Jennie Rothwell, editor at Arrow Books, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Caroline Khoury’s debut novel, IT MUST BE LOVE, as well as an untitled second from Kate Burke at Blake Friedmann. German and Russian rights have also been snapped up to IT MUST BE LOVE.

IT MUST BE LOVE is a will-they-won’t-they commercial women’s novel spanning fifteen years and six cities. Abbie and Oz first meet when they are students from very different backgrounds, and their connection is unmistakable. They drift apart when Oz moves back to Turkey, but Abbie can’t shake the feeling that Oz might have been ‘the one’. As the years pass, it seems unlikely that they will ever meet again but fortunately fate has other ideas… delicious in its delivery and utterly heart-warming, IT MUST BE LOVE is an ode to second chances that you simply won’t be able to put down.

Jennie Rothwell, editor, said: ‘The moment I read the first page I knew IT MUST BE LOVE was a book that I had to publish. I found myself on a rollercoaster of emotions as I raced to finish it and I was instantly drawn to the locations Caroline had chosen for Abbie and Oz. I am so excited to welcome Caroline to Arrow, and can’t wait for readers to fall in love with Abbie and Oz, and their story.’

Caroline Khoury, author, said: ‘It is a dream come true that IT MUST BE LOVE has found a home at Arrow and I’m honoured to be working with Jennie and the team. I really loved writing this story and I can’t wait for people to read it.’

Kate Burke, agent, said: ‘I'm delighted that Caroline has found such a great publishing home with Jennie and the Arrow team. Her life-affirming, romantic novels are a breath of fresh air and I can't wait to see them published!’

IT MUST BE LOVE will be published by Arrow Books in February 2022.

About the Author

Caroline Khoury is half Lebanese, half Welsh, and moved to the UK as a baby to escape civil war in Lebanon. Having lived in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New Jersey, she recently moved back to the UK. Her hobbies include travelling, art, dancing, climbing mountains, collecting stationery, and watching Turkish soap operas. Her writing was shortlisted in the Trapeze/eHarmony love story competition 2018.

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