Falling for the Protagonist

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publish date: 22 September 2026
Pages: 368
Binding: Paperback
Language: English

Subjects: Literature & Fiction, United States, Romance, Contemporary, New Adult & College, Romantic Comedy, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy, Magical Realism

A high-concept romcom about a woman who falls asleep reading a novel, only to wake up inside its fictional world... perfect for fans of Ashley Poston and Elena Armas

THEIR LOVE STORY IS HOTTER THAN FICTION

When Emmy Miura falls asleep reading a newly purchased romance novel (after her visit to a sex psychic her sister swears by), the last thing she expects is to wake up in the protagonist's bed the next morning. Emmy doesn't want to disrupt Will Barrett's world-even if he is fictional. He is clearly content with his life in idyllic and not-actually-real Cobalt, Massachusetts. He has good friends, steady work as a nurse in the paediatric wing of the local hospital, and an adorable house he inherited from his grandfather.

Understandably, he doesn't take it well when she manages to convince him none of the things he knows and loves are real. While Will is reeling at the implications of Emmy's revelation, Emmy is frantic to get back to the real world. The problem is that she is, against all her best efforts, falling head over heels in love with Will.

Will has feelings for her, too-much to the chagrin of the woman who was supposed to be his love interest-and he is determined to go with Emmy when she finds a way out of the book. Neither Emmy nor Will know if they can make a real life together that's based on fiction, but together they are willing to try.

Perfect for fans of:
Forced proximity
Fake dating
Book-within-a-book
Magical realism
Spice (three peppers)