Razorbill acquires Rebekah Weatherspoon's YA romance Her Good Side about a fake homecoming date
Reminiscing about school dances and the thrills of first love?
Rebekah Weatherspoon is ready to make readers swoon with her new YA romance, Her Good Side, which EW can exclusively announce was acquired by Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, in a heated seven-house-auction.
Her Good Side is described as being for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Dumplin', following a girl who agrees to help out her best friend who's accidentally double-booked her homecoming dates. She goes to go to the dance with her best friend's new boyfriend, but by the time homecoming rolls around, her friend has moved on and what was meant to be a fake date starts to feel surprisingly real.
"This is very loosely based on a true story. My best friend set me up with her boyfriend just before for prom, and then dumped him," Weatherspoon said in a statement. "He handled it like a champ and was a perfect gentleman, but we definitely didn't skip off into the sunset. Talking to my friend again over the last year, I thought it would be fun to write a story where things turn out differently and a first love springs out of an awkward situation."
Razorbill Senior Editor Julie Rosenberg acquired the world English rights for Her Good Side, as well as a second untitled YA novel. "This delightful novel is an affirming celebration of Black joy, highlighting the warmth of strong female friendships, the spark of first love, and the importance of finding your own confidence," she said in a statement. "I fell in love with Rebekah's voice as soon as I started reading it, and I am thrilled to welcome her to Razorbill!"
Weatherspoon is the author of over 20 romance titles, including EW favorites Rafe and A Cowboy to Remember. She also runs the blog, Women of Color in Romance, which promotes the work of women in color in romance fiction.
"Weatherspoon excels at writing characters perfect to spend a day with – fun, earnest, well-intentioned human beings who are just the type of people we all hope we to be when we're at our best," EW wrote of her work previously.
Her Good Side is scheduled for publication in Fall 2022.
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