What happens when the sidekick from a rom-com screenplay tumbles into the real world?

Lou and Cassidy are characters in a romantic comedy screenplay, living in a glossy New York where grand gestures always work and happy endings are guaranteed. Cassidy is the star, destined for true love. Lou is the loyal best friend, written to deliver pep talks and chase taxis in designer heels.

But when their creator dies before finishing the script, Lou falls into the real world-alone. This New York is louder, harsher, and not to be rude, but are all the people 30 percent less attractive? Then she meets Tom, a grieving widower who has no idea why a woman claiming to be from his late wife's screenplay is standing in his apartment.

It's clear that Tom needs a sidekick to help him get back out there. If Lou uses all her skills to find him true love, surely she'll be sent home. (And when she gets back, she's going to adopt a cat. She deserves it!)

But then she starts getting to know Tom. And, for the first time, she starts getting to know herself, in all her messy, unscripted glory.

Now Lou faces an impossible choice. She can help the man she's falling for find love with someone else, and return to a tidy happy ending. Or she can stay in the real world, risking a life and love with no guarantees.

Laura Hankin is the author of several novels, including One-Star Romance and Happy & You Know It. Her writing projects for film and TV include the Netflix movie Don't Say Good Luck. She lives with her family in Washington, DC, where she once fell off a treadmill twice in one day.