Rosewater - Paperback

by LIV Little (Author)

Winner of Lambda Literary's 2024 Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction

A TODAY and LGBTQ Reads Most Anticipated Book of 2023 - A Goodreads Buzziest Debut Novel of the New Year - An Electric Lit Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Book of Spring 2023 - A Bustle Most Anticipated Book of Spring & Summer 2023 - A Nylon April 2023 Must-Read Book - An Ebony Required Reading Pick for April

For fans of Bolu Babalola and Tia Williams comes a "tender, soulful, and sexy" (Phoebe Robinson) debut novel about finding love in an unexpected place.

Elsie is a sexy, funny, and fiercely independent woman in south London. But several things in her life have gone terribly wrong. She's estranged from her family; is failing to make it as a poet; and has just been evicted from her social housing. As fierce and independent as she is, even Elsie must admit that being a carefree 28-year-old is proving difficult―and that she's running out of options.

Juliet, her best friend since childhood, has always been Elsie's lifeline. So even though they haven't spoken in months, Elsie is soon snuggled up on Juliet's couch, back at home among the mismatched cushions and knit blankets.

Between their reruns of Drag Race and nights smoking on the balcony, something surprising begins to glimmer in Elsie's heart. And as the days turn into weeks and then months, this feeling quickly becomes too fierce to ignore. Will Elsie be brave enough to open herself up to love?

Featuring the poetry of Kai-Isaiah Jamal, Rosewater is a deliciously steamy queer romance from a bold new voice. An electric and captivating debut, Elsie's story teaches us that sometimes home is not always where we are, but who we are with . . .

"Simmering." ―New York Times
"Sensuous." ―Electric Lit
"As buzzy as it gets." ―no kill magazine
"Fresh, zesty, and sexy." ―Bernardine Evaristo
"Sensuous, urgent, and pulsating with youth." ―Xochitl Gonzalez
"I laughed, I cried, couldn't put it down." ―Monica Heisey

Author Biography

Liv Little is a writer of Jamaican and Guyanese descent via South London. She tells stories with heart about the people and places that matter to her. Her work spans journalism, audio, TV, and curatorial projects, for which she's received various accolades, including LGBTQI+ Broadcaster of the Year and Rising Star at WOW. Her short story "The Sisters" was published in the critically acclaimed Hag, a collection of forgotten folktales retold. She was a BBC writer-in-residence for 2021, during which she developed an original pilot for a queer conspiracy thriller. Liv is most at peace in nature, and she now lives by the sea. Rosewater is her debut novel.