Recommended Read: SUPER BLOOM
SUPER BLOOM ($16.99) is a spa-themed novel by Megan Tady about a massage therapist in Vermont who is struggling after losing the love of her life and going through the ups-and-downs of massage therapy.
Spa lovers and professionals will enjoy a new novel about a massage therapist who works at a spa in Vermont. Written by debut author Megan Tady, SUPER BLOOM follows Joan Johnston, a massage therapist who is struggling with debt and the recent death of her boyfriend.
One day when bestselling romance novelist Carmen Brand visits the spa and crosses paths with Johnston, the novel’s protagonist receives an offer she can’t refuse. To help pay down the debt she owes from massage school, Johnston is asked to share insider knowledge from behind the scenes at her spa, which ultimately inspires her to write a novel of her own. But when Brand finds out, she steals the manuscript and claims it as her own. Then it’s up to Johnston and her friends to come up with a plan to get it back.
“I was inspired to write Super Bloom after my husband took me on a surprise birthday trip to a spa in Vermont,” says Tady. “During a massage, I began to wonder what the bodyworker was thinking about, if I was her first or fifth massage of the day, and what challenged and delighted her about a profession that's so uniquely intimate and physically demanding. I based my main character on this encounter, giving her a broken heart, financial woes, and one chance to save her job.”
The novel is filled with heartwarming moments and plenty of humor, and readers will be rooting for Johnston as they follow along with her uplifting and redeeming journey. Published by Zibby Books, the book is the summer read that can be enjoyed poolside, at the beach—or at the spa.
”In my research for this book, I interviewed massage therapists who had worked in a variety of settings, learning about the ups and downs of the profession, hearing stories that ran that gamut from heartwarming to frustrating to downright funny,” adds Tady. “It was really eye-opening! I hope readers take away a new respect and admiration for bodyworkers, who are using their own bodies—as well as their knowledge and skill—to deliver relief. And, I hope people have a blast reading, sinking into the book as they might a weekend away at a spa!”
SUPER BLOOM retails for $16.99 and will be available at bookstores everywhere on May 2, 2023. For more information, click here.
Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk