Nothing New (Taylor Swift ft. Phoebe Bridgers)
From the start, I knew that if Poe’s story were a Taylor Swift song, it would be this (fun fact: Taylor played an acoustic mash-up of Nothing New and Dear Reader on my Eras stop while I was finishing up this book, and I emailed my agent and editor afterwards and said that it was the perfect mash-up for Poe). In fact, Poe even listens to this song at the start of the book when she’s in the throes of her writer’s block and fearing that no one will “want” her now that she’s no longer a sparkling debut.
Friends Don’t (Maddie & Tae)
Another song that I knew from the beginning would pair perfectly with this book. I am a sucker for a pining-for-your-best-friend song, and this one is top tier. I love the second verse, and without spoiling too much, there’s a scene in the book that was partly inspired by the lyrics “They don't almost say, ‘I love you’ / When they're downtown somewhere, just a little drunk.” As with any good friends-to-lovers trope, I hope that when readers see how Poe and Zwe interact, they’re screaming, “Friends don’t act like that!”
Easy Silence (The Chicks)
Here For A Good Time is a romance novel, so obviously I needed to include a love song, and this is a firm favorite. The lyrics describe a soft and steady love, one that feels like the easy silence when you’re around someone who knows and loves you to your core. And when things get difficult out in the Real World, you have this safe space to come home to every day with a person — your person — who will “keep the world at bay” for you. This is what Poe and Zwe are for each other.
Malibu (Miley Cyrus)
This playlist obviously needed a song that was tropical and lush and screamed “Beach!” — and what better choice than one that’s literally named after a beach? It’s also fitting because it’s just this slow, lazy love song that I can absolutely imagine playing in the background while Poe and Zwe have a picnic on the sand and “it’ll be us just for a while.”
In Pyae Moe Thet War's electrifying and heartfelt new rom-com, a writer's attempt to find inspiration for her new novel is sabotaged by a vacation gone horribly wrong...and feelings for her off limits best friend.
A trip they'll never forget...
Poe Myat Sabei has the publishing career that any writer would kill for: her first novel sold at auction, became an international number one bestseller, and is being turned into a Netflix film. But now on deadline for her second book, Poe is facing a catastrophic case of writer’s block. The solution? Book a two-week getaway to an exclusive island resort for her and her best friend Zwe where she’ll undoubtedly be inspired to write her next bestseller.
But the vacation of their dreams disintegrates in a flash when the resort is taken over by a group of masked women who are very armed and very angry. As they try to leave the island before the group can track them down, Poe and Zwe suddenly find themselves facing the kinds of conflicts that only come up when, well, you’re trapped in a life or death situation on a remote island with your (hot) best friend.
Romance Comedy [St. Martin's Griffin, On Sale: August 26, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250330550 / eISBN: 9781250330574]
Pyae Moe Thet War is a writer and digital media editor who was born and raised in Yangon, Myanmar. She received a BA from Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and MA's from University College London and the University of East Anglia before moving back to Yangon where she currently lives with her dogs.
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