"There's a lot of love that make up love stories. They don't all have to be romantic," Brooke Averick tells PEOPLE of her debut novel
NEED TO KNOW
- Brooke Averick’s debut novel explores mental health with humor and features a relatable, anxious protagonist
- Averick credits Lena Dunham as an inspiration for blending comedy and mental health in storytelling
- The book is part of a multi-book deal and includes a playlist inspired by the main character Phoebe
Brooke Averick, self-proclaimed "avid romance reader," recently spoke with PEOPLE about her debut novel, Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It, and opened up about turning her quick wit into a rom-com.
Averick, best known for her internet persona @LadyEfron, penned a new novel for "nervous pukers." She describes it in her author's note as a "love story for the ages" that opts out of the "traditionally flirty and sexy" tropes that romance readers are accustomed to.
The 29-year-old tells PEOPLE that while she loves them, she's "never really connected" with "the confident, sexually empowered" leading ladies of the romance genre. "So I was kind of waiting for someone to write a more anxious person in this kind of story," she says.
That's when she decided to take on the task herself.
Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It follows the titular character, a 29-year-old who, from close friendships to a rewarding job, seemingly has it all. Yet, due to her crippling intimacy anxiety, she's been unable to obtain the thing she wants most: love. Determined to experience dating and lose her virginity before her 30th birthday, she creates a checklist for herself that results in her dating three men at once.
Averick notes that while the current representation of mental health in fiction is great, it tends to depict people with anxiety, constantly struggling "intensely" and in "all aspects" of their lives. "I wanted to explore this idea of someone who's really, really successful, but just kind of struggles in this one aspect."
"It also just speaks to that your life can be really full outside of romantic love, and there's a lot of love that make up love stories," she says. "They don't all have to be romantic."
The influencer explains that although her goal was to provide a new perspective on mental health, it was the comedy that came "a lot easier than the emotional, vulnerable parts," which "tested me a bit more."
"I prefer to laugh things off rather than get serious about them," she continues.
While she admits that Phoebe's is "very much a copy-paste of my brain," she also notes that writers like Famesick author Lena Dunham have been a "big inspiration" for how to weave mental health and comedy well together.
"What she does really well that I wanted to do is write mental illness and comedy and how they intersect and how to pay it respect, be serious about it, but also make it light and funny," she says. "I think she's just the master at that."
Averick also found inspiration by creating a music playlist for Phoebe. "Her playlist was really helpful in getting into her head and into the story," she says, noting it includes Glee, and quintessential show tune tracks like Hairspray's "I Can Hear The Bells," while "Nauseous" by Conan Gray.
Developing Phoebe's world will continue with her second novel, which is part of the multi-book deal she signed with Penguin Random House's Crown Publishing. She tells PEOPLE that the forthcoming novel won't focus on Phoebe, but fans shouldn't worry, as it will definitely feature the rom-com leading lady.
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Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It is now available for purchase.
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