Ellipses

October 1, 2023

Long out as a lesbian, style-setting cosmetics mogul Billie is one formidable businesswoman, while biracial, bisexual Lily finds both her love life and fashion-magazine career stuttering. She's thrilled that Billie seems eager to act as mentor but soon becomes dangerously obsessed with her. From veteran magazine staff writer Lawrence, currently an MFA candidate. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 11, 2023
In Lawrence’s incisive debut, a queer 30-something magazine writer struggles to navigate her professional and romantic relationships. While reporting on a gala in a borrowed dress, Lily Michaels meets Billie Aston, chief creative officer of a prominent beauty company. Well-known for her power suits and ruthless attitude, Billie gives Lily her number and asks to see the article when it’s published. From there, the two develop a fraught relationship in the “digital ether.” Initially, Lily sees a mentorship opportunity, as Billie is one of the city’s most powerful queer women. When Billie starts sending sexts, however, Lily becomes uneasy. While she knows she’s lucky to have Billie’s attention, she’s also aware that the executive has “zero compunctions about dismantling another, younger threat.” Lily, who has a reached a relationship plateau with her long-term girlfriend, Alison, must decide where her own values lie. Lawrence has an insider’s understanding of the media world, and digs deep into such issues as sexism, racism, and ageism. This marks the arrival of a promising new voice. Agent: Tia Ikemoto, CAA.

February 15, 2024
A young woman falls under the spell of an older mentor. When Lily Michaels--a queer, biracial, 32-year-old writer at a fashion magazine--meets and charms Billie "B" Aston at a charity function, she feels like the stars have finally aligned. B is the president and chief creative officer of a prominent beauty company and a powerful queer woman whom Lily idolizes. When B tells Lily she wants to mentor her, Lily jumps on the opportunity. As Lily deals with the demands, injustices, and microaggressions of her job, she becomes more and more reliant on texting B for advice. For her part, B keeps Lily on a leash while simultaneously keeping her at arm's length: B reels her in with guidance and innuendos, and then goes silent. Lily is no fool but can't quite seem to extricate herself from this enchanting correspondence: "And how was it that Lily could be fully aware of B's deception--that casual reference to a coffee meet-up that B clearly had no intention of actualizing--and continue to actively participate in her own manipulation?" Lily's relationship with B quickly becomes the center of her universe as she finds herself entangled in the older woman's seductive web, unable to think about much else. Ironically, as Lily fears the way social media is encroaching on her media job, she simultaneously becomes glued to her phone, much to the detriment of her in-person friendships and her relationship with her girlfriend, Alison. While B's characterization falls a little flat, and Lawrence's exploration of digital media and the rise of Instagram influencers doesn't amount to much, through Lily, Lawrence paints a layered portrait of a woman at a crossroads. A fresh take on power, manipulation, and self-discovery.

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March 1, 2024
Lily has spent her twenties working for a glamorous fashion magazine. She grew up worshipping the glossy pages and the people inside, but times have changed. The magazine is losing relevancy, and Lily is repeatedly writing profiles of vapid, privileged influencers. Her relationship with her girlfriend, Allison, is strong, though strained by Lily's fear of commitment. Things start to change when Lily meets B, aka Billie Aston, a legendary lesbian icon in the beauty industry. B gives Lily a ride home from a gala, and they begin a texting correspondence, with B giving the much younger Lily career advice. Lily is desperate for guidance, but there is a constant undertow of mystery in B's words. The texting becomes consuming, threatens Lily's relationship with Allison, and leads to a full existential crisis for Lily in her life and career. In Lawrence's debut, Lily must reckon with the role of journalists in a social media-dominated landscape, the media fetishization of Asian women like herself, and the challenges queer women continue to face in the workplace.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2024

DEBUT There is a lot to parse in Lawrence's debut, from microaggressions and racism to misogyny and workplace power plays, all told through the lens of a young woman clashing with a changing culture. Lily, a queer, mixed-race writer at a women's print magazine in New York City, covers social media influencers and doesn't exactly love the job. She spends her life trying to blend in, whether it is at work or at the social gatherings she attends for the magazine. The industry is shifting to digital, but there is a certain snobbism to print journalism that Lily can't seem to shake off. She meets Billie, a powerful lesbian running a beauty empire who seems to want to mentor Lily via text message, but Lily doesn't always like her advice. Nonetheless, she becomes obsessed with Billie and puts her own relationship with her long-term girlfriend at risk, all while her career feels like it is plunging downhill. This mentorship is quite toxic, but it takes Lily way too long to figure that out, leading to a somewhat surprising ending. VERDICT Read-alikes for this original literary debut include The Adult by Bronwyn Fischer and We Are Water by Wally Lamb.--Stacy Alesi

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