This is the central conceit for Lily Menon’sMake Up Break Up,a new romance hitting shelves next February.
Get your exclusive first look at the cover below.
Read more after the cover image.
Credit: St. Martin’s Press
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This is your adult fiction debut what made you want to make the jump from YA?
LILY MENON:I’ve been an adult romance reader for a very long time.
Did the pen name come at the behest of your publisher to distinguish from your YA work?
St. Martin’s Press
Why did you opt for that?
That was a mutual conversation.
It was very much the same thought process.
I have such a great stable of my readers, about half of whom are actual teens.
And not all teens are ready for that or want to read that.
So, this is just a very important distinction for those readers.
What appealed to you about setting your story in the world of the tech industry?
I’m not sure if it’s Silicon Valley or somewhere similar.
They’re actually in L.A., but it is California.
I am a huge fan of women in tech.
This is my second book that has a woman in tech as the heroine.
In the field of computer science specifically.
Was that something you wanted to tackle on the page?
Your covers have been these really eye-catching photos, often featuring a tantalizing beverage.
This is quite the departure to the more cartoonish, illustrated approach.
Can you walk me through that choice?
I’m a huge fan of illustrated covers for adult romantic comedies.
I just feel like it’s so iconic.
It was a conversation between my publisher and me.
The colors really pop.
Did you choose the color scheme?
I noticed that there were a lot of teals and pinks and those very typical summer romance colors.
Do you wish either of the apps in the book really existed and how did you devise them?
Make Up is this app that uses deep learning to tell couples how to communicate better.
Then you have Break Up on the other side, which has been termed the Uber for break-ups.
They’re completely different apps.
They’re totally different ideas, and they symbolize the hero and heroine of the book.
I would love to see Make Up be a real app because it’s about bringing people together.
In my other life, I am a therapist, so it really appeals to me.
It’s very summery; it’s very light-hearted and very romantic.
The biggest difference is thatMake Up Break Upis very steamy.
I actually surprised myself with how much I enjoyed writing sex scenes.
That is something that is very, very different about this one.
There definitely is a line about margaritas.
Definitely a little bit more of an adult beverage thenWhen Dimple Met Rishi,which is an iced coffee.
Whats the one drink you cant live without and why?
I would say probably tea.
Because I drink endless cups of it while I’m writing and editing.
