The world is full of stories. Trust me. It’s true. And I’m always right, so I know. With hardly a glance, I can read just about anyone, add a couple notes, and orchestrate their next chapters. It’s a gift worthy of exploitation as far as my father is concerned, so when he sends me to buy out quaint Chickville, South Carolina for his industry plans, I decide it’s time to write my own story. The second after I lay eyes on Summer Roberts—local bookstore owner with a jaded past and a pant suit that doesn’t belong within a hundred miles of farm land—I decide my story involves a marriage of convenience. At first, I just want to spite my father by ignoring all his orders, falling in “love,” and giving up his last name, but as Summer’s secrets and mine come undone, one beautiful page at a time, this little ploy turns into something else. Something real. Will she ever stop hating me for coercing her into staying in a place full of memories she doesn’t want to endure? And, follow up question, am I allowed to fall in love with my wife? Could Have Been Real is a laugh-out-loud, enemies-to-lovers, closed-door romcom with small-town magic, forced proximity, and a sunshine boy/grumpy girl dynamic. Trigger Warning: depictions of depression and references to suicide