This Is Not a Love Song — Sarahbeth Purcell

Brilliant young writer Sarahbeth Purcell combines witty melodramatics with her own brand of hard-edged, tough-girl cadences in This Is Not a Love Song, a fantastic new novel filled with characters who are idealistic enough for readers to relate to and just cynical enough to respect.

When Julia first met Chase one February day two years ago, she knew something was different. An intelligent, free-spirited artist, Chase was not like the other guys Julia had dated. He was her soul mate. At least for two blissful years. And then, with nothing more than a single note left on a bedside table, he was gone -- following his lifelong search for peace and inspiration on another spontaneous road trip across the country. But this time, he wasn't coming back. Devastated and depressed, Julia turns to her friend Delia, a gorgeous and tortured alcoholic who approaches life with the spirit of a warrior. Through terse phone calls and late-night crying jags, Delia helps Julia navigate her heartbreaking loss.