The Outline

by Rory London

Getting my first tattoo at thirty-four is scary, but the smile on my twenty-something tattoo artist—now that is panic-inducing.

It’s been ten months since I escaped a dead-end relationship, and now I’m worried I’m treading water. My bartending gig pays the bills, and I’ve got a devoted best friend, but everything else — School? Career? Life goals? — is still TBD. I’m hoping that a step outside of my comfort zone ( get a tattoo) will be the push I need to keep moving forward.

But from the moment I meet Renn Stoller, I know it’s not the ink that’s going to change my life—it’s the sexy, enigmatic artist behind the design.

Years stuck in a self-esteem-sucking relationship have taken their toll, but Renn’s ready laughter and confident charm make me feel smart, funny and…desirable. He may be young, but he knows what he wants—and he wants me . After wasting so much time in one unhappy romance, I’m not ready to jump into another—except nothing has ever felt as good as Renn’s hands on my body.

But just when I think it might be possible to take a chance, a forgotten letter resurfaces, and the revelation of long-buried secrets threatens to bring past heartbreaks into the present.


Sadie and Renn’s story is a reverse-age gap, contemporary romance with plenty of heart, snark, and a devoted hero you’ll fall in love with.

This book contains mentions of suicide, pregnancy complications, parental neglect and death of a parent. There are on-page depictions of verbal and emotional abuse.

Genres: Contemporary, Romance

428 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 10, 2023

About the author

Rory London is a writer of contemporary romance who lives in the delightfully gray Pacific Northwest. Rory is way too into football and holidays, and would write a lot more if there weren't so many books to read. When not engaged in something book-related, Rory is likely drinking large quantities of coffee or diet soda, and taking long walks around the neighborhood dreaming up more HEAs.

Other interests include outdoorsy things—as long as there is a real bathroom nearby, and indoorsy things—especially the kind that include good friends hanging out.

Rory lives with two other humans who bring laughter and joy into each and every day, as well as the world’s most lovable dog, and three cats who are secretly plotting their revenge.

Reviews

[Lindsay Gene Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠✨

𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙾𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎
𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛: 𝚁𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝙻𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗
𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝟻⭐️
𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚎: 𝟸🌶
𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎: 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟷𝟶𝚝𝚑

I signed up to read this ARC not knowing much about it, other than it had to do with being a tattoo shop romance. And I LOVE tattoos, so I was all for it. Once I started reading the book I was immediately glued to it. The humor between the characters, the love and family created, the issues that had to be pushed past, the tattoo that started all, it hooked me and I read this book cover to cover in less than a day and a half cause I couldn’t put it down and not know what happened next.

This book is a reverse age gap, tattoo shop romance, and I can see this book being a New York Times bestseller easily. Rory London, the author, is amazing at writing and building characters and stories to hook you from the very beginning. The book keeps you hooked with plot twists and keeps you wanting more. The characters are so well written in this book that as you watch them grow, it truly pulls you even deeper into this book.

Once this book is released on July 10th, I can see it being a big hit with bookstagram and booktok! It is an amazing book and it definitely lands in my favorite books that I have read through out the years!

Read If You Like:
-reverse age gap
-tattoos
-family & friends
-laughing
-mental health talk
-a little spice with an amazing plot

You will not be disappointed if you pick up this book!

#bookstagram #booktok #bookreviews #bookreviewer #booksta

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read! The sarcastic jokes between friends, humor, and pop culture references were made for me! You really root for Sadie and Renn to grow as people and as a couple. The story has some deep themes, but keeps things fun, complex, and rich without falling into clichés. Plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting!

[Heather H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to simmer on the book for a couple days. All I could think was I absolutely loved it. But I needed to have words to describe without giving the story away.
I cried. Of course I cried. I’m such an emotional reader. But the emotions Rory wrote into the story felt so real. I also feel like as a reader there is always some part of the story I will connect with in some way. And there were a lot of aspects I connect with in this story.
I initially was intrigued by the simple fact that it was a love story with the tattoo artist. And that the Sadie was older. But I fell in love when I realized part of the love story was Sadie (main character) falling in love with herself and healing. And then being ready for the love she had. The level of mail knowing she had to heal before falling so hard and being the other persons person.
The journey was amazing and I was honestly surprised at the end. Definitely a book I will recommend whenever I can. And definitely added to my favorites list.

[Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to read a love story about people who felt real and raw, each dealing with their own trauma and healing in a nonlinear way. I also loved the descriptions of the art and tattoos, the well formed secondary characters and the level of spiciness!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

however, I feel like Sadie, our FMC, finds and self loves by the end. I don’t think people realize this is key before a new relationship. Great story and read overall. DEVOURED in one sitting!

[Erin McGibbon Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a good summer read? Look no further. Do yourself a favor, and buy this book. Right now.

This is a romance with a few twists. It has a reverse age gap and a deliciously satisfying ending that is well-earned.

The main character, Sadie, is smart enough to know she needs to heal her heart before she moves on. But love has it’s own timing. What do you do when you meet “the one” but you are a mess?
Watching Sadie and Renn grow as individuals is even more inspiring than watching them fall in love. Life is messy, complex, and beautiful.

This book captures the character’s humanity in a way that will leave you thinking about them LONG after you have put the book down.

[Scott Driscoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters and scenes are memorable and Rory has an amazing eye for detail. Quirky, unique, highly particularized. Take this ride into Rory's world. You'll enjoy every minute of it.

[MundiNova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Publish date is Monday July 10th. Pick up your own copy as soon as it's available!

This is romance done right!

Seriously, whether you're already a diehard romance fan or haven't read a single romance book in your life, read The Outline. It's funny! It has fully developed characters throughout (even the side characters have depth and their own stories)! The story feels real, relatable, and is compelling. Pages fly by and at times I forgot I was reading. It's better written than most romance novels on the market today which makes it hard to believe it's self-published. This author is sending gold out into the world and the world should take notice.

Sadie and Renn are very dear to me for so many reasons and I know I'll be rereading this book in the near future.

I was lucky enough to get a copy before it was published for an unbiased review, so big thanks goes out to the author.

Story: 5 stars
Character Development: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars

[Curvy Girl Book Nerd (Jen S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, I don't even know where to start...this book blew me away...

I picked up the ARC copy purely because it was a reverse age gap(yay older woman/hot young guy!!) and had a tattooed hero, which is always hot in my book...

The Outline is a reverse age-gap contemporary romance but so much more. Sadie is a 34 year old woman who has come home after a failed abusive relationship of 8 years. She goes on a journey of healing and self-discovery and decides she wants a meaningful tattoo. Renn is a 23 year old hot tattoo artist who works with her on the design. Their connection happens before they even meet in person. When they first see each other its instant attraction. But timing is everything, and Renn has his own baggage to deal with. These two spark the best in each other from the beginning, and the journey is both sweet and heartbreaking at times.

I don't want to give the plot away, but there are so many ups and downs that my emotions were all over the place. I laughed and cried multiple times. The characters were so well written from both the main characters to the supporting ones (Love Zach and Teddy so much) that I felt in the story.

I loved the witty banter and period references. Even their first intimate encounter made me laugh out loud but was also so steamy. Through it all, we got a great HEA, but I was sweating about it.

All I can say is read it!! It's one of the best books I have read in a while. It's already added to my Kindle favorites folder for rereading. I loved it and definitely recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[lemonyemilyreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! I don’t read a lot of reverse age gap romance books, but boy am I glad I read this one! I found that the characters were realistic and relatable, and I loved the witty banter between Sadie and Renn. I also enjoyed that the side character Zach was SO funny and such a good friend to Sadie. You could tell that Rory London put a lot of thought and effort into giving every character depth and making them all interesting and enjoyable.

Overall this book was such a fun contemporary romance read with emotional aspects, humor and a touch of spice! Highly recommend!

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The chemistry between the characters is amazing. This made me so emotional, a very good read. I love how strong the FMC is and how stubborn the MMC is.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite reads this year! I loved seeing the growth of the characters both individually and together. The fact that there is an age gap with an older woman was great! I loved that this book had a great plot with a dash of spice, while focusing on mental health and becoming your own person. There are so many different elements within this book and I think a lot of readers will relate to various characters. I would advise to read the trigger warnings like with any read. There is so much snark and personality throughout this book it leaves you wanting more. The spicy scene had me dying from laughter at times 🤭 not sure if that was the intended result but it does match up with the character’s personality. You will not be disappointed with this book!

*ARC READER*

[Katie Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was tedious to get through, it went on for easily 200 too many pages. There was not much of a plot and a whole lot of airing dirty laundry and conversations. It probably was incredibly cathartic to write, but too heavy to read. I can’t say I liked a single character.

That being said, if more of the book felt like the last 10% of the book, I would like it more. But the drama felt so dragged on, it left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I got started, I couldn't put it down! Such a tender story of love in all forms, and the many ways relationships can both harm us and heal us.

It has: trauma, substance abuse, steamy sex, emotional abuse, art, beauty, and love!

[Meag Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review

I am not by any means a slow burn kinda girl. I normally despise slow burns, because they tend to never hit right where I want them when we get to the climax. Or there is too much character building and not enough story This is book is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE. I loved this book so much.

The growth that both Renn and Sadie have throughout this book is absolutely beautiful. It just shows that no matter what things we have gone through in our life, we find that person that ‘gets you’ and is going to love you unconditionally. That people come into our lives for a reason even if the timing is not for the best, they teach us who we are meant to be. I felt this wholeheartedly throughout the story, as I have a similar outlook on life. The love they have for each other is so beautiful. Renn is understanding, kind, HOT, and the best father figure to his brothers.. Rory wrote the perfect man for us to fantasize over, and I CANNOT get enough of him.

How much Renn loves his family, Sadie, and Sadie’s chosen family (and vise versa) can be felt through the page. The dynamic of their unorthodox family by the end of the book is so fascinating, and I WISH I could have MORE. (Novella please?!)

In summary, This book took me on a wild ass emotional rollercoaster in the best way. The twists, the drama, the loss, the LOVE, and when the spice finally hitttttttttt OOF was it good. Not to mention the epilogue had my heart EXPLODING with so much happiness… I am a sucker for a good HEA after all. Rory girl you might have converted me into a slow burn lover because this book was DELICIOUS!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg. I loved it. My heart is ACHING for these two. I won't give away what happens, but I will say I have never rooted for two characters so hard. Sadie and Renn both have baggage, but their chemistry is phenomenal and they both really want to do right by each other to be the partner the other deserves. There's so much here to absorb - not just the reverse age gap, which is delightful and done SO well, but also the difficulty of recovering from bad relationships, complicated family dynamics, friends as family, and personal growth. This is a romance story, but also so much more.

[Latrice Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an amazing story. It follows Sadie who just got out of an awful 8 year relationship and moves from Boston back to Los Angeles with her best (gay) friend Zach. She decides that she wants a tattoo and finds an artist, Renn, that is able to execute her tattoo the way she wants it. Sadie and Renn exchange several messages before they finally meet and when they do she is kinda taken back due his age. He's 23 and she's 34, but he likes her. Over the course of Renn working on her tattoo (which by the way the description makes it sound amazing!!) Renn lets it be known that he wants more with her.

The day he completes her tattoo, he goes for it but she actually runs because she still has some sh#t shes dealing from her ex (Renn also is going through some family stuff too). They don't see each other for 8ish months and when they do Sadie is now in a better place with her life and they get together. In the meantime, Renn is still dealing with his family issues and it effects their relationship. Sadly (and I almost cried!!!) Sadie breaks up with him. Two years past and they rekindle their relationship. They are both on track with their lives and they decide to get back together, get married and start a family and live HEA.

This book was AMAZING!!! I wanted my own Renn (without the family drama)!! It had my emotions going for a bit, from the New Year's Eve incident to the part where Sadie broke up with Renn and he wrote to her (the end of his letter...tears). Definitely a must read!!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Aviva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great read. For someone who is tired of all the toxicity that the romance genre sometimes offers, I found that the The Outline is a breath of fresh air. The dialogue is realistic, the characters go through real struggles, and best of all, they grow. I am all for what this book represents: self-care, working WITH your struggles--not around them--, found family, boundaries, and an understanding of self. (And of course, two characters who you desperately want to get together; gotta love that slow burn). And a lovely bonus: the side characters have depth too-- it's not like some other books where the side characters are just props and foils for the main romantic couple.

A wonderful romance with memorable, realistic characters-- what more can you ask for?

[Chun · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Romance Story of Substance

Snarky humor, character development, and a lovable cast together help push a story that goes above and beyond just two people getting together. This is an excellent romance that isn't afraid to show deeply flawed protagonists dealing with complicated baggage, and that's before they even meet each other!

Coming from someone who doesn't read much romance, this is a great place to start. Come for the personal growth, stay for the chemistry! You don't have to like romance to love this!

[Kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun and enjoyable read with a little bit of everything all in one! I truly enjoyed the laugh-out-loud sarcasm that was completely relatable. The plot twists will keep you wanting more, rooting for Sadie and Renn the whole time! Throw in a little spice and this author gave us the whole package that keeps the pages turning!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Caroline Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie and Renn's story is brilliantly written and both characters feel relatable as well as the life struggles endured along the way. I was completely immersed from start to finish and stayed up late to finish it! Glad I decided to try out this author and will definitely be on the look out for more by them!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Joanne Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun character-driven book. Right from the start, you get enough on the main characters to get you invested and want to learn more. Great use of language, humor and cultural references to make the story feel authentic and comfortable. You really pull for the main characters and enjoy their growth.

[Clara Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it especially since I don’t usually like instalove, but it was done really well. There were a lot of back and forths on time but everything was dated making it easy to follow. I felt a little cheated with it being single pov because I thought the love interest had more character development, but I really liked the main character’s own journey along with the romance.

[Christian Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worth the emotional rollercoaster ride and the ugly crying that follows. It’s not just a romance. It’s a story that highlights how love, grief, and healing interconnect and how everyone’s journey is different. It also illustrates that life can be magical and worthwhile with the right people.

[WaterLillyBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hard to rate. I felt more invested in Zach and Teddy’s relationship than Renn and Sadie.
The beginning was hard to get through with the constant changing of timelines.
Part two was easier once it was all one timeline. This book covers a lot of heavy content, loss of a parent, suicide, emotional abuse from a partner, miscarriage so read your warnings before reading.

[Stephanie Thibeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book is so heartfelt and lovely. The characters are enjoyable and real, the story is fresh and so so relatable. Bring you box of Kleenex and sit in for a therapy session.
Need to put some trigger warnings in the beginning though, some tough subjects involved.

[Barbora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally an unusual trope, with a style of writing that really made me think about the problems, solutions and decisions. Not a dreamy all happy romance, but one that resembled reality and showed the possibility of a happy ending even when dealing with real problems in real world.

[Lunden Westfall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out and loved it. This was the first reverse age gap book that I’ve read and it was done perfectly. It checked all of the boxes for me. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good romance read that isn’t the typical undercover billionaire scenario.

[Michelle Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!

Loved that the characters were so complex. And, spoiler alert, that they finally found their way back to each other.

[CHRISTY BROWN · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not expecting that

Sure. Go ahead and read the book. Just be prepared to have your heart shredded twice. It’ll get put back together, but just have your tissues ready.