Writer's Block: a novel

by Isla May

Stella Castillo Ortiz’s entire life is books— buying them, reading them, and writing them. But after not being able to write anything in almost a year, her entire career is on the line.

As a last resort, she is sent to a writers retreat where she meets the infuriating Theo Peña who pushes all her buttons. Then they are paired together for peer review and Selena could not hate this stupid summer camp more than she already does.

But she’ll soon realize that some good things can come from severe writer’s block.

420 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2024

About the author

With a brain too big for her head and living somewhere in the world, Isla May writes the stories that come to her mind and keep her awake at night. She loves traveling and claiming it’s “research.” She loves sitcoms way more than people should and is a mom to over 400 books in her home. Her favorite thing to do is write wholesome scenes with her characters just vibing, crafting flawed characters who grow within themselves, and strong hispanic and Latina leads.

For more, follow Isla May on social media and find the playlists on Spotify

Reviews

[iara ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writer’s block quickly became my favorite book of Isla for a whole lot of reasons. When i first started i expected this one to be a cute romcom. It was so much more than that.

Yes it was a cute romcom (i was at least right about that) and i had a really good time diving into this universe, smiling until my face hurt and cackling thanks to the banter between the characters but also their really good sense of humor.

What i wasn’t prepared for was the emotional side of this book. Stella grew up while her family was falling apart and she took upon her to take care of her little sister who became almost like a daughter. As an oldest sister i always relate to these characters. I understood how she felt and why she acted certain ways and omg it did something to me but mostly something to my heart! I loved her so much

Theo was everything actually!! The grumpy man that comes knocking on Stella’s door surprised me in so many ways as i kept reading. He was the sweetest, more caring person towards Stella, giving her the love she deserved. He understood her like nobody ever did before. Seeing them getting to know each other, connecting in such a wonderful way brought me to tears

This book made me appreciate Isla’s writing even more and even if i already knew it, she’s definitely one of my favorite authors! I can’t wait for everyone to read this book and if you do, I hope you will love it as much as I did!

[a · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute read!

[Riley Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isla May truly cannot disappoint!!

Writers Block is a beautifully woven book with themes of healing, love, sacrifice, boundary setting, and so much more. Something I really love about Isla’s writing is she takes these really important themes in mental health and presents them in a realistic yet beautiful way. It’s never romanticizes these themes or has perfectly smooth sailing, it’s always real and really moves you in a way you aren’t always ready for. Not only is this story so moving, it’s so funny too! There’s truly so many moments that had me laughing out loud over the banter between the main characters and even between the FMC and her sister.

These characters truly have my heart. Stella and Theo have such a swoony, healing, and overall beautiful love story that was so fun to watch unfold. These characters are not perfect, they are flawed and honestly it makes me love them so much more. They both have baggage with things they are going through and experiencing in their lives and they seemed to have found each other when they least expected it and yet they needed it the most! The love and care they have for one another is so apparent and the tension that takes place between them is perfection!

I can’t recommend this one enough. It has so much heart. It will have you laughing out loud one moment and really empathizing with the characters the next. Huge thank you to Isla for letting me take an early look at Stella and Theo’s story. I had such a wonderful time with them🩵

[Just.agirl.and.herbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writers Block
Isla May

Isla May is such a fantastic writer, and her new book ,Writer's Block, "  just continues to show how talented and special her writing is!

I really enjoyed this book, and while it definitely  was a cute romance, the journey and emotions I felt the whole time reading it were so much more.

Stella was such a strong and funny FMC, and I absolutely loved the relationship  she had with her sister. I definitely  felt so many emotions when reading about Stella and her family.

Now, as for Theo, I am a huge fan of a grumpy MMC, and he definitely  fit that trope perfectly! I really enjoyed seeing the relationship  between these two grow and develop into something so full of care, understanding  and above all, love. These two had great banter and  fabulous  chemistry with one another.

This definitely  was another  great book by Isla May, and I will continue to be an avid fan and reader of hers.