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Hard Launch
For Nicky Rhodes, working as an artist manager is her favorite kind of chaos. As indie-pop up-and-comer Ethan Amin’s closest confidante, she handles everything from awards shows to overseas touring with her trademark unflappability. With his head in the clouds, and her feet on the ground, they make a formidable team.
When fan-favorite actress Maya Singh needs a fake boyfriend to throw tabloids off her trail, Ethan seems like the perfect candidate. Nicky is well on the way to securing it all for her client–the critical acclaim, the sold-out shows, and now the enviable personal life. If only he seemed satisfied with it.
As he plays his part in a scripted romance with a Hollywood starlet, Ethan and Nicky embark on a global tour, determined to make the most of his newfound fame. But the closer he gets to stardom, the more he and Nicky’s purely platonic partnership begins to feel like the biggest charade of all. After spending years devoted to others’ success, Nicky is forced to confront the possibility that trying to make Ethan’s life appear perfect won’t make either of them happy.
Two friends, forty-four cities, and one fake relationship. Can playing pretend launch their careers into the stratosphere? Or will Ethan and Nicky’s unresolved feelings make his rising star implode?
When fan-favorite actress Maya Singh needs a fake boyfriend to throw tabloids off her trail, Ethan seems like the perfect candidate. Nicky is well on the way to securing it all for her client–the critical acclaim, the sold-out shows, and now the enviable personal life. If only he seemed satisfied with it.
As he plays his part in a scripted romance with a Hollywood starlet, Ethan and Nicky embark on a global tour, determined to make the most of his newfound fame. But the closer he gets to stardom, the more he and Nicky’s purely platonic partnership begins to feel like the biggest charade of all. After spending years devoted to others’ success, Nicky is forced to confront the possibility that trying to make Ethan’s life appear perfect won’t make either of them happy.
Two friends, forty-four cities, and one fake relationship. Can playing pretend launch their careers into the stratosphere? Or will Ethan and Nicky’s unresolved feelings make his rising star implode?
334 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2025
1 person is currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Jenni Mojaverian
2 books3 followersJenni Mojaverian is a writer based in Nashville, TN. She started writing stories at age fourteen, after discovering her first literary loves: Nick Hornby and Meg Cabot. Her go-to karaoke song is “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways.
Hard Launch is her first published novel.
Hard Launch is her first published novel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 10, 2025
such a funny and whole-hearted romance!
i felt right at home (away from home) in the descriptions of life on tour.
ethan and nicky were both cracking me up, and i really liked maris & maya as well.
now i want to go to tokyo!
i felt right at home (away from home) in the descriptions of life on tour.
ethan and nicky were both cracking me up, and i really liked maris & maya as well.
now i want to go to tokyo!
July 6, 2025
So good! This goes toe to toe with so many of my favorite romance books, and after a bit of a reading slump (at least for actual physical books…I’ve been ruined by audiobooks), this book pulled me right out, and I spent the weekend devouring it.
I had the fortune of reading some of Jenni’s early work when we were in high school—she has always had an immense talent at storytelling and creating cool characters who I could see myself knowing or wanting to know. Excited to continue reading her work!
I had the fortune of reading some of Jenni’s early work when we were in high school—she has always had an immense talent at storytelling and creating cool characters who I could see myself knowing or wanting to know. Excited to continue reading her work!
June 7, 2025
This book was a total delight. A slow burn of a will they won’t they that makes the ride worth it because of course they do.
So much heart, so well written. My compliments to the chef!
So much heart, so well written. My compliments to the chef!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2025
NEED a man this obsessed with me
January 21, 2026
ITA
Nicky fa la manager di Ethan Amin, famosissimo cantautore.
Lavorano insieme da molti anni e le cose vanno bene. Il punto della storia in cui troviamo è quanto Ethan ha finito di registrare un nuovo disco e sta per andare in tour.
Durante un'intervista radio, l’intervistatore in cerca di gossip gli chiede sé c’è qualcuna, Ethan risponde di sì, ma vorrebbe dirlo prima a lei.
Nel mentre una attrice super famosa, Maya Singh, contatta Nicky. Lei ed Ethan hanno un buon rapporto e gli chiede un mega favore. Suo malgrado, è finita in un gossip falso, e proprio per questo sta rischiando di non ottenere la parte in un film con un produttore famosissimo. Per far zittire il gossip chiede ad Ethan di fingere che stanno uscendo insieme, giusto fino a quando lei non inizierà le riprese.
Ethan accetta, ma Nicky dovrà andare in tour insieme a lui.
Questa storia è del genere romance, fake relationships, friends to lovers. Beh sull’ultimo avrei da ridire, nel senso che pensano di essere amici, ma…
La storia è raccontata spesso dal punto di vista di Nicky: le sue paure ad esporsi con Ethan affettivamente per esperienze precedenti, ma anche racconta di un bel rapporto con Ethan, la sintonia, il fatto che entrambi conoscano anche le famiglie.
Secondo me non c’è nessuna grande evoluzione dei personaggi, solo a volte si rendono conto di alcuni aspetti come se fossero chissà cosa, dal punto di vista del lettore secondo me sono palesi.
Dal punto di vista della storia, secondo me il “drama” alla fine è molto banale. Dirò solo questo. Invece per quanto riguarda la scrittura, la storia procede molto lentamente e praticamente viviamo nei ricordi, relativamente al tour succede veramente poco.
Ho ricevuto una copia gratuita di questo libro tramite Booksprout e sto volontariamente lasciando una recensione.
ENG
Nicky is Ethan Amin's manager, a famous singer-songwriter.
They have been working together for many years, and things are going well. The point in the story where we find them is when Ethan has finished recording a new album and is about to go on tour.
During a radio interview, the interviewer, looking for gossip, asks him if he has a girlfriend. Ethan replies that he does but would like to tell her first.
Meanwhile, a super famous actress, Maya Singh, contacts Nicky. She and Ethan have a good relationship, and she asks him for a huge favor. Despite herself, she has ended up in a fake gossip story, and because of this, she is at risk of not getting a part in a movie with a famous producer. To silence the gossip, she asks Ethan to pretend they are dating, just until she starts filming.
Ethan agrees, but Nicky will have to go on tour with him.
This story is in the romance, fake relationships, and friends-to-lovers genres. Well, I would disagree with the last part, in the sense that they think they are friends, but...
The story is often told from Nicky's perspective, her fears of exposing herself emotionally to Ethan due to previous experiences, but it also tells of a beautiful relationship with Ethan, their harmony, and the fact that they both know each other's families.
In my opinion, there is no great character development; only sometimes do they realize certain aspects as if they were who knows what, but from the reader's perspective, I think they are obvious.
From a story perspective, I think the “drama” is ultimately very trivial. That's all I'll say. As for the writing, the story progresses very slowly, and we basically live in memories; very little actually happens on the tour.
I received a free copy of this book through Booksprout and am leaving a voluntary review.
Nicky fa la manager di Ethan Amin, famosissimo cantautore.
Lavorano insieme da molti anni e le cose vanno bene. Il punto della storia in cui troviamo è quanto Ethan ha finito di registrare un nuovo disco e sta per andare in tour.
Durante un'intervista radio, l’intervistatore in cerca di gossip gli chiede sé c’è qualcuna, Ethan risponde di sì, ma vorrebbe dirlo prima a lei.
Nel mentre una attrice super famosa, Maya Singh, contatta Nicky. Lei ed Ethan hanno un buon rapporto e gli chiede un mega favore. Suo malgrado, è finita in un gossip falso, e proprio per questo sta rischiando di non ottenere la parte in un film con un produttore famosissimo. Per far zittire il gossip chiede ad Ethan di fingere che stanno uscendo insieme, giusto fino a quando lei non inizierà le riprese.
Ethan accetta, ma Nicky dovrà andare in tour insieme a lui.
Questa storia è del genere romance, fake relationships, friends to lovers. Beh sull’ultimo avrei da ridire, nel senso che pensano di essere amici, ma…
La storia è raccontata spesso dal punto di vista di Nicky: le sue paure ad esporsi con Ethan affettivamente per esperienze precedenti, ma anche racconta di un bel rapporto con Ethan, la sintonia, il fatto che entrambi conoscano anche le famiglie.
Secondo me non c’è nessuna grande evoluzione dei personaggi, solo a volte si rendono conto di alcuni aspetti come se fossero chissà cosa, dal punto di vista del lettore secondo me sono palesi.
Dal punto di vista della storia, secondo me il “drama” alla fine è molto banale. Dirò solo questo. Invece per quanto riguarda la scrittura, la storia procede molto lentamente e praticamente viviamo nei ricordi, relativamente al tour succede veramente poco.
Ho ricevuto una copia gratuita di questo libro tramite Booksprout e sto volontariamente lasciando una recensione.
ENG
Nicky is Ethan Amin's manager, a famous singer-songwriter.
They have been working together for many years, and things are going well. The point in the story where we find them is when Ethan has finished recording a new album and is about to go on tour.
During a radio interview, the interviewer, looking for gossip, asks him if he has a girlfriend. Ethan replies that he does but would like to tell her first.
Meanwhile, a super famous actress, Maya Singh, contacts Nicky. She and Ethan have a good relationship, and she asks him for a huge favor. Despite herself, she has ended up in a fake gossip story, and because of this, she is at risk of not getting a part in a movie with a famous producer. To silence the gossip, she asks Ethan to pretend they are dating, just until she starts filming.
Ethan agrees, but Nicky will have to go on tour with him.
This story is in the romance, fake relationships, and friends-to-lovers genres. Well, I would disagree with the last part, in the sense that they think they are friends, but...
The story is often told from Nicky's perspective, her fears of exposing herself emotionally to Ethan due to previous experiences, but it also tells of a beautiful relationship with Ethan, their harmony, and the fact that they both know each other's families.
In my opinion, there is no great character development; only sometimes do they realize certain aspects as if they were who knows what, but from the reader's perspective, I think they are obvious.
From a story perspective, I think the “drama” is ultimately very trivial. That's all I'll say. As for the writing, the story progresses very slowly, and we basically live in memories; very little actually happens on the tour.
I received a free copy of this book through Booksprout and am leaving a voluntary review.
February 9, 2025
IM SO EXCITEDDDDD
July 24, 2025
Really enjoyed reading Hard Launch. Very entertaining. Romance isn't usually my genre but I couldn't put it down. Can't wait to pass it on. Looking forward to Jenni's next book!!
March 1, 2026
Fun and hot with lots of punchy dialogue and charming characters :)
August 30, 2025
Loved the slow burn of this book! I could’ve done without the epilogue tbh. At times I felt like the protagonist’s insecurities were frustratingly hindering to her as a character but I know that’s the point🥲 I guess it felt too immature and young at times for her to be SO insecure as a person and in her 30’s. Who hurt you? YOU CAN BE LOVED! ITS OKAY!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2025
The perfect summer read! Hard Launch takes you behind the scenes with your new favorite musician Ethan, and his super-organized (and maybe slightly in denial) manager, Nicky. As Ethan heads out on his first world tour, Nicky is right there beside him - handling all the chaos, putting out PR fires, and trying really hard to ignore the sparks flying between them. Music, travel, fake dating drama, and slow-burn tension keeps you hooked the whole way through.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews