The Roughest Draft
- Downloads：7230
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-11 09:52:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emily Wibberley
- ISBN：0593201930
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
They were cowriting literary darlings until they hit a plot hole that turned their lives upside down。
Three years ago， Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon， their cowritten books topping bestseller lists。 But on the heels of their greatest success， they ended their partnership on bad terms， for reasons neither would divulge to the public。 They haven't spoken since， and never planned to， except they have one final book due on contract。
Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives， they're forced to reunite。 The last thing they ever thought they'd do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book， trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly。 Working through the reasons they've hated each other for the past three years isn't easy， especially not while writing a romantic novel。
While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat， Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships， like writing， sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right。
Three years ago， Katrina Freeling and Nathan Van Huysen were the brightest literary stars on the horizon， their cowritten books topping bestseller lists。 But on the heels of their greatest success， they ended their partnership on bad terms， for reasons neither would divulge to the public。 They haven't spoken since， and never planned to， except they have one final book due on contract。
Facing crossroads in their personal and professional lives， they're forced to reunite。 The last thing they ever thought they'd do again is hole up in the tiny Florida town where they wrote their previous book， trying to finish a new manuscript quickly and painlessly。 Working through the reasons they've hated each other for the past three years isn't easy， especially not while writing a romantic novel。
While passion and prose push them closer together in the Florida heat， Katrina and Nathan will learn that relationships， like writing， sometimes take a few rough drafts before they get it right。
Reviews
Karen
，
The path of this romance is not smooth。 It is angsty， but not churlish， full of emotion that is deeply human， emotionally complex， and finally an openness that is hard won。 The writing is captivating， silky smooth for about 80% of the book。 It exceeded all of my expectations。 Then it fell clumsily down the stairs。 It was around that point that I realized the alternating “point of view” was a device that wasn’t well used because Nathan and Katrina had the same voice。 Strange， when you have the ad The path of this romance is not smooth。 It is angsty， but not churlish， full of emotion that is deeply human， emotionally complex， and finally an openness that is hard won。 The writing is captivating， silky smooth for about 80% of the book。 It exceeded all of my expectations。 Then it fell clumsily down the stairs。 It was around that point that I realized the alternating “point of view” was a device that wasn’t well used because Nathan and Katrina had the same voice。 Strange， when you have the advantage of 2 authors to create them。 The flashbacks were equally wasteful， but for a much better reason: the authors did such an elegant job of suggesting enough detail in the “present day” chapters that most of the flashbacks were unnecessary and even slowed the pace of the story。 It was also at about that point that I’d had it with Katrina’s cowardice。 It might be more sympathetically attributed to anxiety， but can all cowardice be explained away by a diagnosis？ Should I be nicer about this？ Hers is not just about the anxiety of entering a book store， or the understandably paralyzing weight of public expectations。 It’s about hurting people while hurling away all of her blessings （except the money of course） because she is sure to lose them somehow anyway。 I call BS on that。 She was the only threat to her own happiness， but boy was she good at it。 The real killer at the 80% mark？ Sex。 Strong writing and gorgeous turns of phrase became absolutely adolescent; surely the authors of THIS book must be nearly virginal。 I don’t need it to be raunchy， not at all， but if you’re gonna go there， then GO there。 All of the prose about this part of their relationship is campy （“my soul is on fire”）。 Suddenly the upmarket romance is a harlequin novel。 Sigh。 Brain cells…。gone。 Poof。 Why are most of my notes here about what I disliked？ The disappointment， baby。 This was well on its way to being one of the smarter romances out there， and then。。。ka-thunk。 Still， there are a few highlights in my kindle （because highlighting a hard copy is just an abomination， amiright？）， marking little flashes of insight: Always vs Forever。 “‘Forever’“ is about reaching into the future， into years far away and unknowable。 ‘Always’ is about every second of every day。 It’s as far-reaching as ‘forever，’ it just starts sooner。 The word is immediate and immortal。” I love this distinction and will use it always。 “Fiction comes from truth。 It is a wonderful， imaginative， flourishing thing grown from a seed of real feelings， real desires， real fears。” Just because something is fiction doesn’t mean it isn’t also REAL。 That’s what I keep saying。 。。。more
Rebekah Stewart
，
I read 60% of this book and yet nothing has surprised me or felt anything but inevitable。 That doesn't make it a bad or poorly written book， but right now it is making me bored。 I read 60% of this book and yet nothing has surprised me or felt anything but inevitable。 That doesn't make it a bad or poorly written book， but right now it is making me bored。 。。。more
Gausia
，
3。5 rounded down
Fareha
，
This book was very well written。 The story was good， not great but an overall enjoyable read。
Mandica
，
it really is the roughest draft
Mila
，
3，5 stars
Niamh Dolan
，
didn’t really connect with the characters and the romance was pretty bleak。
Nikki Witt
，
“𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭，” 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫。 “𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧。” 📝♡Hold on， y’all。 Let me just 🧘♀️♡Okay - One of my ABSOLUTE favorite things in a romance book is witnessing two people tensely and hesitantly reuniting present day after a long time apart due to some sort of conflict or event that is unknown to the reader whiiiiile also flashing back to the past and being able to， as the reader， follow and experience the blooming of their initial relationship and their bond growing as time goes on and slow “𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭，” 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫。 “𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧。” 📝♡Hold on， y’all。 Let me just 🧘♀️♡Okay - One of my ABSOLUTE favorite things in a romance book is witnessing two people tensely and hesitantly reuniting present day after a long time apart due to some sort of conflict or event that is unknown to the reader whiiiiile also flashing back to the past and being able to， as the reader， follow and experience the blooming of their initial relationship and their bond growing as time goes on and slowly getting to put the pieces of the puzzle together to discover what the reason was that ultimately made them go their separate ways 🥺😮💨♡This book was that。 And it did it so freaking well 💓 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 tells the story of a best-selling writing duo that worked together and wrote incredible books that captivated and took the world by storm。 Although their last book together was their best one yet， it was never supposed to be their last。 Nathan and Katrina haven’t spoken in four years， going their separate ways without a whisper to the media as to what could have caused the world’s greatest writing team and the closest of friends to split on a moment’s notice。 Now they are forced to reunite， needing to fulfill their contract and write one last book。 It’s safe to say…things get rough 😅♡Oh， and did I mention that this book was written by an actual real-life husband & wife writing duo？ 🙆🏼♀️♡If it’s not obvious yet， I freaking loved this book。 It was quite literally like Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation had a baby - in ALL the best ways 📖 。。。more
Katie B-K
，
Definitely rounding up from 4。5， but I loved this。 Very much like Beach Read。 Would have liked more time at the end rather than the middle。
Brittany
，
3。5*Hmmm。。。 very compelling。 I really enjoyed how these co-authors are subconsciously writing their feelings for each other into their book。 But there was a line too; emotional cheating is very prominent here。
Emily Minarik
，
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been more confused about how I felt coming out of a book。 THE ROUGHEST DRAFT is so different from what I expected it to be。 This should have been a contemporary fiction novel。 Re-shelf it and slap a cover with bright blobs and abstract faces on it， and no one would have thought any different。There were aspects of THE ROUGHEST DRAFT that I REALLY LOVED。 The prose was evocative and thought-provoking and wonderful。But as a romance novel， I can’t get over how much th I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been more confused about how I felt coming out of a book。 THE ROUGHEST DRAFT is so different from what I expected it to be。 This should have been a contemporary fiction novel。 Re-shelf it and slap a cover with bright blobs and abstract faces on it， and no one would have thought any different。There were aspects of THE ROUGHEST DRAFT that I REALLY LOVED。 The prose was evocative and thought-provoking and wonderful。But as a romance novel， I can’t get over how much this was paced and executed like literary fiction。 This isn’t necessarily bad per se， but readers expecting romance might be disappointed。Additionally， these felt like lit fic characters。 I loved following Katrina and Nate because they were interesting， but they aren’t really likable people。 I can see why this book is a comp for Emily Henry’s work， but I personally would never rec it to someone looking for a “fun” romance。 So。 much。 angst。 I would absolutely read more adult fiction/romance by these authors because this was overall great。 But DAMN is the cutesy cover misleading。TWs for depression， anxiety， and emotional cheating。 。。。more
Pavithra M
，
Favorite book of 2022 and probably one of my favorite book of all time。 The Chemistry between the MCs is something that I don't find in many books。 I loved the way the book was written。 I usually think when books are written in past and present they is something missing but this one was perfect。 I loved how they had a connection like soulmates。 Hope many people find this book。 Favorite book of 2022 and probably one of my favorite book of all time。 The Chemistry between the MCs is something that I don't find in many books。 I loved the way the book was written。 I usually think when books are written in past and present they is something missing but this one was perfect。 I loved how they had a connection like soulmates。 Hope many people find this book。 。。。more
Daniela Soria
，
3。5
mellamy
，
realistically this is a 4-star read but i don’t even care i love writing i love angst i love ROMANCEEEE
Dasha Burgandy
，
not a fan of cheating but the book ain't bad not a fan of cheating but the book ain't bad 。。。more
Lola & Puki
，
Nuanced romance for book lovers⭐⭐⭐⭐💫THE ROUGHEST DRAFT is a captivating take on a love story with such a brilliant premise。 Katrina and Nathan's romance exquisitely unfolds through the art of writing in this forced proximity， friends-to-enemies-to-lovers slow burn， where the characters' yearning and pain jump right out of the pages！ We get an intriguing insight into the co-authoring process and the pressures of literary success thanks to this married author duo Emily Wibberley and Austin S Nuanced romance for book lovers⭐⭐⭐⭐💫THE ROUGHEST DRAFT is a captivating take on a love story with such a brilliant premise。 Katrina and Nathan's romance exquisitely unfolds through the art of writing in this forced proximity， friends-to-enemies-to-lovers slow burn， where the characters' yearning and pain jump right out of the pages！ We get an intriguing insight into the co-authoring process and the pressures of literary success thanks to this married author duo Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka。 Who takes on which character or chapter？ Do you write each scene together all the way through？ How do you deliver feedback？ It was fascinating to see how such a collaboration might work。 I was hooked from the very start！ #TheRoughestDraft is told through dual perspectives and we get tantalising glimpses of the past leading up to what pushed these friends and successful co-authors apart。 Katrina and Nathan have amazing chemistry - even when they were on the outs。 I loved how their feelings are interwoven into the story they are writing and how they communicated through the pages in a case of art imitating life。。。 or is it life imitating art？！ There's great character development and exploration of mental health， friendships and relationships in this book within a book。 This romance is one to savour， though I binge read this almost in one sitting。I thoroughly enjoyed #TheRoughestDraft andlook forward to seeing what this duo comes out with next。 Many thanks to @berkeleyromance for providing this eARC for review。 4。5 stars 。。。more
Sara | Bigborrowedbooks
，
I really enjoyed this a lot！ Full review to come
caro
，
this is the most frustrating slow burn i’ve ever read AND I LOVE THIS FOR THAT， it’s already one of my favourites new releases of this year。 kat and nathan are my beloveds
Carly Bohach
，
This was a fun listen！
Tatiana
，
This was a surprising read for me。 I went into it thinking it was an easy and generic fluffy rom-com and wasn't expecting it to be as deep as it was。 I liked that it focused on the characters feelings and inner thoughts。 This was big on relationship building。 Yes， the characters decisions were downright stupid at times （looking at you Kat）， but they're pretty relatable which I think balances it out。 Loved that it was a book about two authors and the writing process， that was such a unique take。 This was a surprising read for me。 I went into it thinking it was an easy and generic fluffy rom-com and wasn't expecting it to be as deep as it was。 I liked that it focused on the characters feelings and inner thoughts。 This was big on relationship building。 Yes， the characters decisions were downright stupid at times （looking at you Kat）， but they're pretty relatable which I think balances it out。 Loved that it was a book about two authors and the writing process， that was such a unique take。 Loved that it's told in both characters views and loved the flashbacks。 。。。more
Rochi Daneri
，
OMG this was such a sweet read。 The tension and love between the characters is palpable。 I enjoyed it from begging to end。
Tiffanny
，
4。5"the best part of a love story isn’t having it。 It’s getting to keep writing"Wow。 I absolutely loved the writing of this book， it was so beautiful。 I have so many highlights I don't even know where to start。 This is Friends to Strangers to Lovers， dual POV with flashbacks throughout the book。 The author's did a good job stringing bits and pieces of their falling out throughout the chapters， with a different perspective of that conflict from each pov。 One thing that bothered me was how Nathan 4。5"the best part of a love story isn’t having it。 It’s getting to keep writing"Wow。 I absolutely loved the writing of this book， it was so beautiful。 I have so many highlights I don't even know where to start。 This is Friends to Strangers to Lovers， dual POV with flashbacks throughout the book。 The author's did a good job stringing bits and pieces of their falling out throughout the chapters， with a different perspective of that conflict from each pov。 One thing that bothered me was how Nathan affirmed that he wasnt going to cheat on Melissa when he was very much emotionally cheating the entire time 😭😭。 He was emotionally distraught during this revelation and I found it hard to feel bad for him。 The person I did feel bad for was Melissa。 I wish we got more on her and the relationship she and Nathan had。 We don't get a ton of it and I wanted to *feel* more for her because what we do know is that she was a good person。 I also wish we got a moment between Nathan and Katrina where she tells him about her anxiety and depression。 I'm not sure if it's supposed to be implied that Nathan already knows about it and understands it since they're so connected they sometimes don't need to say things out loud， but it would've been nice to see that discussion on the page。 。。。more
Madison
，
it was so so easy to fall in love with this one
gina。
，
I've been curious how co-writers work and thankfully this book answered me！！Despite it didn't meet my （overly high） expectation， I enjoyed this。I get why Katrina and Nathan's cause of the split， but can't really accept it。I don't know but it feels like needing something more。Anyway， it's fun and I really like how we get the insight of publishing industry！！ I've been curious how co-writers work and thankfully this book answered me！！Despite it didn't meet my （overly high） expectation， I enjoyed this。I get why Katrina and Nathan's cause of the split， but can't really accept it。I don't know but it feels like needing something more。Anyway， it's fun and I really like how we get the insight of publishing industry！！ 。。。more
linnea
，
you are in love - taylor swiftthis was beautiful
Amber
，
“…in the end， the best part of a love story isn’t having it。 It’s getting to keep writing。”This book found a small crack in my heart and filled itself in。 A combination of two POV’s and past & present storylines with two sometimes infuriating but ultimately amazing characters。 There was no big hyped up ending that we see happen too often in rom-coms but it was very fitting for this book and these characters， who I know I’ll think of Nathan and Katrina for a long time to come。
Nicole Thorn
，
3。5
Alyssa
，
literally PLOWED through this book。 wow。 the tension between nathan and katrina was so incredibly。。。。i don't even know how to describe it。 i was literally buzzing and they had barely even looked at each other。 this was so beautifully written and just。。。i barely have any coherent thoughts。 i loved this so much literally PLOWED through this book。 wow。 the tension between nathan and katrina was so incredibly。。。。i don't even know how to describe it。 i was literally buzzing and they had barely even looked at each other。 this was so beautifully written and just。。。i barely have any coherent thoughts。 i loved this so much 。。。more
Rebekah Black
，
When I say I love this book。。。I LOVE THIS BOOK。 Nathan？ A swoon-fest。 His mind is super sexy and smart and his voice is just---*chef kiss* He's humanistic and flawed， his character is one I fell instantly in love with。 Katrina too！ As an author myself， it felt like a love letter to authors everywhere and reminded me what writing is truly all about。 Vulnerable and nuanced， this husband-wife duo knocked it out of the park。 One of my favorite romances to date and will probably be rereading。 Honest When I say I love this book。。。I LOVE THIS BOOK。 Nathan？ A swoon-fest。 His mind is super sexy and smart and his voice is just---*chef kiss* He's humanistic and flawed， his character is one I fell instantly in love with。 Katrina too！ As an author myself， it felt like a love letter to authors everywhere and reminded me what writing is truly all about。 Vulnerable and nuanced， this husband-wife duo knocked it out of the park。 One of my favorite romances to date and will probably be rereading。 Honest and full of character， THE ROUGHEST DRAFT is a great Adult debut and I can't wait to see what else they have up their sleeve。 。。。more
Joanna
，
3。5
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Roughest Draft
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Roughest Draft&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Roughest Draft&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0