West Side Honey

Description

Cleo has a few things going on. Two beautiful kids and a less beautiful ex-husband, a share house arrangement with her long-term bestie Jude (complete with a third child, also beautiful) and an underperforming florist business. Actually, the shop could be beautiful too, it's just that Cleo hasn't got time to think about it. Her new week-on week-off custody schedule is about to change all that. She can put her own needs first for once-take a dance class, fix up the shop, even think about dating. Not that she's looking for anything serious, but she's open to exploring what she wants. Which, it turns out, is a lot. Maybe too much? But how can you work out what you really, really want unless you try a bit of everything?

Claire Christian tells stories. She is a writer, theatre-maker and facilitator based in Meanjin. She has had four plays published by Playlab, including Lysa and the Freeborn Dames, which debuted at La Boite in 2018. She had the great joy of directing Michelle Law's smash-hit comedy Single Asian Female. Claire's debut novel, Beautiful Mess, won the Text Prize in 2016. Her second novel, It's Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake, was released in 2020.

'Christian is a must-read author for anyone who loves their rom-coms real and utterly binge-able.' -- Bri Lee 'Claire Christian writes with fierce kindness and protectiveness over her readers.' -- Michelle Law 'West Side Honey does to your body what a scented bath, a sweaty sparkly dance session, an electric first kiss and an enormous unexpected bunch of flowers do - ALL AT THE SAME TIME. A thundering round of applause for Claire Christian, her brilliant hot-mess protagonist Cleo and excellent cast of delightfully written kids, friends and lovers.' * Kate Mildenhall * 'This warm, poignant novel is a love letter to what can happen when we take agency of our lives, and to the freedom and joy that waits for us on the other side of fear. If books could talk, Cleo and her charming cohort in West Side Honey would say to readers, you can sit with us, you're welcome here. I laughed and cried and loved being in their beautiful company.' * Holly Ringland * 'West Side Honey does to your body what a scented bath, a sweaty sparkly dance session, an electric first kiss and an enormous unexpected bunch of flowers do-ALL AT THE SAME TIME. A thundering round of applause for Claire Christian, her brilliant hot-mess protagonist Cleo and excellent cast of delightfully written kids, friends and lovers.' * Kate Mildenhall * 'Claire Christian's books are a gift to the romance genre. Christian tells big-hearted, super sexy and inclusive stories that leave you wanting more. West Side Honey is as flirty as it is empowering, and Cleo's journey towards wholeness is one we can all aspire to. This is a book about figuring out what we want, and believing that we deserve nothing less.' * Michelle Law *