From the award-winning author of Songs in Ursa Major comes an epic, decade-spanning love story that blazes through the worlds of acting and comedy, and charts a connection so powerful it might just break space and time itself.
In the summer of 2000, AJ Graves dreams of writing for SNL; instead, she’s stuck working in a video rental store, with slim odds of escaping her Massachusetts small town and large family. Then in walks Noah Drew, the enigmatic and intense scion of the Drew acting dynasty, and her life changes forever. Despite wildly different upbringings, the two forge a deep, cosmic bond first as friends, then as acting partners—until one day, Noah disappears without a word.
Seven years later in New York City, AJ is shocked to find herself cast in the same intergalactic TV production as Noah, by then a well-known Hollywood heartthrob. As their on-screen characters grow closer every day, the lines between reality and acting begin to blur. Unable to stay away from each other, AJ and Noah are forced to confront the truth of what happened years ago—and the devastating secret that will send their lives careening apart, even as fate continues to draw them together.
Blending unforgettable characters, explosive chemistry, and devastating emotion, Into the Blue is a journey unlike any other—one that asks: What does it mean to diverge from the script to forge your own story?
In the summer of 2000, AJ Graves dreams of writing for SNL; instead, she’s stuck working in a video rental store, with slim odds of escaping her Massachusetts small town and large family. Then in walks Noah Drew, the enigmatic and intense scion of the Drew acting dynasty, and her life changes forever. Despite wildly different upbringings, the two forge a deep, cosmic bond first as friends, then as acting partners—until one day, Noah disappears without a word.
Seven years later in New York City, AJ is shocked to find herself cast in the same intergalactic TV production as Noah, by then a well-known Hollywood heartthrob. As their on-screen characters grow closer every day, the lines between reality and acting begin to blur. Unable to stay away from each other, AJ and Noah are forced to confront the truth of what happened years ago—and the devastating secret that will send their lives careening apart, even as fate continues to draw them together.
Blending unforgettable characters, explosive chemistry, and devastating emotion, Into the Blue is a journey unlike any other—one that asks: What does it mean to diverge from the script to forge your own story?
Title: Into the Blue
Author: Emma Brodie
Publisher: Ballentine
Publisher: Ballentine
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Review:
Thank you to Ballentine and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I came across this title and the blurb just drew me in. I actually received this review copy after publication date so I'd also seen the booked talked about in a few of my online book groups, I often avoid really hyped books as I'm often time disappointed but I love a slow burn long love story and just could not resist this one. I actually had an audio copy from the library so I was able to both listen to this story and read along. The narrator, Julia Whalen, was incredible and perfect for the part. And she does different characters so well.
The main characters, AJ and Noah, were well fleshed out well enough. I felt their emotional connection. They were easy to relate to, as well. I was very frustrated with both of them throughout the book. I do think they could have had a bit more depth to them. There was so much miscommunication that happened that just seemed fairly unnecessary. But it also made the characters that much more real. Emotional things are sometimes so hard to voice and there's always a fear you'll lose the other person if you are too honest with them. I do wish there was a bit more individual growth for them. I honestly couldn't tell you what either of these characters liked outside of each other. I would have loved to see a bit more depth to the side characters, as well. While you get a good sense of Eudora, the other side characters were fairly indistinguishable from one another. That being said, these characters will linger with me for a long time and I am sure I will want to return to them again in the future to see what more I can get from their relationship.
I liked that Brodie chose to give us the characters when they are young and then watch then grow and mature throughout the story. The plot was really just their love story. There weren't really any side plots. All the things that happened throughout the book supported the long time relationship these two characters formed.
The writing was very solid, I have not read Brodie's other book so this is my first time being immersed in her stories and I absolutely enjoyed the way she penned her story, Her descriptions were real and immersed you in the story. I enjoyed her characters who all had distinct personalities.
I will say I'm not much of a theater person so I don't really relate to that part of the story. The acting and improv parts were interesting but I'm not sure I 100% connected with them as I've never immersed myself in that world. But it was interesting to read about and I definitely learned quite a bit about that world.
I do think there were times when the pacing dragged a bit and the story could have been shorter, The chapters were very long. There was a lot of repetition with the interactions of the characters. The scenes could have been tightened up and the book could have honestly been a bit shorter than it's 400+ pages. But it was still a quick read despite it's length. I rarely wanted to put it down because I just needed to know if these two got their HEA. I will say the ending was not really what I thought it would be. It was nothing epic, nothing mind blowing. And I feel like there could have been a well done epilogue that could have really touched the reader had the author thought to do it, but that's my own opinion. The final chapter wraps things up too well in my opinion given what I think the author intended to be such an emotionally intense story.
On that note, there are some trigger warning that I really think should have been put at the beginning of the book including talk of doctor assisted suicide and terminal illness.
The one thing that truly bothered me and dropped my rating was the emotional abuse/manipulation that was happening. It was completely toxic. While I'm sure the intention of the author was to provide a story that was deeply complex there was nothing to indicate the story being told was to show us this type of abuse and it's ramifications. And, while others may not agree, Noah absolutely put AJ in that position (despite how much they loved each other). He used her often then pushed her away and she went back over and over again. The physical intimacy between the two felt off given their anger at each other. And, while hate sex is definitely a thing, their sexual interactions in the last 20% of the book did not feel that way at all. I felt like AJ let Noah step all over her many times and she just took it. Had the author used this to have them invest themselves in therapy during the story, I would have been ok with it. Perhaps their growth as a couple would have made more sense. But that wasn't the case at all.
This one started as a 5 star read for me but ended as a 3.5 in the end given the few things that truly bothered me (length, lack of trigger warnings, pacing issues, and emotional abuse disguised as love). This one is a romance, yes, but there are many sci-fi elements (not in the story plot itself, but as a side plot for TV/movies since they are actors/screen writers. All that to say I would definitely read more from Brodie. I have already put her other book on hold at the library. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid will more than likely connect with this book as it has a similar feel to her stories/writing.
3.5/5 stars
Author:
Emma Brodie is an executive editor at Clarkson Potter. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University’s Writing Seminars program, and her debut novel, Songs in Ursa Major, received the American Book Award. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard with her husband and their very good dog, Freddie Mercury.
