The Peculiar Party on Pineapple Court

by Penelope Knayme

When two friends from college find themselves starting over in their thirties, they strike an unexpected deal: move in together and pretend to be married to blend in with their new neighbors (an unlikely group of swingers).

What begins as temptation to join the peculiar parties on Pineapple Court quickly turns into a surprising and delightful awakening for two people who thought their lives were already mapped out. Living a lie might just give them the permission they need to finally live their truth.

The Peculiar Party on Pineapple Court explores self-discovery, true friendship, and the liberating messiness of starting over. Perfect for readers who love contemporary romance with millennial leads, open-door spice, LGBTQ+ representation, and emotional depth.

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About the author

Penelope lives on the east coast of North Carolina, where beach life meets spreadsheets. By day, she works as a tax accountant with a fondness for math and the order of operations. By night she is a dreamer, writer, and storyteller. She has dabbled in countless hobbies, cheerfully admitting to being “mediocre at best,” but writing is where she has truly found her passion.

At home, she shares life with her loving husband, two children, and their dog. While creating characters who live extraordinary lives on the page, she is glad to live an exceptionally ordinary one with her family. In her own words, she embraces the extraordinary through her stories, and The Last Petal marks the first step of that journey.

Reviews

[Vicki (MayhemBoundBookshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was my very first 5 star read of 2026. I have had the absolute honor of reading this book a few chapters at a time while Penelope Knayme was writing it. I cracked this gem open on December 23rd and immediately started live-stream rambling to Penelope about my thoughts as I went and I think the most appropriate way to start my review is by giving you all some of my chaotic thoughts...
"Yaya is an angel. I hope nothing happens to her."
"D's mom is a See You Next Tuesday. I said what I said." (I did not in fact censor my comment to Penelope)
"This is so good!! Like the character development, the story, it's soooo well thought out. I love it so much. Also I feel like Yaya helped SPOILER IS REDACTED HERE but only time will tell I suppose."
"OMG THEY MOVED INTO A **SPOILER** NEIGHBORHOOD DIDN'T THEY!!!!!"
"........ get it girllllll"
"I love himmmmmmm. OMG what a gem J is"
"Everything is blowing up!!!!! CHAOSSSSSSSS. J you idiot!"
"OMG T you cannot let Z in!!! Nooooooo."
"OMG WTF did Z do!!!! SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER REDACTED"
"I knew it! What a scumbag!"

At this point... I started sending voice notes instead of rambling my thoughts into text... but if this is any indication of how invested I was, this level of unfiltered, unrefined chaos messaging continued until I finished the book... at which point, I sent the following message...

"Girl. What have you been putting in your morning coffee? Because holy shit. This was so good. I'm sad it's over. And everyone needs a REDACTED NAME in their life. She's amazing. But this was so good. So so good. I'm like a little speechless right now. I'm blown away. Easily five stars. Easily. Like I can't wait until this is in the world. So that I can tell everyone about it."

And really... what more do I need to say? Read this book. Love this book. Cherish this book.

[Tracy Pomerleau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into The Peculiar Party on Pineapple Court expecting a dark, scandalous romance and what I got was something far more layered — and surprisingly heartfelt.

Yes, this story explores a risky, unconventional dynamic. But what really stood out to me wasn’t the taboo element — it was the emotional maturity. This isn’t about shock value. It’s about communication, trust, boundaries, and adults making intentional choices. The character building was flawless and the book flowed with ease.

If you’re looking for a messy, dramatic scandal, this isn’t that. If you’re open to a contemporary romance that explores nontraditional love with honesty and surprisingly wholesome communication, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Not a typical book I would read but I’m so glad that I was chosen for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my review . Kudos to this author ! I can’t wait to read more from her .

[Angela Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Peculiar Party on Pineapple Court is a deliciously swinging good time and definitely a 5 star read! It’s a story of self discovery , learning what love and friendship really means , and living your life as authentically as possible. I absolutely love the LGBTQI+ representation and inclusivity.

This book showed starting over in your 30’s and that sometimes life just gets messy and that’s okay. It starts with a deal from two old college friends , which turns into a fake marriage , then turns into some upside down pineapple fun , and finally you get to see when friends become lovers and so much more ! It’s about self discovery in life and also sexually too. It really showcase millennials and 30’s age representation. Which was so perfect for me being in my 30’s myself and going through a lot of the same feelings as these characters.

There was so much yearning , angst , and passion between Tallula and Jordan. Their sexual chemistry was bleeding from these pages and I was all about it. The way this man pined and yearned for Tallula was EVERYTHING 🥰🥰. The spice was definitely spicing between these two and also with some other couples on Pineapple Court🔥. I was rubbing my thighs together throughout the entire book 🥵.

Despite all the lovely extracurriculars in this neighborhood, the friendships and bonds created were so special and truly magical. Being exactly who you are and being loved and seen is the truest form of connection , love , and friendship.
The way this author has you feeling all the feelings and how she pulled these emotions from you by her words was so beautiful and left such an impact.

Despite all the fun and spice , this author has plot twist after plot twist and kept you on our toes until the end. This was a phenomenal read especially for my contemporary romance lovers who love friends to lovers, self discovery, open door spice (lots of it 😉) , emotional depth, HEA, and LGBTQI+ representation. Still coming off the high from this love story✨💛🍍

[Jaclyn Marie Jax · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this thinking I was about to read a spicy novel about parties and swingers more of fun side, not of the complexity part of it. What I got, was fun and complexity anyways. This is written more true to what is normally encountered in the swinger community. Complex characters, some with traumatic backgrounds and some without, with ipen minds and open hearts, coming together to love and support each other...just with a little more openness to the love part.😉 The writers did a phenomenal job with the back stories to help you truly understand where the characters came from, and how they got to where they are now. What you may not know is the bonds of friendship are strong in the swinger community and that shines through in this book as well. I appreciate that it was written more true to form for the Community in the way the writers let the LGBTQ+ side spotlight in the characters of the neighborhood and in JT as well. I look forward to seeing the character art for this one! I would totally love to live in this neighborhood.

Bravo Team, I look forward to see how the final publish turns out!

[Cherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t your typical romance. The Peculiar Party on Pineapple Court is a contemporary romance that explores nontraditional love, self-discovery, true friendship, and so much more.

The author does a wonderful job representing the characters and the struggles they face, including meaningful LGBTQ+ representation. The backstories are woven in at the perfect moments, giving deeper insight into the characters’ emotions and the situations they find themselves in without feeling overwhelming.

This book had me crying, giggling, and kicking my feet. There were even moments where I was completely shocked because I did not see some of the twists coming!

Thank you, Penelope, for the ARC and the opportunity to read this story. As always, this review reflects my personal opinion.

[Kayla Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re craving a contemporary romance with humor, heart, and a little something extra, this one deserves a spot on your TBR. This book absolutely put me into a slump in the best way. It’s funny, different, a little kinky, and such a fun ride from start to finish. I genuinely enjoyed every moment of it.

I was lucky enough to early read this, and I can confidently say it’s one you don’t want to miss.

Two friends in their 30s move into a cul de sac with an unexpected group of neighbours. With a half eaten bag of chips and a jar of salsa in hand, they discover their neighbours are swingers. What follows is fun, curiosity, a bit of exploration, and the possibility of love along the way

[Jeff Bartrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Author has a crafted a very good book, it flows extremely well from start to finish. The level of pacing was really good and kept the story moving in a pace you'd expect from this genre. I will admit, I'm not a typical reader of this genre or material, so a lot of this was new exposure. But having known about some elements it was spot on. Great representation and the characters felt original and well thought out for their story arc. Overall, great book, and readers will devour it. Kudos to the author.

[Emily Capretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE!!!
They were parts of this book that I was quite literally giggling and kicking my feet. I would read this book over and over and over again.
I liked how it was a seamless story throughout how each chapter had a little bit of go back in order to cover each characters perspective, but still progress the story forward, I think that the character development was flawless, and I cannot wait to share this book with all of my friends.

[Kasey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and the story. It was fun, emotional, real, and raw. This is exactly what I needed as a palate cleanser and break away from fantasy. The characters are flawed and real going through real struggles and real life situations. There is so much depth and so many layers to unravel here. I chuckled when one bad thing after another kept happening because I couldn’t help but think it is something that would happen to me. This shows how much communication matters because if there is no communication you can’t help but think the worst. There is so much emotion written in this book and you couldn’t help but feel EVERYTHING. Such a phenomenal read and I highly recommend it. For those that love contemporary romance, fake relationships (a favorite of mine), friends to lovers, self-discovery, and spice then this is for you!

Thank you so much to the author for a gifted advanced reader copy. I am voluntarily leaving a review, and all thoughts are my own.

[Vicky Torelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Penelope for this ARC. I really enjoyed Tallula and Jordan’s story. The spicy scenes were really enjoyable 🌶️

[GRLSH · Rating 5 out of 5]

🍍 will update soon

[Bethany Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This book made me laugh out loud, blush, and just straight smile. I loved these characters and how real they were, and I loved the mental health representation. I will update this review after release day, but if you need a good story with great one liners and a unique plot I highly recommend adding this to your TBR!

[Evelyn Chatelain · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH A FUN READ.
I was lucky enough to be an early reader for this book, and I can’t wait for people to experience this story. It’s fun, spicy, and has a little bit of everything you could want in a contemporary romance. Check it tf out now!!