Written by a Woman by Andrea Andersen (November 1, 2024) File this one under: Bookstagram made me read it, and I’m so glad it did! I found this gem thanks to a reel from @andreaandersenauthor and immediately hit add to cart
Signe Lange is a confidently curvy front desk associate at a booming tech startup, but her real dream is to be a romance author. That dream is becoming reality: the chapters she posts online are gaining massive traction, complete with fan art, devoted readers, and viral love for her male main character. The only (slightly enormous) problem? That character is veryclearly based on Zaid—the swoony, brilliant CTO of her company. And oh yes, she definitely has a secret crush on him.
When a livestream accidentally captures Zaid on camera, Signe’s followers immediately connect the dots. Zaid’s sisters—diehard fans of the story—inform him, and he suddenly realizes two things: (1) Signe wrote a romance novel with him as the inspiration and (2) The massive crush he’s been nursing on her might not be one-sided. The catch? He’s a top executive. She’s in an entry-level role. The power imbalance is real, and Zaid won’t risk crossing that line. So Zaid decides to bide his time, hoping she’ll go full-time as an author and the dynamic will shift—if he can hold off that long…
I devoured this book. Andersen weaves a sharp, layered workplace romance with themes of ambition, boundaries, and how the workplace fails women in small but deeply frustrating ways. (I bought the book the moment I saw the scene about having to pay for feminine products in the office bathroom—YES.) Add in a meddling, lovable Syrian family, food-as-love language, slow-burn tension, and an absolutely swoon-worthy, grounded male lead? I’m obsessed. This is equal parts spicy slow-burn romance and feminist mic drop and I will be reading everything Andrea Andersen writes from here on out.
- ⭐Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
- 🔥 Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Book Smart Kate 