This April, we are celebrating another favorite author releasing a 2026 book. New York Times bestseller, Emma Straub’s American Fantasy is going to dial up your nostalgia while you set sail. Taking place on a boy band fan cruise, this book is the perfect way to roll into summer and to get in touch with your 90s self. Even better, it’s a deep dive into middle age and finding your future by revisiting the past. We had the chance to talk Emma about the band that inspired the book, her own boy band cruise experience, what’s happening at her bookstore, Books Are Magic, and so much more.

She Reads: Let’s start with American Fantasy. Can you tell us a bit about the novel and what inspired it?

Emma Straub: American Fantasy is about a woman named Annie, who is 50, recently divorced, and finds herself on a boy band cruise she doesn’t really want to be on. And yet—wouldn’t you know it—she has this transcendent experience she never expected.

It was certainly inspired by my childhood love of boy bands, but more directly by my curiosity about middle age, aging, and life transitions. I was also really interested in what fandom feels like on the other side. That’s true for most of my books—I’m usually writing toward something I don’t understand yet, rather than explaining something I already know.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon

She Reads: So many of us are diving back into this boy band era right now. What do you remember most about that time, and how did you capture it in the book?

Emma Straub: My personal boy band era was actually earlier than most people my age. My peers were into NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, but I thought I was very mature by then. My real fandom was when I was younger—New Kids on the Block. I had the cardboard cutout, posters on every wall, cassette tapes in my Walkman.

And in a way that might sound a little parasocial—but I think it’s relatable—I kind of kept tabs on them over the years. I wasn’t a devoted superfan forever, but it was always a fact about me that I had loved them.

Then in 2022, I was at a point in my life where I was really looking for joy, and I saw something about one of their cruises. I thought, that’s it, that’s the book I want to write. Something that will bring me joy every day. And it did.

She Reads: Did you actually go on one of the cruises?

Emma Straub: Oh yes, ma’am.

She Reads: I love that.

Emma Straub: The experience felt a little like giving birth to my first child—stay with me! It was intense, kind of chaotic, maybe even a little grosser than expected, but also amazing. I came away thinking, Wow, I could do that again.

She Reads: The novel also peeks behind the curtain of fame, especially for teen idols. What were you hoping to explore about celebrity culture?

Emma Straub: I was really curious about what it feels like from the other side. As a fan, even a casual one, you can relate to fandom. But what does it feel like to be the person being watched

What does it feel like to have your body dissected? To have people comment on your wrinkles or your stomach? To have been famous since you were a kid, and to have people grabbing at you your entire life?

That sounded complicated and honestly, difficult. And that’s my favorite part of writing: trying to fully inhabit someone else’s perspective. That’s why Keith, one of the band members in the book, became one of my favorite characters. I feel very tender toward him.

She Reads: Was there anything that surprised you as you explored that dynamic?

Emma Straub: The symbiotic nature of it really surprised me. When someone is at peak fame—like Harry Styles now—the fan base is so massive it feels abstract. But as time goes on, the numbers shrink while the devotion deepens.

And what I realized is that these artists often develop a genuine gratitude for their fans. It’s not predatory, it’s mutual. It’s like, you sustain us, we sustain you. That relationship becomes their lifeblood.

She Reads: That’s such a beautiful way to think about it.

Emma Straub: It really is. It’s a long-term relationship.

She Reads: The cruise setting gives the novel both a physical constraint and a ticking clock. How did you approach that?

Emma Straub: I loved it. It made the story easier to tell. I knew it had to begin when Annie steps onto the boat and end when she steps off. Everything had to happen in that space.

It creates pressure—like an Agatha Christie novel on a ship. And there’s also that feeling of vacation, where you think, Who am I here? Who could I be? You form these temporary relationships with people you’ll never see again.

I wanted Annie to experience that sense of possibility—what happens when you’re removed from your everyday life.

She Reads: Annie is navigating divorce and an empty nest. What drew you to exploring reinvention at that stage of life?

Emma Straub: It’s all around me. I have so many friends who’ve gotten divorced, whose kids have left home, who are starting new careers or going back to school.

Women in their 40s and 50s are incredible. They’re unstoppable. So many of the barriers that once existed are gone. My kids are 10 and 12—they still need me, but not in the same way. And I can already see the time that will come back to me in a few years.

There’s so much fear around aging, but I wanted to explore the flip side. You have more time. What are you going to do with it?

She Reads: That idea of stepping into the past to move forward connects to your previous book, This Time Tomorrow. Did you see those themes overlapping?

Emma Straub: Not at first—which is funny, because writers can be a little oblivious. A friend pointed it out after reading American Fantasy and said, “It’s like the other half of This Time Tomorrow.”

Both books are about moving forward, and how you can’t do that without acknowledging your past whether it was good, bad, or complicated.

If you don’t process it, you stay stuck. That’s something I’ve definitely experienced myself.

She Reads: There’s such strong ’90s nostalgia in the book. What do you miss about that era?

Emma Straub: Focus. That’s what I miss.

Back then, I could sit and read a magazine cover to cover, completely absorbed. I could watch MTV and just…watch. No distractions. No sense of urgency.

Now, even on a quiet day, my phone makes me feel scattered. I just want to throw it away and sit on my bed reading something purely for pleasure.

That kind of immersion, that’s what I miss.

She Reads: New Kids on the Block was your band. Who was your favorite band member?

Emma Straub: Joey McIntyre. And I actually befriended him while writing this book.

She Reads: That’s incredible.

Emma Straub: He’s wonderful. Smart, funny, just an all-around terrific person. I like to think I had excellent taste as a child.

She Reads: What was one of your favorite scenes to write?

Emma Straub: There’s a party on the cruise where everyone dresses up as ’80s and ’90s music videos. That was so fun to imagine—multiple Madonnas, Britney Spears, all these iconic looks. It was a great excuse to revisit all those visuals.

She Reads: What are you currently reading?

Emma Straub: I just started a first edition subscription club at my bookstore, so I’m reading a lot of upcoming releases. Right now I’m reading Pool House by Mary H.K. Choi—I love her work.

Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon

She Reads: What are you watching right now?

Emma Straub: The Traitors, The Pitt, and with my kids, a lot of Shark Tank and the kids’ version of The Great British Bake Off. The Pitt is amazing but very stressful, so I balance it with lighter shows.

She Reads: Is there anything new happening at your bookstore?

Emma Straub: The First Edition Club has been really exciting. I get to choose books and send them out to hundreds of readers. We also have amazing events coming up, and many are available on our YouTube page, so people can watch even if they’re not local.

She Reads: What are you working on next?

Emma Straub: I’m in the early stages—playing, planning, letting ideas percolate. I’m taking notes, getting to know the characters. It’s definitely another novel, but I’m still figuring out what it wants to be.

She Reads: Thank you so much for taking the time. This was such a fun conversation.

Emma Straub: Thank you—I had a great time.