A debut by the Lebanese/Welsh author Caroline Khoury has been sold to Penguin Random House UK imprint Cornerstone, with deals in Germany and Russia too. Cornerstone editor Jennie Rothwell acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in a two book deal from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann in London.
According to the publisher, It Must Be Love follow Abbie and Oz as they reunite in various cities, from London to Istanbul, Paris to Beirut, over 15 years. When the pair first meet, they are students from very different backgrounds and when Oz moves back to Turkey the two drift apart. But as Abbie muddles her way through her 20s and early 30s, she can’t shake the feeling that Oz might have been ‘the one’ until she finds love again. What Abbie doesn’t know is that fate has always had a plan for her and Oz and their love story isn’t over yet.
Rothwell said: “The moment I read the first page I knew It Must Be Love was a book that I had to publish. I found myself on a rollercoaster of emotions as I raced to finish it and I was instantly drawn to the locations Caroline had chosen for Abbie and Oz. I am so excited to welcome Caroline to Arrow/Cornerstone, and can’t wait for readers to fall in love with Abbie and Oz, and their story.”
Khoury said: “It is a dream come true that It Must Be Love has found a home at Arrow and I’m honoured to be working with Jennie and the team. I really loved writing this story and I can’t wait for people to read it.”
Khoury, who is half Lebanese, half Welsh, is no relation to the esteemed Lebanese author Elias Khoury, author of Gate of the Sun. She moved to the UK as a baby to escape civil war in Lebanon and then lived in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New Jersey, before moving back to the UK. Her hobbies include travelling, art, dancing, climbing mountains, collecting stationery, and watching Turkish soap operas. Her writing was shortlisted in the UK’s Trapeze/eHarmony love story competition 2018.
