There’s a reason we called this series Sofa Chats. The best conversations have a way of slowing down when there’s a sofa in the room. People settle in. They speak more honestly. They take their time.
Today’s conversation is the first in a sub-series we’re calling A Seat with the Author — an ongoing invitation to writers whose work has filled our cup. We’re starting close to home with Lauren Okie, a Hermosa Beach novelist whose debut, The Best Worst Thing, has been quietly turning heads since it came out last October. The book is set right here in the South Bay — the Strand, the Greenbelt, a fictional diner styled after Ocean Diner with the toasters mounted on the wall. Reading it from a couch in Hermosa is its own particular kind of pleasure.
What follows is our conversation, lightly edited for clarity.
Meet Lauren Okie
For anyone meeting you for the first time, give us a quick intro — who you are. What is The Best Worst Thing about? No spoilers, but just a fun fact.
I’m Lauren Okie. I’m a romance novelist. I live here in Hermosa Beach, California. The Best Worst Thing is my debut novel. It’s about a woman in her 30s who finds out her husband is having an affair and immediately goes to the doorstep of her former colleague, who is sort of this Jim Halpert misconnection. This is their very messy love story.
Inside The Best Worst Thing
Is there a line from the book that hits you, gives you chills, or really sticks with you?
My big line that sort of caught me by surprise is connected to Jane Austen. If you’re a big Jane Austen person, and if you’re not, you should become one. The epigraph from this book is from Jane Austen’s Persuasion. In that book, she talks a lot about the concept of strangers. There are a couple times in this book where the refrain “they were strangers” comes up. When I first wrote it — and I usually do not toot my own horn while writing — when it first came out, I was like, oh. It plays with this idea over and over again. It’s a modern take on being in a really intimate relationship with somebody who hasn’t been there your whole life and doesn’t really know you. It’s a line I’m very proud of and attached to.
That’s really awesome that you took inspiration from such a prominent historical female author.
Yeah. Nicole, the protagonist in this book, is a big, big reader, and that’s a through-line in the story. I studied English and American literature in college, so those were the books I really dug into before I found my own adult taste in novels. I think that shows up in the book.
Why Romance Is Harder Than It Looks
What is one thing that surprised you while writing this book?
I think there’s this idea that writing romance is easy because we know how the book is going to end. Whether you read devastating love stories, or historicals, or contemporary romance, it’s just not true. Just because something looks easy or you know how it’s going to end on the page, it is incredibly hard work to make someone care about characters. I think I knew that going in, but it’s a big misunderstanding about romance — that it’s not hard work because there’s a template for the ending. The work is really in the characters. It’s a big lift to make you care about a story when you already know the ending.
Especially when people think, “Oh, romance — we’re just going to get to the happily ever after.”
Yeah, but it’s like 400 pages.
Stephanie Pao holding The Best Worst Thing and author Lauren Okie with her forthcoming novel, Tropesick, at the Hermosa Beach Friends of the Library event, February 2026.
Drawing from Real Life
An off-the-cuff question based on that — did you take inspiration for the characters from your own life or elsewhere to develop them and make us care?
The short answer is there is a piece of me in all of them because I made them. The long answer is that I have a lot in common with the protagonist, Nicole. This book has a big infertility journey. I had a big infertility journey, and Nicole shares a lot of that with me. She is sort of at her lowest when her marriage falls apart during that.
It’s not something you see or hear too much about in romance novels. When I wrote this story, I thought, women don’t stop craving love or adventure or sex or any of those things simply because they also desire motherhood. I wanted to create a character unraveling trauma from desperately wanting to be a mom, while at the same time wanting to fall in love again and have some fun. I think those desires really do coexist.
Who The Best Worst Thing Is For
For anyone interested in reading your book — what kind of reader do you think would enjoy it?
I think this book is a good choice for a lot of people. If you are a romance reader, this book has all the things you want: a very pining golden retriever hero who is obsessed with Nicole and has basically been waiting for her. There’s banter, flirting — all that fun stuff.
If you don’t typically read romance, the women’s fiction elements are really strong. She’s putting her life back together after a marriage where she became really small. We also see her making peace with a body that has betrayed her. These are book club themes that would speak to a lot of readers. I’ve always pitched it as a beach read for your book club — something you could read by the pool.
Amazing. Lauren, thank you so much. This is so awesome. We’re happy to have you.
Yeah. Thank you.
A Hermosa Beach Story, Told from Hermosa Beach
There’s a particular kind of pleasure in reading a novel set in your own neighborhood. The Best Worst Thing uses the South Bay the way a good neighbor uses a porch — knowingly, fondly, without performance. The fictional diner has those familiar wall-mounted toasters. Characters wander the Greenbelt. They drive through Manhattan Beach on streets you probably know.
It’s the kind of book that pairs naturally with a slow Saturday at home. A throw blanket. A sofa with a deep enough seat to fold into. A coffee that gets cold because the chapter is good.
We’ve said before that Sofa Chats is about the experiences that fill the cup — the books, records, and small rituals that make the rest of the week feel quieter. The Best Worst Thing fills it. We hope this conversation gives you a reason to find a copy and a comfortable place to read it.
If you’re a local author or someone whose work has filled your cup, we’d love to hear from you. A Seat with the Author is an open conversation, and we have more chairs.
Visit the Studio
If you’d like to see how a Made by Inch sofa is built — or sit on one in person — we’d love to host you. Our pieces are handcrafted in Los Angeles for homes across the South Bay and beyond.
321 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Mon – Sat, 10am – 5pm contact@madebyinch.com · (310) 504-0896
— Kayla
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Best Worst Thing about?
The Best Worst Thing is Lauren Okie’s debut novel — a contemporary romance about Nicole, a woman in her thirties whose marriage falls apart in the middle of a long infertility journey. The story follows her unexpected reconnection with a former colleague and is set largely in the South Bay of Los Angeles. It was published by Blackstone Publishing in October 2025.
Who is Lauren Okie?
Lauren Okie is a romance novelist living in Hermosa Beach, California. Originally from Miami, she studied English and American Literature at NYU and works as a copywriter alongside her novel writing. The Best Worst Thing is her debut. Her second novel, Tropesick, is forthcoming from Avon Books (HarperCollins) on June 16, 2026.
Where is The Best Worst Thing set?
The novel is set in the South Bay of Los Angeles, with Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach as recognizable backdrops. Familiar landmarks — including a fictional diner styled after Ocean Diner and scenes along the Strand and the Greenbelt — appear throughout the book.
Where can I buy The Best Worst Thing?
The Best Worst Thing is available through major booksellers including Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and independent bookstores. Hermosa Beach readers can also find it through local libraries and bookshops in the South Bay.
What is “A Seat with the Author”?
A Seat with the Author is a sub-series within Made by Inch’s Sofa Chats blog. We invite writers — especially local authors from the Los Angeles and South Bay area — to talk about their work, their process, and the books that have shaped them. Lauren Okie is the first guest in the series.
Where is the Made by Inch showroom?
Our showroom is at 321 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254, open Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Stop by to see our handcrafted sofas in person, or book a consultation to plan a visit.
