New love stories, swoony boys, and Heartbreak

Author

Bethany Monaco Smith
April 01, 2023

In this email...

  • A note from me

  • Meet the next two couples

  • A sneak peek at what's coming in 2023 & 2024

  • Your first Heartbreak Like This teaser!

  • Behind the scenes of what I'm working on right now

It's me. Hi.

Am I the only one still obsessed with Anti-Hero? That song just speaks to my soul. And now I'm going to listen to it...

I was joking with one of my friends the other day that I have a problem where I create side characters who are so much fun, they morph into a series of their own, and when I finish the Friends Like This series, I'm going to have to spend a year just wrapping up all the side characters stories from my different series. So, yes, I am the problem. It's me.

However, sometimes those side characters become more than a short story (or in the case of some of them, were always meant to be), so keep reading for a look at some side characters who will be getting some love this year!

Meet the couples!

As I've mentioned, my next two releases are part of an anthology and a shared world respectively. The stories also tie together featuring cousins Frannie and Kennedy Baker (eventually Frannie's sister Hallie will also get a story. See my statement above on side characters LOL).

First you'll meet Mark Abbott (Rae & Sarah's cousin) and Frannie Baker in The Last Lie, part of the Holidays and Hookups anthology. Then you'll meet Kennedy Baker and her bestie Devon McGregor in The Last Key, part of the Brighton High School Reunion shared world.Here's a little more about both couples...

What's coming in 2023 & 2024...

After Mark and Frannie's and Devon and Kennedy's stories in June, we'll be back in the world of Ida for the foreseeable future & I can't tell you how excited I am. Here's a look at what's coming (including a new series featuring some beloved characters). P.S. This does not include any freebies that might come along as well ;)

  • Heartbreak Like This- August

  • The Forever Fight (Jesse & Dani's story) (Ida Heartthrobs Book 1)- September

  • Friends Like This #7- October

  • Hudson & Hennessey short story- November (part of an anthology)

  • Friends LIke This #8- January 2024

  • Freaking Love 4 (Braden & Hollie's story)- Spring 2024

  • & more of the Ida Heartthrobs and Friends Like This series throughout 2024!

Feel free to reply to this email and tell me what you're most excited for!

Your first Heartbreak Like This teaser!

I officially started writing HBLT this week & I am beyond excited, so here's your first tiny tease!

The threads that are holding me together are fraying and I'm close to unraveling.

I hate this chaotic feeling inside me, like I'm slowly slipping toward insanity and I can't do anything to stop myself. Everything that's ugly and bad inside of me is just waiting for the snap, the moment my defenses break and they can unleash their horror on me. Or on everyone else through me.

What I hate even more is that I feel this way because of them. The people who abandoned me, neglected me, and broke me—I have pieces of them inside me. They're all the jagged edges, the parts that feel unfixable.

Sarah, Heartbreak Like This

Are you ready? Because I am so very ready to tell the rest of Sarah and Joel's story (and introduce the next friend's story too!)

Behind the scenes with me

Want to know what I'm working on right now? Listening to? Reading? What's rumbling around in my head? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway!

  • Currently working on: Heartbreak Like This & some final edits on TLL & TLK

  • Currently distracting me from those things: Future series, as usual, but I'm pretty focused on HBLT

  • Currently reading: Man Candy by Melanie Harlow

  • Currently listening to: Jordan Davis, the audiobook of The Rural Diaries by Hilarie Burton Morgan

If you want more fun behind the scenes info, make sure you join my FB reader group! It's where we talk about books, romance, my characters & their love stories, and where I share random unedited snippets of what I'm working on and other fun teases! And this year there might be an exclusive giveaway or two as well!

Happy April, everyone! I hope today features no April fools, but plenty of fun. I can't wait to keep teasing you all more and more as I dive back into the world of Ida! Whose story are you most excited for? And which FLT friend do you think is next? Reply and let me know!

Until next time, take care and happy reading!