We chat with author Elle Everhart about Hot Summer, which sees sparks fly when a young woman finds herself cast on a Love Island-inspired reality show and has to choose between her heart and her strategy in this sizzling new queer romantic comedy.
Hi, Elle! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m a writer and English teacher originally from Baltimore, currently living in East London. I’ve written two romantic comedies, Wanderlust and Hot Summer — both feature bisexual leads and explore some of my many obsessions (namely travel/the internet and reality TV). I spend almost all my non-teaching and writing time watching brilliant (read: mostly terrible) television and trying to keep my students from finding my TikTok account. It’s an uphill battle (and one I’m definitely losing), but here we are!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember! I was an avid diary keeper, Xanga writer (what I would give to have access to those posts now, I’ll tell you), and story scribbler. I wrote my first “romances” in fourth grade when I wrote a bunch of stories about people kissing in a composition notebook I tried and failed to keep hidden from my parents.
We had a “talk” about those stories, but clearly it went right over my head.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: the Magic Castle readers – I still remember one of the opening lines about the ‘rows upon rows of word windows lining every single wall’
- The one that made you want to become an author: so many… but if I had to pick one, maybe the Magic Treehouse I couldn’t get enough of those as a kid!
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Prospects by KT Hoffman — that book made me nostalgic for hot, sweaty summers in Camden Yards eating Dippin’ Dots. And I don’t even care about baseball, that’s how powerful this book is!
Your latest novel, Hot Summer, is out June 25th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Reality TV, sun, bikinis, and drama
What can readers expect?
A fun, reality TV dating-inspired sapphic romance with plenty of twists and lots of yearning (for someone… for a better life… for lots of things)
Where did the inspiration for Hot Summer come from?
I am a reality TV dating show aficionado. I love them. And, last year, I was talking to my then-editor Gaby Mongelli about how much I love Love Island and think it would be so fun to write a sapphic book inspired by the show. I was kidding (I had no draft! No idea!!) but she immediately was like uh… wait… you’re onto something. And, thus, Hot Summer was born!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really loved getting to write Cas and Femi’s friendship – this relationship could have been rocky or frustrating or difficult, and, instead, it was just supportive and loving. It was so fun to write, and I love Femi.
The reality TV of it all, too, was such a blast – the games, the drama, the hiding from the cameras…. Those are the things I love the most about the shows I watch, and it was so fun, trying to recreate it all in Hot Summer!
I also really loved writing the interstitial pieces from social media. It was like a puzzle, trying to come up with realistic usernames and to replicate the way that people actually talk online.
What are your hopes for the romance genre in the coming years?
I want so much more sapphic romance – we’re seeing more and more these days (yay!) but I need sapphic romance forever!
What’s next for you?
I can’t say too much about that yet, but I’m working on a sapphic project grounded in 2000s pop punk nostalgia. It’s giving me everything right now!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I have loved so many books this year! Here’s a few:
- Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk
- Happy Place by Emily Henry
- You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
- Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
And as for the books I need in my hands, like, yesterday (again, many, but here’s a selection):
- The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee (technically I have this, I just haven’t started it yet!)
- The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson
- Fall for Him by Andie Burke
