBN: 9781998672028

About the Author
Arden Joy turned to writing at an early age as a way to create a world as unique and different as she is. Today, she still focuses on telling diverse stories that reflect her colorful life and the beautiful spectrum of people in it. When she isn't stirring up trouble for her fictional characters, she runs Girls Who Travel, an award-winning community redefining travel to be inclusive, sustainable, and empowering for all women.