A sweeping queer love story about desire, friendship, mistakes and the possibility of second chances, for fans of The Paper Palace and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

FOR EMILY AND GEN, THIS IS LOVE...AT LAST.

Emily has a life many would envy: a Manhattan townhouse, two sweet children and an adoring husband, Jack. But Jack isn't what he appears, and Emily's marriage is secretly troubled.

During their rocky separation, Emily encounters someone she's tried not to think about for years: Gen Hall.

As teenagers, she was Emily's best friend, first love - and first heartbreak. Emily thought that she'd never recover from losing her. Now, separated by over a decade of mistakes and miscommunications, can they find their way back to each other?

What comes next is a sweeping queer love story about desire, friendship, and above all, the possibility of second chances.

Details

ISBN13: 9780349146898
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 368
Edition:
Publication Date: 10 Jun 2025
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 23.2(H)x15.2(L)x3.4(W)449
Weight (gm): 449

Author Biography

Marie Rutkoski is a New York Times bestselling author of several novels for children and young adults. She grew up in Illinois as the oldest of four children, and has lived in Moscow, Prague, and Paris.

She holds degrees from the University of Iowa and Harvard University, and is now a professor of English literature at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Shakespeare, children's literature, and fiction writing. She lives in Brooklyn with her family and two cats, Cloud and Firefly.

Reviews

Once in a while one of those truly brilliant books comes along that takes over your life - and, for 2025, Ordinary Love is the book hitting the spot * Stylist *
This summer's smart beach read, with shades of Pineapple Street and The Paper Palace * Grazia *
An exquisitely tender and beautifully written portrayal of enduring love * Observer *
Vivid . . . A sweeping, decades-spanning tale of queer desire and thwarted ambition . . . Beautifully rendered and touchingly told, this is one for romance fans everywhere * Marie Claire *
I stayed up way too late to finish this beautifully written novel, which had me hooked from the first page. A truthful, hopeful look at navigating family, life and love. -- Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS
This is an almost unbearably beautiful love story. Emily and Gen feel completely real: on the rare occasion I managed to put this book down, I thought about them constantly. It broke my heart to let them go when I turned the final page. Ordinary Love is extraordinary. -- Emilia Hart, bestselling author of WEYWARD
I'm obsessed with this novel. It demands obsession because it is so rich with feeling and nuance; you fall into a vat of emotion as you read, the way its heroine falls into her desire. A must for lovers of Sally Rooney, extremely sexy love stories, and characters who feel so real you see them in your dreams. A must for lovers, full stop -- Holly Brickley, author of DEEP CUTS
This novel is remarkable and profoundly moving. A beautifully written, intelligent, quietly hopeful story about being lost and found. -- Emily St. John Mandel, bestselling author of THE SEA OF TRANSQUILITY
A brilliant examination of queerness, friendship, motherhood, longing and ambition. It's funny and moving and sexy. Above all, it's a stunning love story -- J. Courtney Sullivan, bestselling author of THE CLIFFS
A sweeping tale. Tender, truthful and gorgeously written, I devoured it in a few days. -- Samuel Burr, bestselling author of THE FELLOWSHIP OF PUZZLEMAKERS
Ordinary Love sparkles with the excitement, danger and wonder of love in all its forms -- Sophie Ward, Booker Prize longlisted author of THE SCHOOLHOUSE
Evocative and emotional, surprising and propulsive, the whole of it brimming with tenderness. Rutkowski's prose is poetic and sharp, writing to be savored. Perhaps most unforgettable is the chemistry between Emily and Gen, which crackles and explodes on the page -- Carola Lovering, bestselling author of TELL ME LIES AND BYE, BABY
Shining with rare clarity * Sainsbury's Magazine *
[A] raw, gorgeous debut * The i Paper *