An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love

By: Lauren Appelbaum

Narrated by: Renata Friedman

Inheriting a seaside cottage comes with strings attached in this touching romance where an introverted remote worker must leave her city apartment and learn to connect with others—and find love—in real life.

Mallory Rosen loves working from home—minimum contact with others suits her just fine. Nothing could make her leave her comfortable Seattle apartment. Until she inherits her late grandmother’s seaside cottage . . . with strings attached: Take care of your grandfather.

Fine. She can quickly check on Gramps, rent out the cottage, and return to her life. Yet when she arrives at the independent living community, the WiFi keeps dropping, Gramps interrupts her meetings, and the cottage needs renovating—according to the handsome, extroverted property manager.

So much for grand plans. Soon Mal finds herself caught up in senior citizen aerobics, new friendships, nightly chats with Gramps—and in the sparks flying with her charming property manager. Then, just when her new life and chance at love feel worth leaving her safety net behind, she gets the worst notice ever: All employees must return to the office.

Critic reviews

"The slow burn of Mallory falling for Daniel as well as Florida is full of lush and lovely scenes, and Mallory is a pleasurable narrator who readers will root for. Like a good soak in a hot tub near the beach.”—Kirkus

"Appelbaum is a rising powerhouse in the world of contemporary romance."—Sara Goodman Confino, bestselling author of DON'T FORGET TO WRITE

"I read the Introvert's Guide to Life and Love with a goofy grin on my face from start to finish, completely charmed by both the burgeoning bond between Mallory and her Gramps and her sweet and slow-burn romance with dreamy Daniel. Adorable and laugh-out-loud funny with true character growth and development, Lauren Applebaum's delightful sophomore novel is the perfect feel-good read!"—Meredith Schorr, USA Today bestselling author of RoomMating

Great book from St. Petersburg resident!

I enjoyed this book very much. I’m a Jewish woman who lives in St. Petersburg, FL—oh, and I’m a big Rays fan!—so I found this novel especially delightful. ☀️🧢⚾️💜✡️

Fabulous!

Such a sweet story, I absolutely loved this! The author perfectly captures what it’s like to navigate the world as an anxious introvert. In particular, she captures that intense feeling of dread in social situations when you realize that other people are finding you off-putting, but there’s nothing you can do to change that. Painful secondhand embarrassment as a listener to this audiobook, but deeply relatable.

Mallory is an easy MC to root for and every side character stands out. The narrator added a lot to this book, highly recommend the audio.