What is the title of your latest release?
FUN AT PARTIES
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
FUN AT PARTIES is about a celebrity spin instructor who has a meltdown during a live class and decides to take a spontaneous cross-country road trip with her longtime crush/semi-estranged friend. It’s supposed to be a relaxing trip with a lot of nature and quiet, but when their mutual friend throws a wrench in the plan, it turns into a wild goose chase across America’s biggest party spots. Basically, the protagonist thinks she’s going to be doing Wild, but she ends up doing The Hangover.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The book is about a road trip, so it takes place in multiple locations across the country. I chose Lake Tahoe as the first stop because our protagonist, Quinn, thinks spending her vacation in beautiful, relaxing places is going to give her the clarity she needs to get her life together. Every location after that is the exact opposite of what she thinks she needs—a Vegas nightclub, a rain-soaked country music festival, a Nashville bachelorette party. It’s pure chaos, which was a lot of fun to write.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely! Quinn is witty and has a good heart. She really tries to be a good friend, though early in the book she’s struggling with how to handle long-distance friendships, which I think a lot of people can relate to. If I met her before the events of this book, I probably wouldn’t choose her to confide in about my problems, though. She has a hard time honestly addressing negative emotions, which is something she unpacks throughout the book.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Determined, funny, and warm
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I did a lot of research about toxic positivity and how people understand their own emotions. I’ve been joking that Fun at Parties is Inside Out-coded, and it’s true! Something clicked for me when I learned about a study where researchers asked people to make a list of all the emotions they’d ever felt, and most people could only name two or three. Many of us are just not great at identifying what we’re feeling, and that causes a lot of problems. This inspired a lot of the issues Quinn faces in the book.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I typically wait until I’m done. I never fully understand what the book is meant to be until I’ve written the whole thing, so I have to finish to gain the perspective I need to edit it.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
When I go out to breakfast, I always want eggs but feel like I’m missing out if I don’t get something sweet too. I’m a huge fan of ordering pancakes for the table for that perfect mix of sweet and savory!
Describe your writing space/office!
I’m lucky to have my dream home office, which was designed with the help of my friend Christina Kim. It has gorgeous blue built-in bookshelves, a fun patterned rug, and a beautiful pink glass light fixture. When we designed it, I was working full-time as a lawyer and chasing after two young kids, so I only had short periods of time to write each night. I wanted a space that would give me an energy boost and help me feel creative at the end of a long day.
Who is an author you admire?
There are so many. Because of my own career history, I’ve always been inspired by the lawyers and former lawyers who’ve built careers as romance writers, like Jasmine Guillory and Courtney Milan. And I admire Ali Hazelwood for so many reasons, but one in particular is her generosity in supporting other authors in the genre.
Is there a book that changed your life?
There are so many. That’s one of the things I love about reading. When I was a teenager, I fell in love with Megan McCafferty’s Jessica Darling series. Those books have both a delicious romance and a real-feeling personal journey with a lot of depth for the protagonist, Jessica. That type of story became my absolute favorite, and it’s what I like to write now.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My wonderful agent had prepared me for a long process with lots of waiting, so we were pleasantly surprised when the deal came together quickly. It felt like a complete whirlwind. I remember thinking to myself once it was official how incredible it was that a dream I’d had since I was a kid was coming true. After that, I had to hurry to drop my kids at daycare and go to work, but I spent the whole day basically bouncing up and down in my chair in excitement!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Romance is my absolute favorite, but I’m also a sucker for a gritty spy novel.
What’s your favorite movie?
Crazy, Stupid, Love and Legally Blonde.
What is your favorite season?
I live at the Jersey Shore, so I’m a summer girl all the way. To be more specific, I love what we call “local summer,” which is September and early October, when the weather is still nice but the crowds are gone. Fun at Parties is actually set during this time of year, and Quinn’s final destination on her road trip is the Jersey Shore. After everything she goes through in this book, she deserves a relaxing day at the beach in perfect weather!
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
As long as I get to spend the day with family and friends and have a good meal (with dessert), I’m happy.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
On TV, I recently started Maxton Hall, which is very juicy and dramatic, and I’ll probably race through the rest of the episodes in about five minutes. And I’ve been watching Shoresy, which has Ted Lasso vibes but in a Canadian way, and also has a really wonderful romantic subplot.
For books, I’m excited for the release of Megan Oliver’s Secret Nights and Northern Lights in November. I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland, so I’m living vicariously through these characters. I also loved Melanie Sweeney’s Where You’re Planted and Ellie Palmer’s Anywhere With You, both of which were released this summer. And my next read is Aurora Palit’s Honey and Heat, which I’ve been so excited to dig into!
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I studied abroad in Ferrara, Italy, and learned to cook there. I’ll always have a soft spot for Italian food, especially the recipes I learned there--lasagna bolognese, as well as Ferrara’s signature dish, a pumpkin pasta called cappellacci di zucca. And gelato!
What do you do when you have free time?
I do a lot of jigsaw puzzles, watch TV, and go for walks.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m excited to celebrate the release of FUN AT PARTIES this fall and have some exciting events planned! I’ve also just started writing something new, which I hope to share more about soon.
A Novel
In this swoony estranged-friends-to-lovers romance, a celebrity spin instructor and her longtime crush take a spontaneous cross-country road trip that turns into an unexpected but epic party hop, and end up en route to love.
When online cycling instructor Quinn Ray has a mid-class meltdown after a bad breakup—dramatically off-brand for someone whose vibe is sunshine and rainbows—her boss orders her to take a few weeks off work. And that’s fine. In fact, a quiet road trip through America’s most tranquil scenery is exactly what she needs.
But then Nate Reed, who’s barely spoken to Quinn since their friendship imploded two years ago, asks to hitch a ride so he can reunite with their chaotically lovable pal Logan to discuss something important. Unfortunately, Logan seems to be dodging them on purpose. Meanwhile, the internet rallies so strongly behind Quinn post-breakup that her boss orders her to seize the opportunity to rebrand herself as everyone’s favorite emblem of fun, empowered singledom.
So Quinn and Nate put aside the awkwardness between them and follow Logan 450 miles to a Las Vegas nightclub. And then chase him to a rooftop rager . . . baby shower? . . . in Denver. A rain-soaked country-western music festival in Kansas. A rowdy Nashville bachelorette party. As Quinn's peaceful road trip becomes a tour of America's biggest party spots with the guy she didn't know she still wanted, she realizes Nate might just be the silver lining she never thought to look for.
Audiobook Narrator- Karissa Vacker.
Romance Comedy | Women's Fiction Friendship [Penguin, On Sale: September 16, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593474846 / eISBN: 9780593474853]
Jamie Harrow is a writer of romantic comedies. Her debut novel, One on One, will be published by Dutton/Penguin Random House (US) and Quercus (UK) on September 24, 2024 .
Jamie grew up on the sidelines of a basketball court and wrote a sports column for The Villanovan, the student paper at her basketball-obsessed college. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School and lives in New Jersey with her family.
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