Author Event! Riss M. Neilson's "The Bridge Back to You"

Join us on April 4th at 4pm as we host Riss M. Neilson in conversation with Shirlene Obuobi to discuss her latest novel, The Bridge Back to You. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase!

About the Book:

Exes discover they’ve both inherited the restaurant they love in this sparkling, emotional new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of A Love Like the Sun.

Olivia owes everything to Celia's Place. It’s where she learned how to be a great chef. It’s also where she first fell in love. But at nineteen, Olivia had a wanderlust she couldn’t deny. And Carmello, whose mother owned the restaurant, couldn’t leave Celia's Place behind any more than he could force Olivia to stay.
Now, ten years later, Olivia is a successful personal chef. Her job allows her to travel the world, and she has never stayed in the same place for too long. When Carmello learns that his mother left shares of her beloved restaurant to both him and Olivia, he plans to buy her portion of the shares back quickly and painlessly.
That is until Olivia shows up at the restaurant, ready to help run it. Carmello sees an opportunity: drive Olivia away from his restaurant so that she will want to sign over her shares. But Olivia sees things a bit differently. She finally has the chance to stay in one place and build a home after years on the move, and perhaps now is the right time to explore whether that home can be with the one who got away.
Soon enough, sparks begin to fly, but can Olivia and Carmello avoid the mistakes of the past?

About the Author:

Riss M. Neilson is a magna cum laude graduate of Rhode Island College, where she won the English department's Jean Garrigue Award for creative writing. Her debut young adult novel, Deep in Providence, was a 2022 finalist for the New England Book Awards. She lives in Rhode Island with her two daughters and four fur babies, including a bunny named Michael Myers. A Love Like the Sun was her debut adult novel.

About the Moderator:

Shirlene Obuobi is a Ghanaian-American physician, cartoonist, and author. She currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where she practices as a general cardiologist. Her novels, On Rotation and Between Friends & Lovers, have been featured on multiple national outlets such as Teen Vogue, the Washington Post, and Good Morning America. She is a former regular contributor at The Washington Post, and has garnered a wide audience for her comics, which discuss healthcare access, identity and equity. Her third novel, Die for Me, will be released on July 14, 2026.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Symposium Books Staff