A Love Like the Sun

Description

“Extraordinary… a raw, vulnerable, breath-stealing love you can feel as you read.”
—Emily Henry

Lifelong best friends spend a fateful summer discovering what might happen if they were to be something more in this radiant, heart-clenching adult debut.

Laniah Thompson is a homebody who craves privacy. Issac Jordan is internet famous and spends his days followed by paparazzi. She runs a small business with her mom in her hometown. He runs an international brand.

And they’ve been best friends since childhood.

When Issac comes home to Providence for the first time in months and discovers Laniah’s dream is slipping out of reach as she and her mom struggle to pay the bills at Wildly Green, their natural hair store, she refuses to take a dime from him. And so, he does what any self-respecting best friend would do: tells the world they’re dating.

Suddenly business is booming, and Laniah agrees to his ridiculous plan to pretend to be lovers for the course of the summer. Just long enough to catch the eye of an investor and get her dream back on track, like she helped him do so many years ago, he reminds her.

Too soon, though, Laniah knows she’s playing with fire, because for as long as they’ve been friends there’s an undeniable pull they’ve never given in to. And as the lines between art and life—real and pretend—blur, it becomes harder and harder to see where friendship ends and something else begins….

Told over the course of three sizzling summer months, A Love Like the Sun is about shared history, those who make us our bravest selves, and love in its many forms.“Sometimes you read a book and you just know that no other writer in the world could possibly have written it—that this story was destined to be told in just this way, at just this moment. Riss M. Neilson’s A Love Like the Sun is one of those books. It’s funny, heartfelt, and fresh, with dreamy prose and vibrant characters. Nielson has crafted something extraordinary in Laniah and Issac’s story: a raw, vulnerable, breath-stealing love you can feel as you read. Perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez, Kennedy Ryan, and Carley Fortune (aka me).”
—Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Happy Place

“Dazzling, tender, and romantic, A Love Like the Sun is a beautiful story about taking risks, being brave, and letting the people who know us best, love us fully. I adored this friends-to-lovers romance!”
—Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Meet Me at the Lake

“A Love Like the Sun is a beautifully crafted and achingly tender story that offers a fresh take on the well loved friends to lovers trope. Laniah and Isaac’s chemistry is undeniable, and I so enjoyed witnessing them find their way to each other. A must read!”
—Kristina Forest, author of The Partner Plot

“Riss M. Neilson paints a poetic, sexy, and intimate portrait of falling in love in A Love Like the Sun. I absolutely devoured the best friends-to-lovers dynamic between Laniah and Issac, and cheered (yes, out loud!) when they finally gave in to their inevitable fall. Neilson’s prose is as warm and effortless as the love story that unfolded, and just as compelling. A stunning read.”
—Jessica Joyce, USA Today bestselling author You, With a View

“Sexy, heartwarming and soulfully human, Riss M. Neilson’s stunning adult debut is an homage to home, family, love, and the fears that hold us back from our destiny.”
—Shirlene Obuobi, author of On Rotation

“A Love Like the Sun filled me with warmth and shined as brightly as the star itself. A truly remarkable, achingly tender, and deliciously sexy romance that will stick with me for years to come. This childhood friends to lovers novel brims with the giddiness of a first love and the enduring glow of true love. Neilson’s adult debut is a romantically powerful force to be reckoned with, and I loved every page.”
—Mazey Eddings, author of The Plus One

“Riss M. Neilson masterfully crafts the fears and fireworks of best friends-to-lovers romance while showcasing culture, curls, and sizzling chemistry. And yes, Isaac brings that star power, but Ni is otherworldly—for these two, it was only ever a matter of time.”
—Taj McCoy, author of Zora Books Her Happy Ever After and Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as HellRiss M. Neilson is a magna cum laude graduate of Rhode Island College, where she won the English department’s Jean Garrigue Award, which was judged by novelist Nick White. Her debut young adult novel, Deep in Providence, was a 2022 finalist for the New England Book Awards, and her forthcoming novel I’m Not Supposed to be in the Dark is set to publish in 2023. She is from Providence and lives for the city’s art and culture scene. When she’s not writing, she’s watching anime or playing video games with her two children. A Love Like the Sun is her adult debut.Reader’s Guide
A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson
Discussion Questions:

1.   Laniah has a hard time expressing herself, but throughout the book, she starts sharing her hopes, fears, and matters of the heart with family and friends and even Issac. Do you have a hard time opening up to people? What helps? What makes it harder?

2.   Laniah and Issac share music as a love language. Is there someone in your life you share playlists and songs with? Who is your favorite person to sit in the car and listen to music with?

3.   Have you ever felt afraid to ask your doctor a question?

4.   Issac and Laniah have a close platonic relationship for most of their lives until they give in to romance. What are the differences between romantic and platonic love for you?

5.   Laniah and Vanessa’s small business is based on a shared passion and connection. Could you ever imagine yourself going into business with a family member? A friend? Do you have any shared passions with anyone you love?

6.   Laniah eventually finds a health care team with whom she feels safe. What qualities do you find reassuring in a doctor?

7.   Have you ever had symptoms dismissed as anxiety? Do you know anyone that has happened to? How do you think Laniah’s identity as a woman influenced her interactions with Dr. Rotondo?

8.   One of Laniah’s goals is getting Wilma and Bridget to reconnect. Are there any relationships in your life that you’d like to rekindle? Are there any you’d like to make stronger?

9.   Have you ever had a dream about someone who you probably shouldn’t have had a dream about?

10. Laniah and Issac both had experiences that helped shape their views on love and relationships. Do you feel like anything from your childhood, good or bad, has affected your view on love?US

Additional information