Shake Things Up

Allie and Matt have an open relationship that works for both of them, leaving each free to pursue casual encounters. A night out goes sideways when a date sets Allie up, and she ends up face to face with another person's partner, who is cheating. Helping Noelle walk away from him is how Allie meets her. A drink together and a stubbornly misbehaving tape gun turn into a connection Allie finds hard to walk away from. Her interest is new territory, since she has never felt this way about anyone except Matt.

Matt is starting to wonder whether he is as straight as he always assumed, and he plans to use the upcoming road trip with Allie to work that out. He doesn't mind Noelle joining them. The more time he and Noelle spend together, the more they discover they have in common, along with a lot of lingering eye contact. Noelle has just lost a demanding job and been left by her boyfriend, and she is searching for work, ideally back home in the Midwest. Allie's awkward charm and Matt's playful flirting leave her wondering whether her sense of direction needs recalibrating.

Late-night conversations on Texas highways, first kisses, and confessions in hotel rooms could change all three of them, but only if Noelle can find a path forward that does not involve leaving. This is a queer, polyamorous road trip romance about unexpected same-sex crushes, geeks falling for each other, a bisexual awakening, coming out later in life, and honoring relationships that don't follow conventional expectations. The characters are surrounded by people who back them in living as their full selves. Readers can expect tipsy bowling, plenty of flirting, good-natured pretend bickering, solidarity among bi and pan characters, F/F and M/M love scenes, and an upbeat, optimistic polyamorous ending that is happy for now. Content warnings appear in the front matter and on the author's website. The cover is by Laya Rose.