We are thrilled to be revealing the cover for Ivy Ngeow’s The American Boyfriend, which is a romantic suspense-thriller, delving into interracial, cross-cultural, and long-distance relationships, bringing new perspectives to contemporary literature.
Releasing on July 25th from Penguin Random House SEA, The American Boyfriend is now available to pre-order from Kinokuniya and Amazon, plus don’t forget to add it to your Goodreads!
Read on to discover the synopsis and cover, but first here’s what Ivy thinks of it!
“I am absolutely thrilled to share that my latest novel is a personal favourite of mine! It combines all my favourite elements of a psychological thriller, from the complex main character to the eerie setting. When it came to designing the cover, I knew I wanted to convey the feeling of isolation and desperation that permeates the story. That’s why I chose a lone swimmer as the central image, a freshly robbed Asian tourist in Key West who seems to be waiting and expecting someone. Her posture creates a sense of drama and unease, drawing readers in and hinting at the tension to come. But it’s not just the girl that creates an eerie atmosphere. The almost light green pool, unlike the usual electric blue, and the distorted tiles add an extra layer of spookiness, making readers feel like things are not quite what they seem. Overall, I’m incredibly excited to share this book with readers and can’t wait to hear what they think. Thank you so much to The Nerd Daily for giving me the chance to talk about it and revealing the cover to the readers!”
Phoebe Wong would do anything to escape a British winter. But it may cost her more than her airfare.
Sunsets, tacos and margaritas all sound perfect to exhausted forty-three-year-old single mum Phoebe with a dead-end job in Southwark. When her long distance boyfriend in New York invites her to meet him in Florida, she couldn’t wait to jump on a plane with her toddler. Arriving with her teething child at her boyfriend’s Key West ‘vacay home’ before him, she is robbed on her first night. With no money, cards or passports, she is grateful for the support of friendly locals.
At a BBQ, she meets an old expat British businessman. Her boyfriend arrives eventually, apologetic, and takes her out to a posh seafood dinner. But when the British expat is shot that night in the same restaurant’s car park, Phoebe is trapped in a put-up job, and her boyfriend’s delayed arrival is suspiciously timed. If this place has turned darker and chillier than London, she wants out.
Will she be able to pull herself and her daughter away from danger?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ivy Ngeow was born and raised in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. She holds an MA in Writing from Middlesex University, where she won the 2005 Middlesex University Literary Press Prize out of almost 1500 entrants worldwide. Her debut, Cry of the Flying Rhino (2017), was awarded the International Proverse Prize in Hong Kong. Her novels include Heart of Glass (2018), Overboard (2020) and White Crane Strikes (2022). She is commissioning editor of the Asian Anthology New Writing series. The American Boyfriend was longlisted for the Avon x Mushens Entertainment Prize for Commercial Fiction Writers of Colour 2022. She lives in London.
Yay! Thank you for sharing this. We are very excited about this book 🙂