Into the Blue by Emma Brodie — An Improv Summer, a Vanished Boy and a Second Chance Seven Years Later

In the summer of 2000, AJ Graves works in a video rental shop in a small Massachusetts town and dreams of writing comedy for Saturday Night Live. Then Noah Drew arrives. He belongs to a famous acting dynasty, and he and AJ are thrown together in a demanding summer programme where his aunt, the actor Eudora Drew, trains them in improv. They bond over films and scenes and jokes, and something more begins to grow. Then, without a word of explanation, Noah disappears. Seven years later, Noah is a Hollywood star. AJ is in New York, still chasing her dream. And by a twist of fate, they are cast together on the reboot of an improvised science-fiction television series. The old connection is still there. So is the reason he left. Into the Blue, published on 7 April 2026 by Ballantine in the US and Orion in the UK, is the latest novel from Emma Brodie, the author of Songs in Ursa Major. It was Reese Witherspoon's book club pick for April 2026. Then and now The novel opens briefly in the present before going back to that first summer, then moves forward through the years between. The early chapters are full of the details of 2000: video shops, late nights, improv games and the feeling that life is about to begin. The later sections move into television sets, fan conventions and the strange business of fame. Chemistry on stage and off Reviewers agree that the relationship between AJ and Noah is the heart of the book. The improv scenes are a particular highlight, a clever way of showing two people who understand each other almost without words. Lisa of Bookshelf Fantasies gave it five stars, praising its mix of humour and raw emotion and its portrait of fandom and pop culture. Harlequin Junkie gave it 4.5 stars, calling it as much a story about identity as a second-chance romance. What some readers struggled with The book turns on a secret, and the reason Noah keeps his distance divided readers. Lisa was frustrated by its "breaking up for your own good" device. Leslie Murphy of She Reads Romance Books, who gave it four stars, found the show within the story hard to follow, with too many actors and storylines, and admitted she nearly gave up halfway before the final chapters won her over. The later sections also deal with a serious health crisis, and they are emotionally heavy. Who should read it Pick this up if you love second-chance romance, stories about creative people, or books with a strong sense of a particular era. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid's showbiz novels will feel at home. If you need a light, simple romance, be ready for tears. Our verdict Into the Blue is an ambitious, emotional love story about timing, talent and the choices people make for each other. It takes a while to build, and its central secret won't satisfy everyone, but its final act hits hard. Keep a tissue nearby for the last chapters.