Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. She s rarely seen herself reflected in the pages of the romance novels she loves. The only place she s a true leading lady is in her own writing in the swoony love stories she shares only with Caroline, her best friend and #1 devoted reader. When Tessa is accepted into the creative writing program of a prestigious art school, she s excited to finally let her stories shine. But when she goes to her first workshop, the words are just... gone. Fortunately, Caroline has a solution: Tessa just needs to find some inspiration in a real-life love story of her own. And she s ready with a list of romance novel-inspired steps to a happily ever after. Nico, the brooding artist who looks like he walked out of one of Tessa s stories, is cast as the perfect Prince Charming. But as Tessa checks each item off Caroline s list, she gets further and further away from herself. She risks losing everything she cares about including the surprising bond she develops with sweet Sam, who lives across the street. She s well on her way to having her own real-life love story, but is it the one she wants, after all?
