Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Categories
Romance

ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?

Rachel Runya Katz

After a meet-disaster, a podcaster and her producer fall in love over email without realizing they know (and hate) each other in real life.

When high school librarian Yael's secret podcast starts to take off, she decides to hire Kevin, a remote freelance editor/producer so she can manage juggling her mental health, day job, and the queer teen book club she's been hosting at school after hours. To maintain her anonymity, they communicate strictly via email and Kevin only knows her by her podcast persona, Elle.

Little does Yael know that Kevin, who in real life goes by his middle name, Ravi, is the same man she tore apart for climbing out of her bedroom window after a one night stand with her roommate, Charlie. And she certainly never expects him to show up to volunteer at her book club.

In person, Yael and Ravi clash until their sparks turn into something more. Over email, Elle and Kevin are starting to fall hard when they decide to keep things strictly professional. But when Ravi discovers the truth, will keeping it a secret mean the end of everything he's built with Yael/Elle? And what happens when she finds out? Will they fall twice as hard, or cut ties in more ways than one?

Rachel Runya Katz's Isn't It Obvious? is a sharp, funny romance about loving the whole person and finally taking a chance on love.

RACHEL RUNYA KATZ is a contemporary romance writer living in Seattle with her partner, her cat, and far too many houseplants. She has a PhD in biomedical engineering, which is minimally helpful for this endeavor. Her books center queer Jews of color and their layered lives of joy, sadness, and love. She is the author of Thank You for Sharing.

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Book Published 2025-10-21 by St. Martin's Griffin

Comments

In Isn't It Obvious? Katz has crafted a real, heartfelt and deeply enjoyable epistolary novel with characters who completely stole my heart from the first page. Witnessing Yael and Ravi's romance was so satisfying, and I was so eager for them to earn their happily ever after. Isn't It Obvious? is Katz's best book yet, and at the risk of sounding too on the nose, it is very obvious to me that so many others will love this book as much as I do.

Isn't It Obvious? is smart and tender and just might make you believe in love and in the power of words read, heard, and spoken. I devoured this book, mentally hugging every member of book club and every member of this beautiful family of characters, telling them loudly and passionately that they all deserve love and beautiful things. It's obvious to me that Katz never misses! I want to read all her wonderful words forever!

When Yael Koenig started The Sophomore English Agenda podcast under the pseudonym Elle Rex, she never imagined that a show discussing high school reading would get more than a handful of listeners.

Isn't It Obvious? features all of my favorite elements in a romance: wonderfully complicated and loveable protagonists; tension and pining that will keep you turning the pages; and a perfect mix of humorous and tender moments. I wanted to protect Yael and Ravi at all costs, and I could not have loved their journey to their happily-ever-after more. I'll be highly recommending this book to romance fans for years to come!

Rachel Runya Katz adds another smart, sexy, and sincere romance to her roster with Isn't It Obvious? Yael and Ravi have instant chemistry from the first moment they meet - hard to do when one of them is coming out of a medicated sleep haze and the other is hanging out the window! - and it's impossible not to feel that seeping into their emails as Kevin and Elle as they bare pieces of their souls so easily from the very start. RRK handles the difficult topics of mental health, family obligations, and identity with her signature care, warmth, and openness. Isn't It Obvious? delivers on the premise of the mistaken identity trope, keeping you on the edge of your seat as you wait for the final reveal - when and how and, of course, who will figure it out first? And Yael and Kevin's banter-filled interactions in person will have readers giggling and kicking their feet!

These characters are beautifully complex, deeply thoughtful, and real. I cheered for Ravi and Yael from the very first page, all the way through their well-earned happy ending. What's obvious is that Rachel and her books are in a league of their own.

I'm obsessed with everything Rachel Runya Katz writes.

This kind of hidden identity story is my absolute favorite, and I am on my KNEES with gratitude that Katz wrote one just for me. I adored every toe-tingling moment...