Old Flame

Prentiss (Tuesday Nights in 1980) chronicles the life and loves of a New York City copywriter in her appealing latest. Emily, a 20-something New Yorker, seems to have it all: a cute photographer boyfriend named Wes, a writing job for a prominent retailer, and a stalwart work bestie named Megan. However, Emily is getting tired of writing cutesy catalog copy and dreams of becoming a writer like her biological mother who had given her up for adoption. Megan, meanwhile, ends an affair with their boss and gets fired, leaving Emily to flounder. When Emily is invited to a wedding in Italy and Wes can’t make it, she takes Megan. There, Emily learns she’s unexpectedly pregnant, and when Megan finds an unflattering description of herself in Emily’s diary, they have a friendship-ending fight. Soon, Emily’s not sure whom she can count on or what to do about her pregnancy. Prentiss has a gift for crafting complex characters, and her insight on the mixed emotions around adoption and unexpected pregnancy ring true throughout. With plenty of charm and drama, Prentiss keeps readers turning the pages. (Apr.)