Brooke Abrams’s debut novel “Penelope in Retrograde” is a touching and humorous read. The main character of the tale is romance author Penelope Banks, who has an intense interest in astrology. She is compelled to go back home for Thanksgiving to get assistance since her new business endeavor, a romance book store, is in danger of failing before it has even launched.
Her ex-husband Smith shows up at the family get-together as an unexpected guest. She transforms her father’s colleague into the ideal fictitious boyfriend in a plot twist that blends fact and fantasy. Penelope needs to write her own happily ever after, but she has just four days to repair broken relationships and salvage her bookstore.