I’m especially excited to review The Side Project, a new contemporary romance novel by Laurel Osterkamp thanks to Kate Rock Book Tours.

The Side Project

Laurel Osterkamp 

Contemporary romance 

Release Date: 11/13/24

About the Book:

Rylee dreams of moving to California, writing literary fiction, and pursuing her late father’s dreams. But she’s still in Bemidji, MN, caring for her younger brother and running into her high school crush, Carson. Ten years ago, Carson rejected Rylee and she never quite recovered. Carson had his sights set on the Ivy League, until his girlfriend’s unexpected pregnancy. Being a single father is the most important job he’ll ever have, even if it means postponing his dreams. Rylee is shocked to discover she and Carson enrolled in the same fiction writing graduate course. They become writing partners, but also take on a secret “side project”–a no-strings-fling that will end once the class is over. Because they can’t fall in love. Hearts would be broken and secrets would get revealed. Should Rylee and Carson risk everything to find their happily-ever-after?

My Review:

What a heartwarming, page-turning romantic read! This is my first by Laurel, and it’s fun to discover a new-to-me author with a backlist! 

I jumped right into the story and romance. Fans of the second chance trope will gobble this up. And while this has all the makings of a romance novel, it doesn’t shy away from bigger themes like illness, grief, and family secrets. Each of those is handled with great care. I rooted for our main characters and also enjoyed the behind the scenes look at writing. A fun read!

About the Author:

Laurel Osterkamp is the award-winning author of roughly a dozen novels, such as Favorite Daughters and the #1 Amazon bestseller, Beautiful Little Furies. She is obsessed with writing and doesn’t know how to stop. In addition to her novels, she has short fiction published in literary journals all over the web, writes a monthly column for Writer’s Fun Zone, and runs her website, laurellit.com, with book reviews, lesson plans, and writing advice.

When she’s not writing (which is rare) she’s often teaching adult ESL or middle school enrichment classes, going running while listening to audiobooks, or educating her daughter about the OG teen soap opera, Beverly Hills 90210. She lives in Minneapolis with a family who loves to argue, and their cats, who love to hiss at each other. Ramona Quimby is her spirit animal.

Follow her on Instagram @laurel_osterkamp.