My Third Book

An announcement and cover reveal a day early for my cherished Katz Café subscribers <3

Hello, friend! Thank you for joining me on this virtual coffee date.

The following will not go live on social media until tomorrow (January 30th). Please do not share this cover or description anywhere until you see it up on my instagram (@rachelrunyakatz).

Okay, with that out of the way…

Today’s Drink Special: Boooook Threeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

Coming October 21st, 2025

After a meet-disaster, a podcaster and her producer fall in love over email without realizing they know (and hate) each other in real life.

When high school librarian Yael’s secret podcast starts to take off, she decides to hire Kevin, a remote freelance editor/producer so she can manage juggling her mental health, day job, and the queer teen book club she’s been hosting at school after hours. To maintain her anonymity, they communicate strictly via email and Kevin only knows her by her podcast persona, Elle.

Little does Yael know that Kevin, who in real life goes by his middle name, Ravi, is the same man she tore apart for climbing out of her bedroom window after a one night stand with her roommate, Charlie. And she certainly never expects him to show up to volunteer at her book club.

In person, Yael and Ravi clash until their sparks turn into something more. Over email, Elle and Kevin are starting to fall hard when they decide to keep things strictly professional. But when Ravi discovers the truth, will keeping it a secret mean the end of everything he’s built with Yael/Elle? And what happens when she finds out? Will they fall twice as hard, or cut ties in more ways than one?

Rachel Runya Katz’s Isn’t It Obvious? is a sharp, funny romance about loving the whole person and finally taking a chance on love.

add it on goodreads

pre-order campaign (more on that in a couple paragraphs)

Regarding the cover

Obviously, I’m obsessed. LOOK at them! The dream team of Kerri Resnick (designer) and Natalie Shaw (illustrator) have blown me away once again. I love every last detail: the tagline as Ravi’s laptop stickers, the warm color palette on Yael’s side, the way Ravi’s looking to the side in interest, both of their obscenely pouty lips! Ravi’s thick brows! Yael’s burgundy hair and signature braid! They really took my rough idea (below) and worked wonders.

And that RLS blurb up top is so, so special to me. The Ex Talk was pivotal in my romance journey and a big part of my decision to try to write my own book, and to get to use that attribution here (justified by the podcast themes, even though it’s not Rachel’s most recent book) is a real full circle moment.

Regarding the book itself

The meet-awkward came to me fully formed in the summer of 2022 — before I’d even started drafting Whenever You’re Ready in earnest — and I wrote the first scene down before leaving it untouched for over a year. I revived it in early fall of 2023, and then spent most of spring and summer last year drafting.

In many ways, this was an exercise in pushing myself. In terms of plot, the hidden identity format made it so I was essentially writing two relationships for a large part of the book. I also had to think very carefully about how to make it plausible that they didn’t figure out one another’s identities until the time was right, while still having all the hints there for them to eventually find out. In terms of character, Ravi is the first POV character I’ve written who was not raised in the US, which was a new challenge. I interviewed my friend Brad, who is also Indo-Trinidadian, extensively before starting and proceeded to pepper him with questions throughout the process AND ask him to read the first draft. Of course, the entire first paragraph of my acknowledgments is dedicated to him. And now half a paragraph in my announcement newsletter, too! Thank you endlessly, Brad. And Brad’s group chat.

This book features an m/f couple where both characters are bisexual, and their queerness is extremely relevant to the plot. It’s also a good bit lighter than Whenever You’re Ready. Don’t worry, it still gets sad sometimes —I am a self-proclaimed rom-traum-com author after all. I’m just saying that we’re not, for a completely hypothetical example, confronting our ancestors’ complicity in slavery while on a road trip that we planned with our dead best friend. :)

How to buy it:

This time, I’m partnering with three of my favorite Washington-based indie bookstores for my pre-order campaign! There will be an art print (also by Natalie Shaw, to be revealed) and sticker sheet included with every copy. All copies will be signed; request personalization in the comments at checkout.

You can always order from your local indie as well. I’m working on a digital pre-order incentive that would be open to anyone who orders from any independent bookstore, so save your receipt!

If you want to use a larger chain store, the general pre-order landing page is here.

Finally, you may be wondering why this one is coming out in October instead of September like the other two. That’s because I’m getting married in September! I am in the throes of planning so it’s like 50% of what I think about right now; I might as well mention it here.

A Biscotti with Your Coffee

TV: my best friend and I have started watch Traitors. I know, I know, very late to the party. But it’s as good as everyone says.

Music: Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny, obviously. My favorite song is “La Mudanza.”

Books: I won the “curate a bookshelf” prize from Meet Cute Bookshop in the auction to support trans kids a couple months ago. The shelf will be up in the store for the month of February. Here are my picks and shelf talkers:

The Love Lyric by Kristina Forest - I have been impatiently waiting for Iris's story since I read The Neighbor Favor two years ago, and The Love Lyric did not disappoint. Forest writes with such a unique warmth.

Karaoke Queen by Dominic Lim - Both a gorgeous love story and a touching exploration of the main character's relationship to masculinity. Nobody's doing it like Dominic Lim.

A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins - The dialogue in this is spectacular (I listened to the audiobook and I was cackling at work) and the descriptions of BBQ made me almost wish I ate red meat.

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black - Juicy, dramatic, glamorous, biting, and totally delicious. Black's voice is both fresh and timeless.

Never Been Better by Leanne Toshiko Simpson - Beware: not a genre romance, but in the rom-com space in the same way as My Best Friend's Wedding. This made me laugh and cry and I felt like it was written specifically for me.

Long ass newsletter today, but I guess I had a lot to say.

Mwah,

Rachel Runya Katz