Ordinary Love

Bestselling YA author Rutkoski (Real Easy) makes her adult debut with a raw and moving second-chance love story that tenderly tracks a woman’s determined efforts to regain self-worth as she heals from an abusive marriage and reunites with a past love. For many years, Emily has convinced herself that she’s happy with her affluent and seemingly doting husband, Jack. But as Jack’s red flags accumulate—including controlling tendencies, bursts of anger, and a dangerous punishment for their young son—the happy facade fractures. Amid major emotional upheaval as Emily considers how to safely extricate herself from her marriage, she runs into her high school best friend and first love, Gen, at a fundraiser. Once a gangly teen with lofty ambitions, Gen is now a stranger to Emily but is known to the public as a distinguished Olympic athlete with a heart of gold and a reputation as a heartbreaker. Both women are responsible for deep wounds in the other that have persisted despite their years apart, but their unmistakable bond draws them back together. Rutkoski tracks their slow rekindling in stunning prose that skillfully weaves past and present. The result is a brutal yet beautiful story that captures what it means to genuinely support, cherish, and love another person. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, CAA. (June)