The False Flat

By: Melissa Collings

Narrated by: Alaska Jackson

In this uplifting story about friendship, love, and growth, one woman must untangle herself from a past that’s holding her back in order to move forward into the life that will set her free.

Penelope Auberge is at her breaking point. With an overbearing mother, a married boyfriend, and a boss who gives Pen’s high-profile finance clients to male colleagues, it feels like nothing she’s accomplished in her thirty-two years belongs to her.

Determined to build a life entirely her own, Pen moves from Minnesota to Tennessee to open a solo financial business. There, she meets siblings Deanna and Grant, who attempt to coax Pen out of her socially anxious shell. Hesitant to open up so she doesn’t get hurt (again), Pen is slow to develop a friendship with Deanna, and she’s determined to ignore her feelings for Grant, which is difficult given she’s joined his cycling group and a clear something begins blossoming between them.

Pen’s path in Nashville appears to be smoothing out, but she soon learns that packing up her past isn’t quite that easy. If she wants to start fresh, she’ll have to decide what she really wants—even if that means riding away from her old life for good.

©2024 by Melissa R. Collings. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Melissa Collings’s The False Flat is a haunting, character-driven novel…Pen and Grant’s love story is touching, profound, and fascinating.” —Readers’ Favorite

“With a particular interest for fans of multicultural and interracial romance, The False Flat by novelist Melissa Collings is a finely crafted work of literary excellence that will be enjoyed by the reader from start to finish. An extraordinary and highly recommended pick for community and college/university library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections…” —Midwest Book Review

“A heartwarming, heart-wrenching debut for lovers of Emily Henry and Etta Easton, The False Flat is like curling up with a good cup of tea and your new best friends. A must-read.” —Rea Frey, #1 bestselling author of Don’t Forget Me and In Every Life

I’m Gobsmacked

What a wonderfully beautiful piece. Thank you. You have settled my head and heart. All we need is love!

great book

very sad. This was a really good book! I liked this author, I'll definitely have to read more!

Life lessons

Wow! Just wow! I balled my eyes out, learned to live in the present and be grateful for life’s biggest gift: health, love and family. I loved loved loved loved loved loved loved loved loved loved this book.

Poignant…happy…sad…real!

Upbeat & positive in some of life’s most challenging moments…a good read!! Grant was inspiring & he inspired us all!

A decadent audiobook

This book is for those who love Jodi Picoult’s mix of romance, reality, and tragedy, which is, I believe, life itself. I loved the story, it’s relatable for anyone, but I think especially for those of us who find ourself torn between our personal and professional self, and all the ways life weaves in and out of those things. It was enchanting.