Cosmo Reads – serie

All’s fair in love and lore in Iman Hariri-Kia’s brand new contemporary romance novel, full of sharp wit, self-aware humour and a blurring of the line between fantasy and reality.Joonie is living in a fantasy – at least that’s what people keep telling her.A copywriter by day and fanfic auteur by night, Joonie continues to date and dump disappointing men in search of a happily ever after. But every potential suitor seems to have one flaw in common: They can’t hold a candle to her book boyfriend, Ryke. The protagonist of her favourite fantasy romance series (and, notably, a sexy merman), Ryke is a symbol for the life Joonie craves and the kind of relationship she deserves. So with a book always in her back pocket, why would she ever settle for less?But when Joonie learns that Ryke’s character is based on someone the author knows in real life, she embarks on an epic quest to track him down, meet him in person, and determine once and for all if soulmates really do exist. Unfortunately, her brother’s annoying best friend who doesn’t believe in love or happy endings insists on hitching a ride. And like any great hero’s journey, it doesn’t take long for the trials and tribulations to begin.As Joonie fights her way toward her love interest, using the skills she acquired through reading, she’ll learn an important lesson: You can pursue a fantasy, but you can’t always write your own plot.As unhinged as it is brilliant, Female Fantasy is both a self-aware dive into the concept of genre and a wild, steamy romance romp. Most of all, though, it’s a heartfelt love letter to romance book readers everywhere.TropesBook BoyfriendFantasyContemporary RomanceSpicy RomanceBookish RomanceFemale Gaze

"[A] romantic gem." – Publishers Weekly STARRED Review for The Book Proposal"Fans of Emily Henry will adore this author." – New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins"A love letter to writing." – Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka for A Storybook Wedding***They had one perfect week. Then they vanished from each other’s lives?until his book inadvertently made her the villain.Two years ago, romance novelist Melody Adams met aspiring author Beckett Nash on a sun-soaked vacation in Aruba. Seven days of stolen moments, midnight swims, and intimate conversations left them both certain they’d found the real thing. Then a tangle of missed flights, mixed signals, and bad timing tore them apart before they could say goodbye. Neither could reach the other – so both assumed they’d been dumped.And both did what writers do: they turned heartbreak into a novel.Now Beckett’s debut has made him a literary sensation. Melody’s book? Critics call it a shameless rip-off. The only way to salvage her career – and her sanity – is to reconnect with Beckett and set the record straight. There’s just one problem: Beckett is engaged to someone else. And seeing each other again reminds them of exactly what they lost…and how much they both still want.A sun-drenched missed connection, a storm of public scandal, and a second chance romance you’ll root for until the last page – perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Carley Fortune and Christina Lauren.TropesSecond Chance RomanceForced ProximityHoliday RomanceBookish Romcom

Beloved author Lily Chu brings the charm in a clever, funny, and beautifully written contemporary romance about a fake heiress, a real secret scandal, and one sizzling summer she’ll never forget.When a viral fiasco torpedoes event planner Valerie Peng's career, her ultra-wealthy client makes a wild offer: spend the summer at his lakefront estate posing as the long-lost daughter he swears his conniving family hid from him. New wardrobe, new name, new rules—what could go wrong?Enter Nico Hever, the boss's maddeningly perfect executive assistant. He's organised to a fault, impossible to read, and absolutely the last man Valerie should be noticing—especially since he's the only one who knows she's faking it. But as they navigate sharp-eyed matriarchs, power plays, and private family feuds, the sparks they keep dodging start to look a lot like destiny.Caught between pretending to belong and finally finding where she fits, Valerie has to decide if she's here to keep a secret…or claim a life (and love) that's all her own.Mystery and romance abound in this quirky and compelling romantic comedy from Lily Chu, offering the perfect summertime read for fans of contemporary love stories.TropesForced ProximityRomantic ComedyFish Out of WaterWealth Gap RomanceContemporary Romance

From the author of the smash hit Call It What You Want comes a fresh, charming romcom about the chaos of dating in your twenties, the ache of a brutal breakup, and the hilarious lengths one romance writer will go to get her spark back—including staging her own meet-cutes. Perfect for fans of Katherine Center and Emily Henry’s Beach Read.If you can’t write a good meet-cute, maybe you need to live one first…Ainsley Green writes happily-ever-afters for a rabid fanbase of hopeless romantics. In real life? Her boyfriend just broke up with her, her editor wanted a new book yesterday and she’s starting to wonder if love actually exists beyond the pages of her favorite novels.So when Lucas, Ainsley’s best friend and biggest cheerleader, insists the best cure for writer’s block is real-life inspiration, she’s ready to try anything. Enter: the meet-cute plan, a mission to take her head out of her heartbreak and force meet-cutes IRL to spark some new ideas. But as failed missions bumping into strangers at the airport and spilling coffee on men at the cafe result in nothing but embarrassment and stained clothing, Ainsley begins to wonder if maybe the romance she’s been chasing already has a leading man.Because the truth about falling in love? It never goes according to plan.Equal parts heartbreak, humor, and hope, How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle is a fresh, flirty send up of dating in the modern age and a reminder that love finds us when we stop performing and start living.

Six influencers. One luxury yacht. Nowhere to hide.Charlie Engels is broke and desperate when her bookstagram account lands her the offer of a lifetime: join Empress, a state-of-the-art yacht houseboat off the Florida Keys turned influencer paradise. Lucrative brand deals and a ready-made “sisterhood” of internet stars—it may not be Charlie’s dream job, but she knows she’d be a fool to turn it down.It’s also the perfect distraction; Charlie's eager to outrun her past and a staggering betrayal by her former best friend. Now, aboard Empress, Charlie is surrounded by dazzling women with their own baggage: the magnetic but ruthless leader, the spiraling fashion queen, the inseparable twins, the peacemaker with cracks in her confidence, and the memory of the influencer who Charlie is replacing. The same influencer who Charlie keeps seeing on board, even though the others insist she quit.But when a hurricane traps the group at sea with their billionaire boss, the dream turns claustrophobic. Communications cut. Supplies dwindling. Old betrayals bubbling to the surface. Then the first body drops.As paranoia mounts and alliances splinter, Charlie realizes the real danger isn’t the storm outside—it’s the deadly games being played below deck. And if she can’t outwit a killer, her past won’t be the only ghost that comes back to drown her.From Cosmopolitan's Cosmo Reads imprint comes THE LAST TIME WE DROWNED, a razor-sharp, atmospheric, and impossible to put down locked-room psychological thriller where luxury curdles into terror and survival comes at the highest price.