Fake It till You Make It

London (Consuming Logan) takes readers to a quaint small town in this adorable series launch, introducing locals with big personalities and their lovable scene-stealing pets. When Amarie Walker’s ancient car breaks down, leaving her stranded in Service, W.Va., she discovers that fate has landed her in a great place to start over after leaving her cheating fiancé. Though she’s unable to update and print a resume, she lands a job with local veterinarian Eli Calvary through sheer force of will, insisting she can help save his family business with her savvy understanding of digital marketing and social media. The grouchy and technophobic Eli is attached to his late father’s analog systems, but he reluctantly takes on Amarie with some encouragement from his mother, Leah, who sees Amarie’s potential. A relentless matchmaker, Leah also sees the possibility of a love connection for her closed-off son. Amarie soon wins over the entire town—and she’ll have readers just as invested as she grows into the most confident version of herself. Obstacles arise when Amalie’s ex-fiancé shows up alongside Eli’s ex-wife, but for the most part London keeps things light. The cast is majority Black, making this a welcome addition to the predominantly white small-town contemporary romance canon. London is sure to win fans. Agent: Latoya Smith, Art House Literary. (Apr.)

Correction: A previous version of this review incorrectly identified the book as the author’s debut.