We chat with author Olivia Worley about So Happy Together, which draws on dating culture, toxic relationships, and being a single woman in New York City to create a thrilling cross between You and Promising Young Woman.
Hi, Olivia! Welcome back! How has the past 18 months been since we last spoke?
Hi! Thank you! Things have been really good—since our last interview, I feel like so much has happened: I published my second book, The Debutantes, and for the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to be a full-time author, which is a dream come true. I’m super excited to be back with The Nerd Daily!
Your latest novel, So Happy Together, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Ooh this is always tough…I’d say twisted, fun, obsessive, delusional, and wild!
What can readers expect?
So Happy Together follows Jane, a 24-year-old aspiring playwright in NYC, who’s certain that she’s found her soulmate, Colin—if she can just make him believe it. After 6 perfect dates with Jane, Colin suddenly breaks things off, leaving her devastated. Jane is sure they’re perfect together, and she just needs to prove it to him…until she realizes that Colin already has a new girlfriend, a beautiful Brooklyn artist named Zoe. But Jane is not deterred: she works her way back into Colin’s life by befriending Zoe—but then, after breaking into Colin’s apartment, Jane makes a shocking discovery that will ensnare them all in a twisted web of lies, obsession, and murder.
Where did the inspiration for So Happy Together come from?
This book was inspired by my very real experiences and frustrations with modern dating culture. I moved to New York City in my early twenties and, like Jane, started looking for love on the apps. Strangely, the hardest part wasn’t just searching for connection in a sea of pictures—it was the rare but gutting experience of meeting someone I felt excited about, only for them to end things just as I was starting to get optimistic. After one such experience left me feeling particularly down, I started to wonder: what if this happened to someone like me, only they refused to take no for an answer? Thus, Jane and her obsessive search for love were born!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I’ve never had more fun writing a character than I did with Jane. She’s delusional, obsessive, and a little unhinged—but also, I think, deeply relatable. In some ways, I feel like Jane is me, if I allowed all of my darkest, most impulsive thoughts to take over. At her core, she really just wants to love and be loved, even if she doesn’t always go about it in the most, shall we say, legal of ways 😉
I also really loved writing Jane’s friendship with Zoe! At first, Jane sees Zoe as this perfect, idealized woman who is totally wrong for Colin; Jane only befriends her as a way of staying close to him. Very quickly, though, their relationship starts to become real, which creates more tension for Jane. She’s chasing this romantic love with Colin, but at the same time, Zoe is becoming the true friend that Jane has always wanted, so there’s a fun push and pull there. Who will Jane choose? Or will it all crash and burn?
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Sometimes, So Happy Together feels like one of the easiest books I’ve ever written in the sense that once I locked into Jane’s voice, everything came out in an almost feverish rush. One challenge, though, was the fact that this is my first adult novel. In moving into a new age category, there’s a tricky balance of hoping my YA readers will still love the book while also wanting to reach new readers, too. In the end, I think the only way to overcome that challenge is to focus on the book itself—the truth and excitement of the story I’m writing—rather than how it will be received.
Can you tell us a bit about your timeline and process for working on So Happy Together?
So Happy Together might be the fastest I’ve ever drafted a book! I got the idea while I was working on my last book, The Debutantes, and in the lulls between deadlines, I worked on So Happy Together obsessively, finishing the first draft in just a few months. It was such a cathartic experience: through Jane, I was not only voicing so many of my own fears and frustrations, but taking them to the extreme. After writing the book, I went through a couple rounds of developmental edits with my agent and editor, but I feel like the heart of it—Jane and her voice—remained constant throughout.
What’s the best and worst writing advice you’ve received?
I think the worst advice out there is to try to predict what the market wants: if you’re writing certain tropes and genres just because they’re popular, chances are that by the time your book comes out, the trends will have moved on. On the other side of that idea is what I’ve found to be the best advice: write a book that you would love to read! Even if you are writing something trendy, which you totally can, make sure it’s because it truly excites you. If you’re obsessed with whatever you’re writing, then it’s more likely that your readers will be, too 🙂
What’s next for you?
My next YA thriller, Final Cut, comes out on October 28th! It’s about a young actress shooting a slasher film in the small Louisiana town where, fifteen years ago, her father was convicted as the infamous “Pine Springs Slasher”—but when a new killer begins stalking the set, she’s determined to figure out if this is a copy cat, or if the wrong slasher is behind bars.
I also have another adult thriller coming out next summer, which I’m currently editing—hopefully I’ll be able to share more about that one soon!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
My last read was Gone Girl, and I’m so comically late to the party on that one, but wow, is it phenomenal! I’ve also just started Ashley Winstead’s This Book Will Bury Me, and so far, I’m loving it. Coming up, there are so many new releases I’m looking forward to: Megan Abbott’s El Dorado Drive, Stacy Willingham’s Forget Me Not, and on the YA side, Xan Kaur’s When Devils Sing, just to name a few.
