on sale October 20, 2026
A commitment-phobe finds herself stuck spending Hanukkah with her childhood best friend turned nemesis, only for holiday chaos to ensue and complicated feelings to resurface, in this emotionally resonant debut romance.
Norah Gold is a bolter. She avoids emotional situations at all costs, doesn’t do meaningful relationships, and when things get a little too real, she runs. She hasn’t let herself fall in love in nearly a decade, not since her whole world fell apart when her dad suddenly passed away. Desperate to escape a friends-with-benefits situation gone clingy, she returns home to Chicago for the holidays. Her one goal? Avoid Henry Cole, the boy who blew up her life and broke her heart back in high school. Easier said than done when she discovers that their mothers are dating and insist on celebrating the holidays together.
A decade later, Henry Cole is all custom suits and condescension. He is order to her chaos and absolutely insufferable about it. When Norah and Henry get snowed in together and learn just how serious their moms’ relationship is, they call a truce to make it through all eight nights of Hanukkah without setting each other on fire. As they begin to rediscover the foundation that made them so close growing up, Norah is desperate to keep her distance—the last thing she can handle is reopening decade-old emotional wounds. But even though they’ve tried to escape the past, Norah and Henry have unfinished business too pressing to ignore. Can Norah shake off her deep-seated impulse to bolt, or are they destined to flame out just like they did as teenagers?
Praise for NOW THAT WE DON’T TALK
“Now That We Don’t Talk is charming, heartfelt, and hot! The childhood-best-friends to enemies to lovers yearning hits so hard. Rachel Pologe perfectly taps into the unique mixture of comfort and bittersweetness that comes from returning home for the holidays as an adult and realizing exactly how much has changed—and how much hasn’t. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a holiday romance from a fun, fresh voice.” – Rosie Danan, USA Today bestselling author of Fan Service
“Now That We Don’t Talk has everything I love in a romance book— relatable characters, tension-filled forced proximity, and enough steam to have me blushing. This story beautifully tackles real, complex emotions amidst a cozy, festive setting, and readers will be rooting for Norah and Henry on every page! Rachel Pologe’s debut is a knockout!” – Jillian Meadows, USA Today bestselling author of Give Me Butterflies
"This novel made me laugh from the very first page and I just knew I'd adore it the whole way through. Now That We Don’t Talk is funny and cozy and filled with yearning. What I enjoyed most about it is how true to life Norah feels as our main character. We're on this journey with her back home for Hanukkah and she has no choice but to finally face Henry and the grief she's been avoiding since their friendship ended long ago. I found the balance of humor and sexual tension while Norah and Henry were working through a complicated history so refreshing. This is an emotionally rich, sexy story, and Rachel Pologe is a writer to watch." – Riss M. Neilson, USA Today bestselling author of The Bridge Back to You
“Now That We Don’t Talk is a charming, heartfelt childhood friends-to-lovers romance about family, the bittersweet joy of yearning, and what it means to forgive the person who knows you better than anyone else in the world. Rachel Pologe’s debut is dazzling, and a perfect romance for the holidays–or any time of year.” — USA Today bestselling author Jenna Levine
“Now That We Don’t Talk perfectly captures the swirl of magic, nostalgia, and grief that is being back in your hometown with all of your memories at the holidays. Pologe’s debut is a sufganiyot-sweet love story about the people who’ve known every version of us, and who help us hold onto memories of what we’ve loved and lost. This rom-com hits the genre’s most beloved tropes just right, and thoughtfully explores one of the truest expressions of love: owning up to our mistakes. This is pure childhood-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers joy.” — Ellen O’Clover, author of The Heartbreak Hotel
"Warm, heartfelt, and perfectly steamy, Now That We Don’t Talk is chock full of childhood friends-to-lovers goodness, with all the tense glances and only-one-bed moments this trope deserves. An effervescent debut about second chances, grief, and the people we'd wait forever for—I can't wait for more from Rachel Pologe!" – Katie Naymon, author of You Between the Lines
"I fell hard for Rachel Pologe’s utterly charming debut, which is a perfect blend of all my favorite tropes. Now That We Don’t Talk glows with tenderness, yearning, and an emotional payoff that’s well worth the heartbreak along the way. I love a man who’s down bad, and this second-chance Hanukkah romance delivers the kind of swoony satisfaction that will keep you happily hooked for all eight nights.” – Lindsay Hameroff, author of Rewrite the Stars
"A childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers tale that crackles with chemistry, tenderness and the perfect amount of heartbreaking chaos, Now That We Don’t Talk is the most delicious, wintery, Hanukkah-themed book to get snowed in with." – Hannah Brohm, author of Love and Other Brain Experiments