Seatmate - A Novel

By: Cara Bastone

Published by Random House, 2026-07-14

Could her seatmate be her soulmate? A discount bus ride turns into a race against the clock (and some serious yearning) in this edge-of-your-seat romance from the bestselling author of Ready or Not and Promise Me Sunshine—first time in print in the U.S.!

Gwen has exactly 5 hours and 10 minutes to get from Boston to New York City for the professional opportunity of a lifetime disappears. Her only travel option? The second-to-last seat on a discount bus. Across from the bathroom. Wearing last night's clothes (don't ask). All worth it if she can make it in time.

Her nerves almost get the best of her, but then there he is, sitting down in the seat next to her. Tall. Friendly smile. Bright indigo streak in his brown hair. The perfect distraction. Turns out he's on his way to reconnect with an old flame. The one that got away. They can both make it on time—just barely—if the traffic keeps flowing.

Playing road-trip games, avoiding calls from his mother, and effortless conversation keep them from clockwatching . . . until the bus breaks down. And Gwen's seatmate turns into her copilot as they wrangle a ride in a car three decades old. And hit all the traffic. And oh, Lord, the detours. And somehow she ended up careening cross-town on the handlebars of a Citi Bike carrying a box of kittens. (Yeah, don't ask.)

He's her hero every step of the way . . . and she might be falling for him. But what happens when they reach their final destinations?