Genre: Women’s Fiction / Contemporary Romance

Status: Querying

Abstract: When twenty-eight-year-old art student Natalie Papier rushes home to Pennsylvania after her dad’s death, she’s only planning to stay for the funeral. But her mother is critically injured, her childhood home is a disaster, and her father left behind dozens of disturbing self-portraits chronicling his hidden battle with bipolar disorder. 

Enter Alan Spears, the awkward nerd who crushed on Natalie in high school. Thirteen years later, he’s confident, funny, and an Air Force pilot. He offers to help renovate a space for her father’s posthumous exhibition, and their chemistry startles them both. The problem? Alan is stationed in Hawaii, and he only has four weeks of leave. A holiday fling seems ill-advised, even for Natalie who says yes to everything. 

Attraction builds as Alan admits feeling trapped in a life that no longer fits, and Natalie shares her fear of becoming mentally unstable. With Natalie, Alan doesn’t have to pretend; with Alan, Natalie feels safe and cherished. But when Alan gets promoted, and Natalie must return to Chicago for school, they’re forced to choose: pursuing the futures they’ve always planned, or the terrifying risk of building something new. 

The Eye of the Beholder explores themes of mental illness, identity, and choice. It will appeal to readers of Book Lovers by Emily Henry and Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, balancing family drama with smart, funny, serotonin-infused joy in a slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, small town romance. 

If you’re an agent and this sounds interesting, please reach out!