The First Date Prophecy

real-life romance between the authors inspired this novel. Child star–turned–comedian Rudy Riziero (loosely based on Danny Tamberelli, who starred in Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete) ends up on a date with aspiring author Lucy Minninger (inspired by Kate Tamberelli, who has previously published YA novels) after they match on a dating app. Their first date ends prematurely after an unusual meeting with a psychic, but their relationship blossoms in the aftermath. While the Tamberellis specify that in real life they didn’t run into as many funny situations as their literary counterparts, the truth of dating as a former child star and the joy of finding your perfectly imperfect match shines through, no matter the weird situations in which the main characters find themselves. Some excellent side characters, especially Lucy’s quirky landlords, and the understandably fraught relationship between Rudy and his hunky brother who stayed in Hollywood round out this well-written, sweet story with some heat.