The Bear Meets The Midnight Library in Aimie K. Runyan’s Missed Connections — See the Cover! (Exclusive)

Aimie K. Runyan is cooking up a new novel.

The author of novels like The Wandering Season and A Bakery in Paris will publish a new book, Missed Connections, next year. PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the novel, which will be released via Harper Muse, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus.

The novel follows Sabrina Sorenson, who is forced to begin again after getting let go from her job managing a Parisian restaurant. She heads back home to California, where her sister’s engagement party provides the perfect opportunity for her family to pry into her love life.

After Sabrina’s mother tries to set her up with a neighbor, she flees to the airport in hopes of continuing her work as a Michelin Guide Inspector. But Sabrina realizes that building her professional career has cost her meaningful relationships elsewhere.

When an airport ticket agent presents Sabrina with an enticing prospect, she’s suddenly forced to confront the last decade of her life.

“Spanning 15 years and thousands of miles, Sabrina will have the rare opportunity to know for certain if all her choices had led her down the right path,” the book’s official synopsis reads.

Fans of popular TV shows set in the food industry are sure to find something to love in Missed Connections, the author teases.

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“I envisioned Missed Connections as the behind-the-scenes culinary world of The Bear meeting the emotional introspective journey of The Midnight Library, but it managed to take on an identity wholly its own,” the author tells PEOPLE. “Set in the lush-yet-cutthroat world of fine dining, Missed Connections asks the uncomfortable question ‘has chasing my dreams all this time been worth it?’”

“On the surface, Sabrina Sorensen has her life together and knows what she wants, but when self-doubt and imposter syndrome begin to threaten what she’s built, she worries all her hard work will have been for nothing,” the author continues.

Though the novel does pay tribute to some of Runyan’s own loves — namely, delectable eateries — it also puts forth an important universal story too.

”The book really encapsulates three elements I love to explore in my writing: foodie goodness and the fascinating world of top-tier restaurants, the immersive settings of a travel book, and a deep-dive into the condition of the modern woman,” Runyan says. “In Sabrina’s case, she has been conditioned to doubt herself her whole life, and her journey is all about clearing that very high mental hurdle.”

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Missed Connections will be published on May 5, 2026 and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.