NO WORDS

At Little Bridge Island’s first annual literary festival, the attending authors create enough drama to fill several novels.

Jo Wright, author of popular children’s book series Kitty Katz, Kitten Sitter, is not feeling as perfectly “pawsitive” as her plucky feline heroine. She’s been dealing with terrible writer’s block ever since Will Price, author of several supersuccessful maudlin romances, bad-mouthed her books to a reporter from the New York Times. Now prone to wearing all black and embracing a less-than-sunny approach to life, Jo is way behind on her deadline for Kitty Katz No. 27 and in need of funds to move her ailing father out of New York City and to a warmer climate. So, when Jo receives an unexpected invitation—complete with $10,000 stipend—to the Florida Keys for Little Bridge Island’s first literary festival, she can’t really justify turning it down. There’s only one downside: Will Price is not only attending the festival, but he’s also its largest donor. Jo, along with a zany cast including magician/fantasy author Garrett Newcombe and her best friend, YA novelist Bernadette Zhang, are all charmed by the island’s hospitality and the festival’s fancy events. But when Jo and Will’s past animosity seeps into the present and unsavory rumors come to a head, Little Bridge finds itself in the eye of a “purr-fect” storm. This third trip to Little Bridge—following No Judgments (2019) and No Offense (2020)—puts Cabot’s trademark wit and vibrant characters on full display. While some key facets of the plot are underdeveloped—the explanation for Will’s unsavory behavior is unsatisfactory, as is Jo’s extreme reaction to it—the charming small-town setting, intriguing hate-to-love romance, and authentic look behind the scenes of a literary get-together make for a winning combination.

This frothy, made-for-summer read earns its place poolside.