Sloane Crosley's new novel will be a rom-com with a side of New York City cult

Sloane Crosley has made a name for herself penning wry, insightful essays about the peculiarities of the world — in collections like I Was Told There'd Be Cake and Look Alive Out There — but next summer, she's returning to the novel. Cult Classic will be a suspenseful and funny book about finding love in a cultish place.

The book follows protagonist Lola, a soon-to-be-married New Yorker who, in a turn of events both serendipitous and eerie, starts running into all of her ex-boyfriends. Her former boss, who has pivoted to a career as a guru, proves himself to be highly interested in how Lola handles the doubts that keep popping up about her relationship. Oh, and of course, as the title suggests, Lola also gets sucked into a possible cult.

"Cult Classic is a romantic comedy set in a new age mind control cult on the Lower East Side," Crosley tells EW. "My hope is that what sets it apart from every other romantic comedy set in a new age mind control cult on the Lower East Side is that it's also a mystery."

The novel won't hit shelves until June 2022, but EW is exclusively revealing the first look of the brand new cover now.

"All authors are familiar with the nerves that come with double-clicking on that first round of cover designs," Crosley says. "But the moment I saw this from June Park, I thought: There you are. It just works on multiple levels. So, for example, the novel features a healthy amount of philosophical debate about relationships. When I look at this cover, I see something beautiful and unusual, yes, but I also see the literal and metaphorical rabbit hole that I built for this character."

Cult Classic is available for preorder now.

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