Straub, Emma

Staff Pick!

Mia Y Says…

“I enjoyed this book a lot! Emma Straub creates such a strong sense of place and writes characters that feel so real that it almost feels like you’re there on the cruise. I thought the meditations on aging, fame and womanhood were interesting and thought-provoking. If you like character driven fiction and you had a boyband phase in your teens, this is a perfect summer read for you!”

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Annie is on a journey straight back to her past. When the American Fantasy cruise ship sets sail for a four-day themed voyage, aboard are all five members of a famous 1990s boyband, and three thousand women who have worshipped them since their youth. Newly divorced and with an empty nest, Annie is on board as a lark to appease her sister. Once a diehard fan of the band as a teen, she now feels out of place amid the sea of bedazzling t-shirts bearing the singers’ faces. Yet when the lights go down, the cocktails are poured and the band starts singing, Annie finally reconnects to a long-submerged part of herself. As she encounters Keith, the band’s slightly depressed, fifty-something lead singer – not just a celebrity but someone clearly in need of a friend – she feels like anything is possible. But is the connection between Annie and Keith just a fantasy? Or is this the beginning of a new chapter for them both?