Dont Tell Me How It Ends, Adrienne Thurman
Dont Tell Me How It Ends, Adrienne Thurman
List: $22.00 | Sale: $15.40
Club: $11.00

Don't Tell Me How It Ends

Author: Adrienne Thurman

Narrator: Shayna Small

Unabridged: 8 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/14/2026


Synopsis

A floundering twenty-something who’s sworn off romance finds herself roped into her meddling sister’s matchmaking business in this sparkling debut romcom that asks: Can we protect ourselves while falling in love?

“A sharp, funny, feel-good love story about bad dates, big feelings, and one deliciously slow-burning love.”—Nikki Payne, USA Today bestselling author of The Princess and the P.I.

Kaia Harper may not have a plan for her life, but she knows what she won't be doing—falling for somebody's dusty son, promising forever. She'd rather spend the summer after college having disappointing one-night stands and watching crime show reruns. At least she won’t be caught off guard since she already knows how all those stories end.

But when her very pregnant and newly single sister calls for help, Kaia reroutes, stumbling back home to suburban Connecticut…and into the business plan of her sister's new matchmaking company. Kaia’s views on love remain as bleak as her career prospects, but if becoming the inaugural client can distract her from existential questions like "What am I even doing with my life?", Kaia can suffer through a few bad dates and call it a favor.

When Ro Jackson finds Kaia stalled on the side of the road, he isn’t put off by her attitude. His steady disposition is Kaia’s opposite and makes him exactly what she needs—a friend in town who can handle her just as she is. But as Ro talks Kaia through a summer of failed matches, she finds herself drawn to more than just his poetic outlook and friendship.

Kaia hadn’t seen this one coming, but as she and Ro grow closer, she’ll have to decide what’s more important: needing to know the end of every story, or jumping into the unknown.

About The Author

Adrienne Thurman writes romance and commercial fiction where gloriously unlikable women get their happily ever afters—or the revenge plot of their dreams. As a BIPOC creator, she writes stories with a diverse cast of characters that make her readers feel seen. She is also the author of the picture book No Way, Wash Day.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lina on March 25, 2026

4.5 / 5 Stars I have found a new author to be obsessed with and this is her debut! I am beyond impressed and in love with this book. Adrienne Thurman is an auto-read author for me now. Kaia is one of my favorite FMCs of all time. She is so real and messy. I love to see a flawed woman who is also stro......more

Goodreads review by Papillon on February 22, 2026

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All my thoughts and opinions are my own. Real rating: 2.75 I always like to give debut novels grace. This is their first time out here. I’m not expecting a masterpiece. But I /am/ expecting to like the story I carved......more

Goodreads review by Lilyya on March 20, 2026

3.5 stars this is the author’s debut in the romance genre, and it’s a genuinely promising start. i enjoyed this book, especially for how grounded and real it felt. Kaia was the highlight for me a because of how raw and flawed she was depicted. her life is turned upside down, and we follow her as she......more

Goodreads review by Courtney on October 22, 2025

This was such a precious romance. Our FMC, Kaia, is a fierce and independent woman, and our MMC, Ro, is the ultimate golden retriever man—supportive, charming, and loved by everyone he meets. Their story unfolds as a slow friends-to-lovers burn, and honestly, there were moments I just wanted to shov......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on February 24, 2026

2.5 star rounded up. Don’t Tell Me How It Ends is one of those books where I admired what the author was trying to do more than I actually enjoyed reading it. Kaia is a deeply pessimistic, commitment-averse twenty-something who insists she doesn’t believe in love—and for a while, she really tested my......more


Quotes

“A sharp, funny, feel-good love story about bad dates, big feelings, and one deliciously slow-burning love that captures the serious mess of modern womanhood and manages to be hilarious at the same time.”—Nikki Payne, USA Today bestselling author of The Princess and the P.I.

“Adrienne Thurman is a master of character and connection.”—Talia Hibbert, New York Times bestselling author of Get a Life, Chloe Brown

“A skeptical young woman, feeling directionless and disillusioned with love, agrees to be the first client for her older sister’s matchmaking business in Adrienne Thurman’s refreshing and emotionally resonant debut. . . . There’s enough comfort and tenderness in this warm hug of a novel to soften the heart of even the staunchest cynic.”Publishers Weekly, starred review

“With a relatable and steamy slow-burn love story, a fun meet-cute, a vibrant cast of characters, and an emotional quarter-life crisis, Thurman’s adult fiction debut will appeal to twentysomethings like Kaia and Ro and older readers wanting to revisit that era.”Library Journal

“This is a witty adult contemporary rom-com about a commitment-averse woman who agrees to be the first client in her sister’s matchmaking venture and unexpectedly finds herself confronting love, fear, and letting go. Don’t Tell Me How It Ends is a stellar book club pick because it sparks the kind of conversation that lingers: powerful, honest, and necessary.”—Ashley Mathias Root, author of The Drowning Daze of Astraea for Glamour