{"product_id":"american-fantasy","title":"American Fantasy","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrief Description\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"From New York Times bestselling author of This Time Tomorrow, an irresistible story about what happens when your teenage fantasy comes true after you're already an adult. When the American Fantasy cruise ship sets sail for a four-day themed voyage, aboard are all five members of a famous 1990s boyband, and three thousand screaming women who have worshipped them for thirty years. Newly divorced and with an empty nest, Annie is on board as a lark to appease her sister. Once a diehard fan of the band as a teen, her tastes have matured, and she feels out of place amid the sea of bedazzled, air-brushed t-shirts bearing the singers' faces. Yet when the lights come up and the idols of her youth begin to sing before her, something is unlocked. \"Maybe that was nostalgia after all, the music a direct vein to her childhood, the least complicated part of her life. A short cut to happiness.\" Between the slushy alcoholic drinks, the music of her youth, and the thousands of middle-aged women acting like lovesick teenagers, Annie finally reconnects to a long-submerged part of herself. By the time she comes in contact with Keith, the band's slightly depressed, fifty-something lead singer - not just a celebrity but someone clearly in need of a friend - she feels like anything is possible. But a lot can go wrong on a ship ruled by hormones and hope, frustration and fantasy. Packed with wisdom, heart, and laugh-out-loud reflections on fame, youth, nostalgia, marriage, and middle age, Emma Straub delivers a richly textured, uplifting story about the magic of revisiting youthful feelings, and the even greater magic of starting anew\"-- Provided by publisher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eEmma Straub\u003c\/b\u003e is a Guggenheim fellow and the \n\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of seven books for adults, including \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy, This Time Tomorrow\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eAll Adults Here\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eModern Lovers\u003c\/i\u003e and \n\u003ci\u003eThe Vacationers\u003c\/i\u003e. She and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Wickedly funny...A fizzy escapist thrill ride with real insights on the isolation of celebrity, the community of fandom, and the liberation of middle age.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eOprah Daily \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Vividly conjured and frequently hilarious...Themes [of] the inexorable march of time, complicated family dynamics, the power of reinvention...give \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy\u003c\/i\u003e its emotional heft.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Deftly sketches out the contours of fandom, especially as they relate to the commodification of nostalgia and niche subcultures for Gen X and millennials.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--New York Times \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Nobody mixes modern reality with old school comedy of manners vibes like Emma Straub, part Jane Austen and part VH1. So funny and wise and perfectly done.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--\u003c\/i\u003eLena Dunham \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"The premise is instantly appealing... [A] laugh-out-loud book.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eMinnesota Star Tribune\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Escapism...links arms with edgy social commentary.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--\u003c\/i\u003eMaureen Corrigan, \u003ci\u003e Fresh Air \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy\u003c\/i\u003e...is dripping with joy. It's so darn fun to read.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Straub depicts a wonderfully immersive world...A delightfully nostalgic novel about how the things we loved in the past have the power to shape our future.\" -- \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus \u003c\/i\u003e(STARRED REVIEW) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Funny, wise, and nostalgic, Straub's latest...is a total delight.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Real Simple\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A heartfelt, joyful, and often laugh-out-loud exploration of identity, reinvention, and reconnecting with the youthful spirit.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eParade\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Brilliantly conceived...For readers drawn to cultural commentary and the sociology of fandom, \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy\u003c\/i\u003e offers humor, melancholy, and moments of piercing recognition.\" \n\u003cb\u003e --\u003ci\u003eChicago Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Straub's hordes of fans will happily fall for Annie on her journey to figuring out what's next, and the very recognizable zeitgeist Straub captures so effortlessly.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"I absolutely inhaled this delicious, heartfelt, treasure of a novel.\" \n\u003cb\u003e --\u003ci\u003eLiterary Hub \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Straub is a master of the 'incisive but laugh-out-loud' genre.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Brit + Co \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A funny and poignant work about the pull of nostalgia and the appeal of second chances... \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy \u003c\/i\u003eis another Straub delight, a work whose light tone masks deeper meanings...[a] gift of a book.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"I can hardly remember the last time I read anything that brought me such pure joy. I was up too late reading, then got up too early to go back to reading. All I wanted was \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy\u003c\/i\u003e. It brims with truth and humanity and insight, and it made me snort like a pig. I loved it. I think the entire country will love it.\" \n\u003cb\u003e --Ann Patchett, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"An unmitigated pleasure from start to finish, I did not want to return to dry land!\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Coco Mellors, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eBlue Sisters\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy\u003c\/i\u003e is such a fun, delicious, big-hearted book.\" \n\u003cb\u003e --Taylor Jenkins Reid, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author \u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Emma Straub is the most empathetic and open-hearted writer in literature. It is pure joy to see her turn to the emotionally complicated territory of teenage nostalgia and what it means to reconnect with the feelings of youth from the realities of middle age.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Kevin Wilson, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eNothing to See Here\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A delicious novel about being a grown-up girl who once loved something very, \n\u003ci\u003every\u003c\/i\u003e much. You don't have to be a fan of something to love \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy\u003c\/i\u003e, but if you've ever truly devoted yourself to a boy band or a TV show or even a series of books, you will feel so understood by this novel.\" \n\u003cb\u003e-Rainbow Rowell, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eCherry Baby\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Peak intelligence, and criminally readable.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Maria Semple, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eWhere'd You Go, Bernadette\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eINSTANT \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThis Time Tomorrow\u003c\/i\u003e, an irresistible story about what happens when your teenage fantasy comes true after you're already an adult. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy\u003c\/i\u003e has everything we need right now: '90s nostalgia, humor, and it is a great escape.\" --Jenna Bush Hager on NBC \u003ci\u003eToday Show\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Vividly conjured and frequently hilarious.\" --\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"I can hardly remember the last time I read anything that brought me such pure joy.\" --Ann Patchett \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Delicious.\" --Taylor Jenkins Reid \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Tenderhearted.\"--\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Part Jane Austen and part VH1. Funny and wise and perfectly done.\" \u003ci\u003e--\u003c\/i\u003eLena Dunham\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eWhen the \n\u003ci\u003eAmerican Fantasy\u003c\/i\u003e cruise ship sets sail for a four-day themed voyage, aboard are all five members of a famous, nineties-era boy band and three thousand screaming women who have worshipped them since childhood. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFeeling slightly out of place amid this crowd is Annie, here on a lark to appease her sister. Yet when the lights come up and the idols of her youth begin to sing, something is unlocked. Call it memory. Call it nostalgia. Call it the chemical reaction of hormones, hope, and sexual reawakening. Between the slushy alcoholic drinks, the familiar music, and the throngs of middle-aged women acting like lovesick teenagers, Annie finally reconnects to a long-submerged part of herself. By the time she meets one of the band members--not just a celebrity but someone in need of a friend--she has accessed a new sense of possibility. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a smart and incisive book packed with laugh-out-loud reflections on fame, aging, and marriage, Emma Straub delivers a richly textured story that shows us real passion is never truly lost, that what we love makes us who we are, and that deep meaning can sometimes be found in a sea of screaming fans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 02\/01\/2026 pg. 54 (EAN 9798217046850, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 02\/02\/2026 (EAN 9798217046850, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 02\/15\/2026 (EAN 9798217046850, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/span\u003e 12\/30\/0001 (EAN 9798217046850, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 03\/01\/2026 (EAN 9798217046850, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Riverhead Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496200470806,"sku":"9798217046850","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9798217046850.jpg?v=1783057395","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/american-fantasy","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}