Don't Tell Me How It Ends

By: Adrienne Thurman

Published by Random House, 2026-04-14

A floundering twenty-something who’s sworn off romance finds herself roped into her meddling sister’s matchmaking business in this sparkling debut romcom that asks: Can we protect ourselves while falling in love? “A sharp, funny, feel-good love story about bad dates, big feelings, and one deliciously slow-burning love.”—Nikki Payne, USA Today bestselling author of The Princess and the P.I. Kaia Harper may not have a plan for her life, but she knows what she won't be doing—falling for somebody's dusty son, promising forever. She'd rather spend the summer after college having disappointing one-night stands and watching crime show reruns. At least she won’t be caught off guard since she already knows how all those stories end. But when her very pregnant and newly single sister calls for help, Kaia reroutes, stumbling back home to suburban Connecticut…and into the business plan of her sister's new matchmaking company. Kaia’s views on love remain as bleak as her career prospects, but if becoming the inaugural client can distract her from existential questions like "What am I even doing with my life?", Kaia can suffer through a few bad dates and call it a favor. When Ro Jackson finds Kaia stalled on the side of the road, he isn’t put off by her attitude. His steady disposition is Kaia’s opposite and makes him exactly what she needs—a friend in town who can handle her just as she is. But as Ro talks Kaia through a summer of failed matches, she finds herself drawn to more than just his poetic outlook and friendship. Kaia hadn’t seen this one coming, but as she and Ro grow closer, she’ll have to decide what’s more important: needing to know the end of every story, or jumping into the unknown.