First Lines Friday is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
- Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
- Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
- Finally… reveal the book!
First Lines:
“So let me get this straight: You’re breaking up with me to be with someone who doesn’t exist?”
Do you recognize the lines?
Here’s a hint:
It’s a new contemporary romance.
Still not sure? Here’s another hint:
It’s written by Iman Hariri-Kia.
The First Lines Friday book is:
Female Fantasy
Title: Female Fantasy
Author: Iman Hariri-Kia
Page Length: 416
Pub. Date: Oct. 14, 2025
Publisher: Cosmo Reads
Synopsis: All’s fair in love and lore.
Joonie is living in a fantasy—at least that’s what people tell her. Men in the real world have done nothing but disappoint her time and time again, so she keeps her heart reserved for Ryke, the fictional male lead of her favorite romance series, who just happens to be a merman. And so far, her book boyfriend is meeting her needs more than any other “real” man ever has.
But when she learns that Ryke’s character is based on a friend of the author, Joonie is determined to track him down and take her shot at a happily ever after.
She’ll need to borrow her brother’s car for the road trip, with the one condition that his annoying (but also hot) best friend can catch a ride to New York with her. But as she makes her way to her male lead, she’ll learn that once you wish fantasy into reality, you have to take all the tropes that come with it—not just the fun ones.
As unhinged as it is brilliant, Female Fantasy is both a self-aware dive into the concept of genre and a wild, steamy romp. Most of all, though, it’s a heartfelt love letter to romance readers everywhere.
Have you read Female Fantasy? What do you think of the first line? Comment below!
Oh my gosh, this book sounds like it’d be such a fun romp! I hadn’t even heard of this before so thanks for putting it on my radar 😍