The Scenic Route

Take a delightful detour with this novel by the author of The Wedding Beat and a writer of The New York Times’s “Vows” column…  The shortest distance between soul mates isn’t always a straight line.... When Austin Gittleman first met Naomi Bloom, they were grammar school classmates and she pasted pictures of him in her Barbie Dreamhouse. Those days are long gone. Austin is a Midwestern doctor who always tries to do the right thing—even if it often turns out wrong. Naomi is a Miami pastry chef with a taste for adventure. They seem to have nothing in common. But that doesn’t stop Austin from falling head over heels when they reconnect at a mutual friend’s seaside wedding. Only, falling hard doesn’t guarantee happily ever after, or even a second date. Tropical storms and mechanical malfunctions contribute to a series of miscommunications and missed connections that lead Austin and Naomi away from each other and back again. In The Scenic Route, life is what happens on the way to where you’re going. It’s unpredictable and inconvenient, but it can be pretty wonderful when you bring the right person along for the ride.

About the Author :
Devan Sipher is a writer of the New York Times’s “Vows” wedding column and the author of The Wedding Beat. He lives in Manhattan.

Review :
Praise for The Wedding Beat “[A] cheeky and charming debut...Fabulous and funny, a quick, quirky read that marries self-deprecating humor with the bittersweet romantic challenges of a lonely man.”—USA Today “A poignant and funny appeal to all singles to let go and give love a try. The clever and snappy prose will appeal to readers who look forward to each new title from Jonathan Tropper….Smart and thoroughly enjoyable.”—Library Journal “By turns blushingly embarrassing, heartbreakingly true and fabulously funny…Sipher demonstrates he is a true romantic, who has learned much about the inner workings of the human heart.”—Interview Magazine “[A] light and witty tale…sure to find an audience among women seeking reassurance that men also carry emotional baggage about weddings and marriage.”—Publishers Weekly “[Sipher] brings some unexpected edge and wit to the game.”—The New York Times “Filled with sharp observations, hilarious truths and poignant moments. Reading The Wedding Beat is like sitting next to the wittiest guest at a wedding—a rare find!”—Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of When in Doubt, Add Butter “A romantic, hilarious, and inspiring story of the angst behind the announcements.”—Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin, New York Times bestselling authors of The Nanny Diaries “A delightful and fresh look at the romantic comedy genre.”—Jillian Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of Some Girls “Sipher gives us the male Bridget Jones—winning, elegant and terribly lost.”—Jennifer Belle, author of The Seven Year Bitch “Smart, laugh-out-loud funny and unabashedly romantic.”—Sarah Dunn, author of The Big Love