Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl

by Daniel Amory

2026 Bestseller. "Funny." “Very Cute.” Catherine. Jake. Childhood Friends. Morocco. Spain. Bahamas Wedding. Love Triangle. From #1 Bestselling Author Daniel Amory (NYT, A&E Television, The History Channel, Cameron's Court, The Lion in the Colosseum, Le Scapegoat, (In)famous), comes "Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl." They’ve shared scraped knees, embarrassing secrets, and twenty-two years of friendship. Falling in love was never part of the plan. As their lifelong friendship starts to feel dangerously different, turning friendship into something more means risking the one relationship they can’t afford to lose.

"I make you nervous, don't I?" asked Catherine.
She moved a little closer and, then, in an impassioned voice, she said, “Don’t be overdramatic, Jake. It’s just me.”
We stood there, face-to-face, watching each other’s every movement, as if standing still in time, in a surprisingly formal moment.
“You can say anything,” said Catherine.

Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl is about childhood friends, Catherine and Jake, as they travel together during law school on a spring break trip to Morocco. Later that summer, after graduating law school and taking the bar exam, they go on another trip, but this time to Spain. With love in the air, things become complicated and conflict ensues. Back at home in Chicago, Catherine, torn by the complications of their relationship, suddenly announces that she is getting married, but to a guy that Jake knows is "all wrong" for her. Forced to confront his feelings for Catherine, Jake vows to stop the wedding. However, with the wedding in the Bahamas, things get even more complex and descend into discord (with the help of some new friends). "Superb." "Loved it." "Timeless." "Very Well-Written."

As a journalist, Daniel Amory worked with The New York Times, A&E Television and The History Channel. A cornerstone of Literary Romantic Comedies in 2026, Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl is one of his six novels.

Publisher's Note: Edited for Audiobooks in April 2026; for the Kindle version, just re-load the downloaded version of it on your Kindle or Kindle App for the deluxe version including new features such as Table of Contents that will allow you to interface with each chapter (there is no additional cost).

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Humor, Summer, Spain, Travel, Romantic Comedy

178 pages, Paperback

Published August 8, 2025

About the author

Daniel Amory, #1 Bestselling Author, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He made his first foray into writing as a Staff Writer for The Daily Cardinal while in college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Shortly thereafter, he began to work professionally as a journalist in connection with The New York Times, A&E Television and The History Channel, producing numerous documentaries seen worldwide. He is the #1 Bestselling Author of (In)famous, Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl, The Lion in the Colosseum, Le Scapegoat, Cameron's Court and Minor Snobs. Available Everywhere. Amazon. Kindle Unlimited. Walmart. Waterstones. Hatchards. Foley's. Blackwell's. Audiobook.

YOU CAN REACH DANIEL AMORY AT:
lionthenovel1@gmail.com

TikTok: daniel.amory.author

Instagram: daniel.amory.author

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third of four standalone novels the author has provided for me to read and review.

How long does it take for best friends to realize they might be meant for something more?

In this case, Jake is on his way to the Bahamas with one goal: stop his best friend Catherine from marrying someone else.

Why?

Well, as this romantic comedy unfolds, readers will likely recognize all the classic signs of two people who seem completely oblivious to what everyone else can see. Their friendship, history, and undeniable chemistry raise an obvious question: will Jake's journey convince Catherine that the right person has been beside her all along?

With plenty of heart, humor, and romantic tension, this coming-of-age romance delivers the kind of emotional payoff that reminds us why friends-to-lovers stories remain so appealing. I found myself rooting for the characters and enjoying the warmth and charm of their relationship as it developed.

I would like to thank the author and Patron Press for this complimentary book for our Little Free Library Shed. I am providing an honest and unbiased review.

[Tasha]

I’m saving this book for my next flight. ✈️📖

[Daniel Amory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: Edited to add for Audiobook in April 2026, just re-load your download of it on Kindle for the deluxe version.

Hello All - Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading “Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl” as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope you found the humor and the heart and, most importantly, the fun in the ride around the world with Catherine, Jake, Sheila, Brenda and Kiki. Thanks again to everyone and thank you for all of the kind messages you have been sending my way.

—Daniel Amory

[jamie Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok I loved the Story so much and the Characters such a fun read with so many emotions between all the characters! I’d recommend this short read you will really enjoy it!

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited a couple of days to write my review as I was still processing the story. Here it goes. In my eyes, it is a serious, critical look at the new generation and the dating culture and social media wrapped up in a story that has romantic confusion between friends and interplay between generations. Don't go into reading this story thinking that it is a fluff, escapist. generic, romantic comedy. It almost feels like a documentary with a spotlight on the youth culture with honest commentary.

[Sherry A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is absolutely, positively, a 10 star book! I fell in love with Catherine and Jake, and when Sheila and Brenda enter the pages, what a plan they all concoct. I laughed, I cried. This is one book that I did not want to end. Thank you to the author for gifting me one of my favorite reads through the Goodreads giveaway. I’m a new fan of Daniel Armory. Bravo!

[Jennifer Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

a modern fairy tale.

It was a very sweet, enduring read. It was like a modern fairy tale, too good to be true. The book isn’t too long and the feel good story was just what I needed.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very cute, fun, quick read.

It’s a sweet love story between old friends with plenty of mixed signals and missed opportunities.

I loved getting a romance novel from the male protagonist’s perspective and hearing what was going on inside his head, and enjoyed getting little sneaky excerpts from her side here and there as well.

This is a romance book I think even my husband could get into (which is saying a lot haha) and I’d recommend it to men as well as women, which I feel can be difficult to find in this genre.

5⭐️

[Fritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable story of adventure, friendship and romance. I wish bthe story was longer.

[Samantha Locke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Won this in a Goodreads giveaway and it almost had me quit entering giveaways completely. You wouldn’t think 180 pages would be a struggle but this was a test and I did not study.

Catherine and Jake have no chemistry, the writing is sloppy and repetitive. Why do I need three full pages about ordering curly fries and four/five full pages of signing up and following people on instagram???? I don’t.

There’s a reason this book ALWAYS has a giveaway going. It’s the only way people will read it.

[BookReader22 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a smile on my face from the moment Catherine got off the airplane in Morocco in the first scene of the story to the obvious miscommunication between her and Jake present throughout their trip and then, later, in Spain. Catherine and Jake are childhood friends in this romantic comedy. The trip to Morocco is a spring break trip during their last year of law school. Jake has secretly been in love with Catherine his entire life and while he has not expressed those feelings to her, he begins to try. However, something or someone always gets in the way.

When they return to Chicago, Catherine realizes that she would also like to be more than just friends with Jake. So, she begins to try and show him that she is interested in him in that way. Following graduation, they go on another trip. This time, to Spain. After several attempts to show each other their interest in taking their relationship to a romantic level, there is a falling out.

Later, after returning to Chicago, Catherine meets Wyatt. They date for a few months and then announce that they are getting married. Jake, devastated, feels that his chance with Catherine is slipping away. Forced to confront his feelings for her, he travels to the Bahamas to try and stop the wedding.

I loved this story. I found it fun to read. Catherine and Jake are likeable characters and you can tell that they really like each other, but something always goes wrong. Also, moving from friends to a romantic relationship is messy. Messy for the two of them and messy for their friends, who are also brought into the story. Jake's enthusiasm is a big part of the book's charm. He portrays the right amount of humor and gravity that someone his character demands. And his love for Catherine is evident. The story is told in the first person so you get a glimpse of his inner thoughts. I thought it was easy-to-read, well-written and well-paced.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jake and Catherine have been best friends since they were 2 years old. The book starts off with them taking a trip together to Morocco during spring break of their final year of law school. We soon discover that Jake has secretly been in love with Catherine forever, but he's afraid to tell her because if she doesn't feel the same way, it will ruin their friendship. The story continues on with them traveling to Spain together for a month after taking the bar exam and before starting their jobs. When Jake is still unable to tell Catherine how he feels, he fears he's lost his chance after they return home to Chicago and Catherine reconnects with an old boyfriend.

Let me first say that the plot of this story is really cute and has a ton of potential. Outside of that, I'm not sure I was reading the same book that others rated so highly. I found the writing to be very mechanical. I think the author was trying to be funny, but in doing so, they focused in on some very strange details that didn't really have anything to do with the story. Additionally, the book was told in the third person and it felt awkward for this kind of story. I never got any connection to either Jake or Catherine.

To me, for a romance story to be good it needs to either be steamy (which this isn't at all) or you have to really feel for the characters and want to cheer for them to get together. This book didn't do either of those things for me. I know others have given it good reviews and seemed to love it, so maybe it just didn't hit me right for some reason.

It's short. It's a sweet story. But I didn't feel invested at all and the writing seemed awkward to me.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl focuses the story on Catherine and Jake, two law school graduates transitioning from childhood friendship to adult romantic complications. During this time of freedom before they leave school behind and enter the adult workforce, they go on a couple of international trips and have adventures that force Catherine and Jake to confront deeper feelings that they have for one another. Everything changes when Catherine announces that she is getting married to someone else. In that moment, Jake, an "uptight, over-analyzer of everything" must overcome his hesitation that stems from whether he thinks Catherine has reciprocal romantic feelings toward him and stop Catherine's wedding.

Catherine and Jake's relationship throughout the story is playful and there are many funny situations that come from their personality differences; Catherine's "confident sexuality" and "passionate free-spirit" allows her to make independent choices that challenge Jake's assumptions, but they complement each other well. And they genuine care for each other with hidden feelings.

On the weekend of the wedding, Jake goes to the Bahamas to try and stop Catherine's wedding and profess his love to her. On the flight there, he befriends a woman named Sheila, who is a motherly presence to him. As the wedding nears, Sheila, who is very sympathetic to Jake's dilemma given her own marital history, teams up with another woman at the resort, sort of an "aunt" presence to Jake, and they try to help Jake stop the wedding.

[Sue - Recos and Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Daniel for reaching out and sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

This is a sweet friends-to-lovers story about two lifelong friends where one realizes that their feelings have become something much more. The big question is whether it’s worth risking a cherished friendship for the chance of a relationship, knowing that things could go very wrong if the feelings are not returned.

For a book under 200 pages, there’s a lot packed into the story. While I liked the premise, I personally struggled to connect with Catherine or Jake. Their conversations and reactions did not always feel natural to me, so I found it difficult to fully invest in the romance.

The book also leans into humor, such as in the opening airport scene where Catherine behaves in a way that would probably test the patience of most travelers while remaining completely unaware of it. I think readers who enjoy awkward situations and miscommunication in romances may find these moments much funnier than I did. The miscommunication trope is not usually my favorite, and there were times I wanted to tell Jake to just get on with it and simply say what he was feeling.

Although this one was not quite the right fit for me, I can still see it appealing to readers who enjoy light, quick romances with a friends-to-lovers setup, some awkward humor, and plenty of emotional hesitation before the characters finally confront their feelings. If that sounds like your kind of read, I would encourage you to give it a try.

[Brielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake Brennan, an eternal optimist, seeks to capture the heart of his childhood friend, Catherine Bardot, but he is concerned she may not feel the same way about him – that’s where we cue the series of miscues and miscommunication that drive this very funny coming-of-age romantic comedy. Jake knows Catherine is his true love and as he attempts to tell her his feelings for her, the hopelessly romantic, wisecracking, anxious, self-aware law student (the two of them are both finishing law school), Catherine seems more and more unattainable as something always goes awry before he can tell her.

At the same time, Catherine, also wanting to see if there is something more between her and Jake, gets more and more annoyed with what she perceives as a lack of decisiveness (though she is not privy to the miscues that occur throughout). This story is brimming with life and fun and cinematic scenery as they travel to Morocco, Spain and the Bahamas. Even when Jake is heartbroken (after he finds out that Catherine is getting married to someone else), his own self-discovery that “it is now or never” with Catherine is heartfelt and his attempt to stop the wedding with some newcomers to the story at the resort is funny and really a tribute to the way the author set-up the story for the big moment to go down in the Bahamas.

[Allison Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I understand why people really like this book. This was way more than a romantic comedy. A perfect mix of humor and emotional depth. True love, second chances, friendship and happiness. And then throw it all together and you have Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl.

Jake and Catherine are childhood friends. The story picks up when they are in their twenties and are finishing school. They are both likable characters and are secretly in love with each other. Jake is smart, kind, caring and handsome. Catherine is bright, funny, caring, clumsy at times and pretty. She is like the girl next door that everyone in the world is drawn to - and because everyone is attracted to her, this gets in the way of Jake's many attempts to express his evolving feelings for her.

I love the awkward moments when Jake is attempting to take their relationship to a new, romantic level, and when Catherine tries to do the same thing. This screams of movie romance. In the story, we have a mash up of literary fiction and romantic comedy, which in my opinion brings the story to a whole new level. Bottom line: Without giving away spoilers, if you are looking for a smart and witty and funny romantic comedy that is fun and deep and full for travel destinations, this book is for you.

[Zoe Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was a literary romantic comedy that explores the lives of twenty-somethings in the 21st century. Catherine and Jake are finishing law school and traveling and "coming-of-age" as they join the professional workforce and find their place in this world. With that being said, they happen to be childhood friends who secretly are in love with each other, which adds romantic confusion between the two.

I thought this was a well-written and funny yet serious societal critique of modern life through situational comedy and social observation. Stop reading if you don't want a spoiler (spoiler alert), but in the third act, two "guardian angels" that are middle-aged divorcees, Sheila and Brenda, who are separately on a trip to the Bahamas, which is where Catherine is supposed to get married to someone other than Jake (this is a plot point that develops over time), meet Jake, feel sorry for him, and help him hatch up a plan to try and stop the wedding. As you read it, you will feel the heart in the story and the underlying emotions and the reciprocal inherent goodness that lies within human nature and people.

[Hannah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine and Jake are natural companions from their long-standing friendship (childhood friends) and it is one of the story's great pleasures to watch them grow closer together and head toward romance. The author nails the dialogue (it is funny) and the timing (there are lol moments) and the miscommunication that occurs as two friends want to be romantically involved but are afraid to tell the other.

They have great chemistry and they talk and act like two people who are in love with one another - and that is because they are. That is what makes everything so funny and awkward. There is one scene in Spain that I burst out laughing. There is also emotion and passion between them and it is this that drives the story. There is vulnerability - they both feel vulnerable due to their friendship and they don't want to risk losing that friendship. A fun ride, Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl is so much more human and heartfelt than the majority of the romantic comedies you will read and it is full of life.

[Julia Is Booked · Rating 5 out of 5]

This coming-of-age romantic comedy is fresh, witty and funny. It stands out for its realistic, deeply grounded portrayal of childhood friends (friends-to-lovers), Catherine and Jake. How we get to the "lovers" part of the story is, well, what makes it heartfelt, cute, charming and humorous.

The story centers on Catherine and Jake and their friendship - and as their feelings for each other turn in a romantic way, they must navigate the looming pressures of what that means. As it is, 22 years of friendship is at stake. When Jake hops on a plane to go to the Bahamas to try and stop Catherine's wedding (she was marrying, who he believed, to be someone all wrong for her), it is nothing short of a generation-defining scene. Like how Cameron Crowe had his Lloyd Dobler hold up a boombox to express his love for Diane, and blasted Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" in the movie "Say Anything," Daniel Amory's Jake in Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl travels "halfway across the world" and attempts to profess his feelings for Catherine before it is too late.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl is a well-written romantic comedy and quite funny. I really enjoyed reading it. The story centers around Jake and Catherine, two love-starved best friends that are in love with each other. They both implicitly know it, but neither want to say it out loud in fear of it ruining their friendship. Will they end up together? Is it fate?

They go on a trip together to Fez and Casablanca during spring break of law school - they tease each other and the romantic possibilities are obvious as they romp around. Then, later in the summer, they go to Malaga. As they enjoy the charms of Spain, we get drawn in more to their teasing and fun and budding romance. But it all comes to a crashing halt one fateful night as physical tensions rival heated emotions for one another. Jake then hears, later, that Catherine is engaged, which is life-altering for Jake. After consideration, he decides that he is going to stop the wedding. Mayhem and hilarity follow.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The story of my life." These words are spoken by Jake Brennan early on in the story, when he is ready to profess his love to his longtime childhood friend, Catherine Bardot (or at least he was going to tell her how he feels about her), but there is a man that had entered the train car they were in as they left Casablanca for Marrakesh, which stops it from happening. It speaks so clearly as to what the author, Daniel Amory, was doing here, and why this story works so well.

Love is hard. Love is harder when you are childhood friends and are trying to jump to romance. All of the confusion from the miscommunication between Catherine and Jake which reigns in Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl is organic, endearing and fun. I recommend this story. It was a revelation for me. It fires on all cylinders and is filled with sincerity, charm and laugh out loud moments.

[Bookworm Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh, funny, romantic and upbeat. As the story begins, Catherine and Jake are arriving in Fez, Morocco. They are childhood friends with secret crushes on each other and they are timid to tell one another since they are such long-time friends and are worried that it will impact their friendship.

It is easy to understand the appeal to this book - it is a coming of age story that is very cute and funny with likable characters. Catherine is very relatable and Jake is very determined to tell her his feelings for her before it is too late. This leads to funny situations and miscommunication. There is an Act 3 in the book involving supporting characters at a resort in the Bahamas that attempt to help Jake in his efforts leading up to Catherine's wedding that I didn't see coming and it is funny and wild.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi Pretty Girl, Bye Pretty Girl is one of the best in a long line of romantic comedies I have read, if not the best. Unlike many of the books you will find in this genre, Catherine and Jake (childhood friends) are smart, well-developed characters that want to tell one another that they are in love with other, but just can't - reasons being either external factors (people interrupt certain situations) or internal factors (the feeling of too much pressure in the moment).

I think Daniel Amory has shown in this story that he is an attentive student to human nature and the quality is evident in the insightful dialogue, intelligent storyline, heartfelt moments, funny situations and finely-tuned characters. As I think back about it, while it is a romantic comedy, it is firmly grounded in reality - which gives it something more than the usual stories we find in this genre.

[Alyssa Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catherine is incredible in this story. It was fun to travel the world with her and Jake and take part in all of their adventures. Their comedic dynamic, built on witty banter and romantic chemistry, is a key part of the story's appeal. And I want to say something about Sheila and Brenda. I love them in this. They are funny and hilarious and are such good supporting characters to Jake as all hell breaks loose.

I guarantee that you will find yourself rooting for Jake (and Sheila and Brenda) as Jake tries to "win" Catherine's love while attempting to stop a wedding that is "all wrong." Overall, this was a well-written story with romance, comedy and charm. This was a review of a free copy from a giveaway.

[Rachel (Always Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This coming of age story follows two childhood friends, Catherine and Jake, as they both try to strike up enough nerve to tell the other one that they are in love with them. And it is funny. I love the travel chapters on spring break in Morocco and Spain and seeing them grow more and more together. There is a falling out and, so, when Catherine moves on and plans to marry someone else, Jake decides that he has to tell her how he feels about her before it is too late. And that just happens to be during the wedding weekend in the Bahamas. He does have some help - he meets a couple of vacationers who learn of his story and they try to help him (in the name of love)...which may or may not go as they planned it...lol...ha ha ha...I recommend this for all ages.

[Isa]

no rating because i actually dnfd this pretty short in... like after the first chapter. i dont even know what was wrong with this but i really didnt like the writing style. it also could be slightly biased because we get the pov of the mmc and the mmc only (i think, i could be wrong, i didnt read more) and i just generally prefer listening to a woman over a man..... i was just not enjoying the internal dialogue, the writing style, anything really. now i feel bad for writing this but this is just what i felt and also im a chronic mood reader and i could just not be in the mood for this but yeah ... okay thats all i have to say

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun story that traveled from Morocco to Spain to the Bahamas. Jake is the main character and he is in love with Catherine, a childhood friend, but he is afraid to tell her. When she announces that she is going to get married, he knows he can't wait any longer. It was a fun story. There are other characters that are brought in as well as Jake tries to stop the wedding. Cute and funny sprinkled with heartfelt moments. There is almost no spice (and this is kind of the point because the author makes fun of it in the story) as miscommunication and bad timing between the two of them drives the story.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was a whole lot of fun. One of the best books I read this year. It is a coming-of-age romantic comedy and it is smart and funny with drama that turns into a love triangle. Throughout the story, Jake is anxious and self-aware about telling Catherine, his childhood friend, that he is in love with her. And though in his mind he has a plan to tell her, it never goes he expects. Not in Morocco. Not in Spain. Not in Chicago. Not even in the Bahamas...though you will have to read how this plays out because it is lol funny. All in all, this book reminded me of why I like romantic comedies.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood friends to lovers romantic comedy that is heartfelt, sweet and very, very funny. A touching look at true love, which is complicated by their friendship, Catherine and Jake, finishing law school, dash around the world, leading later to an iconic statement of love...Jake flying to the Bahamas to profess his love to Catherine before she marries someone else. And it's done with a twist. I thought the writing was crisp and the dialogue was sharp and the romantic chemistry was off the charts. This is in line with two other books that I read from Daniel Amory, which were The Lion in the Colosseum and (In)famous. I'll be looking to see what he releases next.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love will find a way. Childhood friends (Catherine and Jake) that have had secret crushes on each other through many dramatic and romantic situations in life leading up to one fateful night after law school in Spain...

This story was sweet, funny and hopelessly romantic. It is refreshing and different and well-written.

With the help of a few quirky friends, Jake travels across the world to try and stop Catherine's wedding so that he can profess his love for her. But can he do it in time? This story captures the timeless magic of romantic destiny. A must read.