The Reunion: A Novel

by Kayla Olson

Genres: Coming of Age; Women's Fiction

Synopsis

When two former teen stars reconnect at the reunion for their hit TV show, they discover their feelings for one another were not merely scripted in this charming and heartwarming novel perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Sally Thorne.

Liv Latimer grew up on TV.

As the star of the popular teen drama Girl on the Verge, Liv spent her adolescence on the screen trying to be as picture perfect as her character in real life. But after the death of her father and the betrayal of her on-screen love interest and off-screen best friend Ransom Joel, Liv wanted nothing more than to retreat, living a mostly normal life aside from a few indie film roles. But now, twenty years after the show’s premiere, the cast is invited back for a reunion special, financed by a major streaming service.

Liv is happy to be back on set, especially once she discovers Ransom has only improved with age. And their chemistry is certainly still intact. They quickly fall into their old rhythms, rediscovering what had drawn them together decades before. But with new rivalries among the cast emerging and the specter of a reboot shadowing their shoot, Liv questions whether returning to the past is what she needs to finally get her own happy ending.

Release date: January 17, 2023

Publisher: Atria Books

Print pages: 320

Sample

Chapter 1

Girl on the Verge Lands Twentieth-Anniversary Reunion Special at Fanline
By Elijah Jones // Senior Editor, Arts & Entertainment, Sunset Central

Beloved teen drama Girl on the Verge—hailed by critics as “iconic” and “trailblazing”—has officially been picked up by streaming giant Fanline for a long-rumored twentieth-anniversary reunion special.

Shattering record after record over the course of its six seasons, the breakout hit launched its young actors to superstardom, most notably Liv Latimer and Ransom Joel, whose fictional counterparts were on-screen sweethearts. The success of the pop culture juggernaut remains unmatched by any teen drama.

While undeniably a hit, Girl on the Verge was not immune to criticism: with great devotion came great expectation, and the fandom proved tricky to please when the show took its final bow. With its infamously abrupt cut-to-black ending—in the middle of Liv Latimer’s final line, no less—many fans have vocalized their desire for closure (numerous think pieces defended the choice, however, praising it as “brave” and “borderline revolutionary”).

Fans and critics alike have to wonder: Will the world finally get the answers they’ve begged for in this reunion special?

Whatever the case, it will be good to see the original cast together again. In the (nearly) fourteen years since the polarizing series finale, its stars have gone on to varying degrees of success in Hollywood but never on the same silver screen. Ransom Joel has headlined many a box-office smash since his days on Girl, most recently as Hunter Drew, the titular character in a trio of espionage thrillers. Liv Latimer took a decidedly quieter route, pivoting to the world of low-budget indie films, turning out magnificent performances in each. Sasha-Kate Kilpatrick and Ford Brooks, who rounded out Girl’s original core cast, have both appeared in a number of projects but have yet to break out in a significant way beyond the show that made them household names.

Sources close to the project report that scheduling conflicts nearly prevented the entire original cast from returning for the reunion, but at long last, the fully scripted, hour-long episode is a go. Shooting is scheduled for this summer, with plans to air in the fall.

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