The Rehearsals

May 17, 2021
Christie’s delightful debut explores a complex romance using a Groundhog Day twist. Megan Givens is ecstatic to finally wed the love of her life, Tom Prescott. The two fell for each other as freshmen at Harvard and have been together ever since. But when a disastrous rehearsal dinner throws together their incompatible families and brings secrets to light—including that Megan shared a one-night stand with Tom’s best man eight years prior—the suddenly unhappy couple call off the wedding. Luckily, fate has something else in mind, and when the pair wake up the next morning, it’s the day before their wedding all over again. As they relive the same nightmarish day multiple times, they realize they have the chance to change things. But will their actions make the future better or worse—or will they be trapped reliving the same awful day for the rest of their lives? Christie’s clever time-loop plot allows for great depth of emotion as her protagonists explore different paths and come to terms with what they can and can’t change about themselves and each other. This charming story delivers equal amounts of honesty and hope and is bound to win the hearts of rom-com fans. Agent: Joelle Hobeika, Alloy Entertainment.

May 15, 2021
After calling off their wedding, a young couple gets stuck in a time loop, reliving the day of their catastrophic rehearsal dinner. Megan and Tom are a picture-perfect couple. With her job as senior visuals editor at GQ and his job as a lawyer at his family's firm, they're living the dream. And now, they're getting married on the picturesque San Juan Island, bringing together their friends and family as they celebrate their love. But all that perfection is merely hiding the problems under the surface. Megan's and Tom's families have never gotten along, and Megan has always felt that Tom takes his family's side over hers. Unbeknownst to Megan, Tom has just accepted a job (at his family's behest) in Missouri, meaning that they'll have to move away from New York City and her job. Meanwhile, Megan privately feels guilt over having slept with Tom's best friend (who is also his best man) years ago. When all the buried secrets come out at their disastrous rehearsal dinner, Megan and Tom angrily call off their wedding...but then they wake up on the morning of their rehearsal dinner, again. Megan and Tom figure out that they're stuck in a Groundhog Day-style time loop, doomed to repeat the horrific day with the one person they never want to see again. Christie doesn't hold any punches in her adult debut, allowing her characters to act out in surprisingly bold ways. Megan's and Tom's betrayals are explored compassionately and honestly, making both of them feel like fully rounded people who are, if not always completely likable, at least understandable. As Megan and Tom relive the same day and get to know each other in an entirely new way, it's unclear until the very end what will happen with their relationship, creating a level of suspense that will keep readers turning the pages. A compelling story about the power of second chances and forgiveness that's sure to spark conversation.

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June 1, 2021
Megan and Tom have been together since their freshman year of college, and when their wedding weekend finally arrives, it's a perfect day--until two relationship-destroying secrets are revealed at their rehearsal dinner. Years ago, Megan had a one-night stand with Tom's best friend, Leo. Tom, whose life is ruled by his cold, WASPy parents, hasn't told Megan that he's accepted a job in Missouri. The night ends with the formerly happy couple calling off their wedding, only to wake up the next morning to find that they're stuck in a time loop, forced to relive the worst day of their lives until they finally get it right. Each day, the choices Megan and Tom make vary, from Megan running off with Leo to Tom finally saying "no" to his parents. Debut author Christie keeps the tone light, inserting repeating scenarios into each day, and turning the nightmare time loop into a journey of self-discovery. There's a feeling of resolution at the end, which isn't what the characters expected, but it's what they needed. Fans of Christina Lauren and Meg Cabot will savor this charming relationship comedy.

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