Melissa Gowdy Baldwin - Jillian Swipes Right

Swipe right. Fall hard. Complicate everything.

By day, Jillian Bridges is a dedicated fourth-grade teacher. By night, she writes steamy romance novels under her pseudonym. After a brutal breakup with her fiance, her best friends stage an intervention. One dating app, a standing Tuesday night at Locals, and one rule: only the most memorable characters make the cut—she’s swiping for both Mr. Right and Mr. Absolutely Not for her book.

What starts as a fun experiment quickly turns into Jillian’s next big writing project. Armed with cocktails, confidence, and a whole lot of curiosity, she dives headfirst into the world of dating, turning every match into potential story material. It’s empowering. It’s hilarious. It’s exactly what she needs…until him.

Trevor Donovan, charming, grounded, and the new owner of Locals was never supposed to be more than a swipe. But when sparks fly, Jillian realizes some major problems: Trevor’s already tangled up in her world—and he’s definitely not unattached.

Suddenly, the lines between fiction and reality blur. As her feelings grow, Jillian must decide what she’s willing to risk and what she’s willing to hold onto. Is it her dream of leaving the classroom behind and becoming a famous writer, or the one relationship she never saw coming?

Because some stories are too real to keep on the page.