Paying Her Way

by Amanda Kabak

Erin McCallister has money—more than she ever imagined after selling her company for millions. But wealth feels like a suit that doesn’t quite fit, especially after an ex began to covet the money more than Erin herself. When she leaves an unusually generous tip for a hardworking server, she has no idea that she’s about to change both their lives.

Iris Patterson isn’t looking for a handout. As a history grad student, she’s learned from the past—especially her own family’s endless struggle to make ends meet. Erin’s effortless charm masks a fortune Iris doesn’t want to be beholden to, but when a lost grant threatens everything she’s worked for, Erin refuses to let her new lover's dreams collapse.

As their worlds intertwine, desire sparks and expectations blur. But with privilege and hardship standing between them, will love be enough—or will the weight of what divides them tear them apart?

270 pages, Paperback

Published January 20, 2026

About the author

Amanda Kabak is the author of multiple novels, both romance and general fiction. Her writing focuses on the deep ties that make us human: love, friendship, and family. She is also the author of award-winning short fiction published in outlets like The Massachusetts Review, The Tahoma Review, Sequestrum, and other print and online journals. Despite a long career in technology, human interactions interest her much more than code, though she can’t resist making some of her characters engineers and scientists. Home is wherever her wife, Anna, is.

Reviews

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 22%. I didn’t like the politics of this book.

[Misha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to think a bit about why I did not enjoy this book as much as I expected, and I think it's primarily because one of the main characters has very justifiable character traits, but they are pushed to an extent that she comes off as insufferable. Iris' incredible pride and short fuse when it comes to privilege come off as unlikeable and make me wonder why Erin finds her as compelling as she does, which is not the best basis for any romantic couple in fiction. Even having a conversation with someone like Iris feels exhausting to me, even as a POC myself and Erin constantly being snapped at for random remarks that reveal her priviledge or her new wealth really wore me down. I honestly wish this couple had just broken up and gone their separate ways.

[Sue Plant · Rating 3 out of 5]

would like to thank bella books for enabling me to read this book for an honest review

iris and erin dont have a thing in common.... but their worlds are about to collide....

iris works in a restaurant to supplement her needs so that she can study she also has a grant that helps but that is about to end as it gets pulled and she doesnt know what to do...

erin well her life is empty at the moment after she had worked for several years in her own business and sold it for quite a lot of money.... she doesnt like telling anyone after the disasterous affair with her last girlfriend who only wanted her for her money....

but there is something different about iris that attracts erin and they start to date.... though they both know they are hiding things from each other

its not a bad storyline but i have to say i was getting annoyed with iris with that huge chip on her shoulder..... i get it i really do... but enough already....

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

dnf
I just couldn't get into this one.
I really didn't like the Iris character. I just couldn’t tolerate her constant distaste for anyone that had money. no matter if they worked really hard and achieved a goal to be awarded with a tidy sum.
as a result I didn’t care how the story ended...so I stopped reading.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erin McCallister is a bit adrift. Raised middle class, she took on student loans, finished college and began a start up with her roommate and best friend. After selling the company for millions she is dabbling at consulting but hasn’t found a new passion. She meets Iris Patterson, who is a hard working graduate student. Iris is distraught when the grant funding her PHD studies gets pulled. She is a hard worker and willing to work multiple jobs but taking on extra loans is no longer feasible.

Iris’s best friend tells her she is almost militant in her thoughts about privilege, honesty and fairness. And honestly, some of her thoughts felt a little lecturing to me. Her life has been difficult, being poor, bi-racial, not black enough, no father, devout religious grandfather etc. Almost anyone compared to her would be “privileged”. Erin’s previous girlfriend was more interested in her money than her so she is cautious about who she shares her story with. These two probably shouldn’t be together but of course they like each other. I do like that they spend time on walks and easy dates getting to know each other.

Iris’s chip on her shoulder is a huge obstacle to identifying with her character and wanting her to be Erin’s person. And when the inevitable conflict arises, the author does a good job at showing how compromising can look and work. I didn’t love how conflicted Erin felt about her new wealth (that she earned). And she probably needed some counseling because it impacts all her relationships in life including with her family. And I liked that her best friend showed another way of handling it being in a similar position. It helped balance the story. The epilogue helps me believe in their HEA. Thank you to Bella Books for the eARC and I am leaving an honest review

[Fiona Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Paying Her Way, Amanda Kabak has delivered a wonderful, albeit angsty, story of two women from very different situations in life who are clearly drawn to each other but with multiple hurdles to overcome if they are to be able to build a future together.

Erin McCallister has recently stepped away from the tech start-up company she built with her best friend after selling it for millions. She has more money than she knows what to do with but is feeling adrift in the world with no direction for the future and a sense that she no longer fits anywhere. Meanwhile Iris Patterson has spent her entire life struggling to keep her head above water financially, ever since she and her mother were cast adrift by her missionary grandfather when Iris was a young girl. Hardship is her life but she is determined to get through her doctoral studies, despite balancing work commitments and trying to support her mother financially.

Needless to say the imbalance between the two women is extreme. With issues of trust also central to the story their journey towards finding a shared future is going to be anything but smooth. In the end, both MCs have something to learn from each other, if only they can learn to open up fully and be truly honest with each other.

I really enjoyed reading this story and am grateful to Amanda Kabak and Bella Books for providing me with an ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[This · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story brings together 2 women with very different bank balances.
Erin worked hard with a friend and built a successful company which was subsequently sold for millions, leaving her with more than $20 million in the bank. She meets Iris a struggling PhD student with definite views about wealth, honesty, systems, racism, culture. Her life has been impacted by the behaviour of her grandfather, a minister who met her grandmother in Africa when he was doing missionary work. Both Erin and Iris bring their separate issues to a potential relationship.
While Erin feels guilty for having so much money and seeks to find a purpose in life, Iris struggles and has very definite thoughts about receiving help and fairness. It's full of potential conflict and you get to see the story play out from the perspective of both of them. The reader sees the problems coming up and can anticipate the reveal and response of the characters. This adds tension to the story nicely.
Privilege is discussed a lot, and it is easy to see how the system means that when you don't have money life is hard and everything cheap costs more.

Potentially loads of research has gone into this story - I never quite understand what it is that their company actually did - but the author obviously has knowledge of this kind of area as their bio says they design and writes industrial software - I don't even know what that means!

Thanks to the author and Bella for the ARC - this is an honest review.