Becca Grischow

A charming homerun of a queer holiday romance where two former classmates’ plan to fake-date their way to freedom goes immediately awry—but, perhaps, exactly the way they need it to.Murphy was supposed to be settling into her junior year at the University of Illinois with her best friend, Kat. Instead, she’s stuck in a hellish suburban holding living with her parents, failing the same class that kept her from graduating the first time around, and making minimum wage at the same coffee shop she’s worked at since she was sixteen. It doesn't help that the dating pool for a twenty-one-year-old lesbian in the tiny town of Geneva, Illinois, is anemic at best. When her and Kat’s long-awaited reunion is plagued by stuttering conversation and uninvited guests, Murphy’s resentment threatens to boil over. That is, until a miracle appears in the form of Ellie Meyers, a former classmate who is way cuter and not nearly as straight as Murphy remembers. Their heavy flirting holds the promise of something more… until Murphy learns that Ellie’s mom is the very professor preparing to flunk Murphy for a second semester in a row. Talk about killing the vibe.Romance might be off the table, but Ellie could be Murphy’s key to getting into Professor Meyers’ good graces and finally getting out of Geneva. And Murphy—well-versed in defying parental expectations—might be Ellie’s chance to get her mother onboard with her own dreams. Together, they hatch a fake a relationship for a holiday weekend at the Meyers’ house. If everything goes according to plan, Ellie will be living her dream halfway across the country, and Murphy will finally be able to graduate community college and start her life in earnest. So, the fact that Murphy can’t stop thinking about Ellie’s lips on hers isn't relevant. It’s just a part played well.Right?A story about opening your heart to possibility, HOMETOWN ADVANTAGE is a giddy love letter to anyone in need of a bit of bravery to step up to the plate—and to the unending process of finding yourself.

I’m only on the market for a hookup. Cleo Bumping into a hot guy in an elevator? I thought that only happened in movies. But running into him two more times in the span of 24 hours? Now that’s more than a coincidence. Dean is hotter than the subway in August, and I’ll happily ride him just as much. But that’s all this is -- a hookup. His cold, corporate world will never align with my crazy acting career. Plus there’s the teeny tiny surprise that puts the last nail in this coffin. His younger brother? Yeah. I’m his nanny. So whatever this spark is between us, it’s officially cancelled. The hot actress has officially become off-limits. So why do I just want her more? Dean Cleo Walker is everything I’m not. Loud. Funny. Wild. I never thought that this girl would consume me the way she has. But now that I know that she’s my little brother’s nanny, I can’t have her. Like she says, some Tinder hookup isn’t worth losing her job over. But what if what we have wasn’t just a hookup? This could be something real. And I’m not letting anyone, even my own mother, stand in the way of that.