I’ve been a huge, huge fan of Austin & Emily’s books every since they released their YA debut, Always Never Yours. Since then, I’ve been reading every single YA book they released, devoured them and fell in love with, well… all of them. Needless to say: my expectations were sky-high for The Roughest Draft, their adult romance debut. Were they met? Let’s read my review and find out!
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley, Austin Siegemund-BrokaPublished by Berkley Books on January 25, 2022
Genres: adult, contemporary, romance
Format: ARC
Source: Penguin Random House INTL
Buy on Amazon, Book Depository, Bookshop, Blackwell's
Goodreads
They were cowriting literary darlings until they hit a plot hole that turned their lives upside down.
Three years ago, Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon, their cowritten books topping bestseller lists. But on the heels of their greatest success, they ended their partnership on bad terms, for reasons neither would divulge to the public. They haven't spoken since, and never planned to, except they have one final book due on contract.
Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives, they're forced to reunite. The last thing they ever thought they'd do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book, trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly. Working through the reasons they've hated each other for the past three years isn't easy, especially not while writing a romantic novel.
While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat, Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships, like writing, sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right.
I received this book for free from Penguin Random House INTL in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:
anxiety, depression, therapy, emotional cheating.There are no spoilers in this review.
This blog post contains affiliate links. If you buy something on my recommendation, I will receive a small commission. Purchasing via these links will not cost you any extra and will help me cover the costs of book blogging. You will find more info on my privacy policy and disclaimer pages. Thank you!
I ENJOYED…
☂️
- The Roughest Draft is about two ex-co-authors, forced to get back together to write another book after years apart. Knowing this contemporary romance is written by two co-authors that are actually married, as well, just made this synopsis all the more exciting. I couldn’t wait to read it and, damn. I wasn’t disappointed.
- This dual perspective romance is told from Katrina and Nathan’s point of view. We meet Katrina, living in Los Angeles as the book starts with her fiancé/agent, not writing anymore since the incredibly overwhelming success of her first novel with Nathan, still struggling with figuring herself out. Then there’s Nathan, recently divorced, writing solo since his writing-split with Katrina but failing to find the same kind of success he’s had before.
- While I adored both point of views, Katrina was my favorite character of the two. I loved getting to know her, I could deeply feel her imposter syndrom and her profound anxiety and the fact that she’s so afraid to put herself out there, again, just as well.
- Nathan was a great character just as well. He’s a bit closed-off and has a very hard time communicating his feelings, choosing to write them all down and fictionalize them instead of sharing them with the world.. and the people that matter. I really liked seeing him grow as well.
- The Roughest Draft is a romance. Knowing how the authors could write excellent chemistry in their YA books, I couldn’t wait to see what they could do with an adult romance and, oh, damn. Honestly, for me, in this story, the chemistry was off the charts. I’ve been reading adult romance every now and then, lately and I’ve never, ever fell for a romance as hard as I did, there. Deliciously slow-burned, filled with tensions from a complex, shared past, the feelings the authors manage to convey on page just made me shiver. It’s so intense, it’s intertwined between the characters’ feelings and the feelings they’re putting on page, in the story they’re currently writing and the two dimensions of it all is just brilliant.
- Another thing I deeply appreciated here, is how despite all the deep feelings between the characters, they each were so respectful, in the past and the present, of the other’s complicated situation and it’s just. I loved this so much. Beware: this might feel like emotional cheating to some and I know it can bother some people!
- Past and present are intertwined in this story, as we slowly figure out what happened between Katrina and Nathan in their first partnership and why it crumbled to ashes. I’m a huge fan of flashbacks and stories built between past and present, soooo this was one of my favorite things. Obviously.
- The writing is beautiful, perfect at conveying all the emotions, making The Roughest Draft a book that will pull at your heartstrings until your heart aches, wanting more always. I know that, when I’ll get my finished copy in the mail, I will re-read some sentences over and over again and hell, probably the whole thing.
OVERALL
☂️
My favorite author duo did it again, winning me over with this excellent adult contemporary romance. I fell for the characters, their chemistry, the stunning prose and I immediately added this book to my favorites’ list and pre-ordered it. I hope you’ll do the same. 200% recommending this!
FINAL RATING : 5 stars!
Buy this book:
📌 Pin the book review of The Roughest Draft, Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka on Pinterest!
📚 Books similar to The Roughest Draft that I’d recommend:
- If you’re looking for an intense adult romance between writers, check out Beach Read, by Emily Henry
Did you read The Roughest Draft, or do you want to? What’s the latest adult book you fell for? Let me know in comments!
Twitter ☂️ Bookstagram ☂️Goodreads ☂️ Bloglovin’ ☂️ Support the blog
Subscribe to the newsletter for more book recommendations, exclusive intl giveaways, behind the scenes and more:
Malka @ Paper Procrastinators says
I’ve honestly been a bit on the fence about this book, because while I have really enjoyed this duo’s work before and I love romances, I’m not the biggest fan of second chance romances. However, seeing your love for this book makes me want to at least give it a chance, so I’ll be sure to get a copy from my library to see if I enjoy it!
Great review!
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oooh yay! I really hope you’ll give it a chance, Malka, it’s such a fantastic read! <3
Samantha @WLABB says
I liked this, but it didn’t feel like much of a romance to me. However, I was very pleased at the end, and quite moved too.
drizzleandhurricanebooks says
Oh yay! I’m glad you overall enjoyed it 🙂