What is the title of your latest release?
NOW THAT WE DON’T TALK
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A commitment-phobe is stuck spending Hanukkah with the boy who broke her heart in high school when she discovers their moms are dating, but sometimes it only takes eight nights for everything to change in this estranged childhood friends-to-lovers romance.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I lived in the Chicago suburbs for several years, so that felt right for Norah’s hometown. Norah and Henry grew up watching romcoms that took place in NYC and romanticizing life there, so it felt inevitable that they both end up there in adulthood.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Yes! Norah would be so much fun, dragging me out of my shell and forcing me to be social and do karaoke, but I would also probably want to shake her at times and send her to therapy.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Henry is my self-sacrificing secret sweetie-boy.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I’m terrible at titles!! (Shout out to my critique partner, Michelle, who named NTWDT)
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I do some revising while I draft, but I am also a very detailed planner/outliner, so that impacts the process as well.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love French fries more than anything. One time I was drafting and forgot to eat, and my husband brought me up a plate of fries (I cried, best IRL book boyfriend)
Describe your writing space/office!
I used to have a home office, but then I had a baby, and that space became her room. Now, I write wherever I can in my house, with noise-canceling headphones!
Who is an author you admire?
Rachel Lynn Solomon! She writes such tender, specific romance, and I love the way she handles Jewish rep as well. It made me feel very seen as both a reader and a writer.
Is there a book that changed your life?
THE PRINCESS DIARIES by Meg Cabot taught me that my voice was valid, and that had the biggest impact on my writing.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I was a postpartum disaster, checking my email while nursing, when I saw the email from my agent. I nearly dropped my baby! (Don’t worry, I didn’t!) But I did have to put her down because I was shaking so badly. I was so sure this book would never see the light of day.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I am a romance girlie through and through, and I love when romances hurt my feelings!
What’s your favorite movie?
I am such a TV nerd—Parks & Rec is my forever fave/comfort. And Dawson’s Creek (Pacey forever!!!)
What is your favorite season?
Spring
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Birthdays give me a lot of anxiety, but we always try to make sure to blow out a candle to celebrate the day.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
We’ve been watching The Traitors in every territory we can access. The third season of Traitors: Canada? Iconic!!
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I love Italian food. Give me all the pasta, pizza, wine, and carbs!
What do you do when you have free time?
I read, bake, and take my toddler on adventures
What can readers expect from you next?
I don’t know what I’m actually allowed to say, but my 2027 Berkley book follows a character you meet in NTWDT and it’s my favorite thing I’ve ever written
NOW THAT WE DON’T TALK by Rachel Pologe
A commitment-phobe finds herself stuck spending Hanukkah with her childhood best friend turned nemesis, only for holiday chaos to ensue and complicated feelings to resurface, in this emotionally resonant debut romance.
Norah Gold is a bolter. She avoids emotional situations at all costs, doesn’t do meaningful relationships, and when things get a little too real, she runs. She hasn’t let herself fall in love in nearly a decade, not since her whole world fell apart when her dad suddenly passed away. Desperate to escape a friends-with-benefits situation gone clingy, she returns home to Chicago for the holidays. Her one goal? Avoid Henry Cole, the boy who blew up her life and broke her heart back in high school. Easier said than done when she discovers that their mothers are dating and insist on celebrating the holidays together.
A decade later, Henry Cole is all custom suits and condescension. He is order to her chaos and absolutely insufferable about it. When Norah and Henry get snowed in together and learn just how serious their moms’ relationship is, they call a truce to make it through all eight nights of Hanukkah without setting each other on fire. As they begin to rediscover the foundation that made them so close growing up, Norah is desperate to keep her distance—the last thing she can handle is reopening decade-old emotional wounds. But even though they’ve tried to escape the past, Norah and Henry have unfinished business too pressing to ignore. Can Norah shake off her deep-seated impulse to bolt, or are they destined to flame out just like they did as teenagers?
Romance Holiday [ Berkley, On Sale: October 20, 2026, Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9798217189472 / eISBN: 9798217189489 ]
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About Rachel Pologe
Rachel Pologe writes swoony, character-driven contemporary romance novels about messy but relatable people you can’t help but root for. Rachel has spent her career working in television writers’ rooms, but books were her first passion. In sixth grade, a popular boy said something nice and unprompted about her creative writing assignment, and she’s been riding that high ever since. Originally from Baltimore, Rachel now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. Now That We Don’t Talk is Rachel’s debut novel.
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