Indeed, die-hard fans of the snarky-hip nonagenarian say her pithy, politically incorrect commentary is not only reviving the lost art of courtship, but also inspiring a new generation to try out a more traditional, retro approach to dating that they’ve only ever seen in the movies. Her most viral video (up to twenty-four million views and counting) famously encourages men to hold their significant other’s hair back when they’re getting sick—“a tip I’ve become all too familiar with,” Sutton confesses ruefully, rubbing her six-months-pregnant belly.
Which brings us to her husband—and rumored inspiration behind the book—Jack Bradford. While perhaps best known as cofounder of the controversial men’s website Brawler, Bradford recently caused a stir of a different kind when he announced his venture capital firm would begin exclusively funding female-led start-ups, a shift Wall Street analysts were quick to attribute to his wife’s influence (despite Sutton’s claims to the contrary). “Jack would be the first to tell you he made a business decision. The female-run businesses in his portfolio were outperforming the men’s two-to-one, and he believes the greatest growth potential lies in the women’s sector, which is both untapped and underfunded.” But seriously, she wasn’t even a little bit responsible? “I think my husband discovered something Siren readers have known for a while: Women are used to doing everything men do—only backwards and in heels.”
So how much of The Throwback was ripped from the headlines of her own love story? While Sutton insists comparisons are exaggerated, it’s impossible not to notice the parallels to her personal life: the feisty, headstrong heroine disillusioned with the modern dating scene; the cocky, antagonistic professional rival turned chivalrous love interest; the battle-of-the-sexes power struggle that transforms the pair from bitter enemies into passionate lovers. Alas, it looks like the gossipmongers desperate for details on New York’s newest power couple will have to keep guessing. Though she remains tight-lipped on the specifics, Sutton reveals the truth behind the duo’s real-life love story is “way more romantic than my book.”
Guess we’ll have to hope for a sequel.
Author’s Note
There’s an old magazine article that pops up every so often on social media and never fails to cause a stir. It’s called “129 Ways to Get a Husband” and was originally printed in the January 1958 issue of McCall’s magazine (alongside a recipe for mincemeat-fig pie and an essay profiling “Three Women of Courage” by then senator John F. Kennedy). As you’ve probably guessed by now, this list of vintage dating advice provided much of the inspiration for The Rom Con, though I drew from plenty of other outlandish how-to pieces I found during research. The actual list of old-fashioned tips is a wildly entertaining read, a creative but comically absurd time capsule that paints a very clear picture of the social rules, roles, and expectations for women in 1950s America. As such, the reactions to it are about what you’d expect: amusement, disbelief, ridicule, and above all, a collective acknowledgment of how far we’ve come.
But what I found intriguing—and what ultimately sparked the idea for this book—were the surprising number of passionate, even wistful, reactions I saw making the case for embracing the retro advice and reviving the classic courtship rituals of the 1950s. Some commenters praised the article’s hilarious, over-the-top meet-cute suggestions, while others debated the merits of each tip, brainstorming how best to tweak them for use in a modern world. Still others lamented the decline of such romantic gestures into contemporary “swipe culture,” musing that their grandmothers may have had the right idea after all.
The divergent perspectives certainly got my attention. As a romance author, I’m forever on the hunt for relationship conflicts that feel both modern and timeless, that challenge me as much as the reader, that aren’t so black and white. Is a “man-catching” list an antiquated relic or a gold mine of ideas? Which of the dating tips, if any, still hold up today? What have younger generations forgotten—or never learned—that older generations still have to teach us? My goal was to write an emotional and nostalgic love story that would celebrate how far we’ve come, while also exploring what may have been lost along the way. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
One of the greatest gifts of writing The Rom Con (besides having an excuse to watch dozens of Old Hollywood movies) was how it brought my own grandmothers back to life for me in ways I never anticipated. Both women were incredible forces of nature: accomplished and resilient and effortlessly glamorous; exceptional matriarchs who were bold and independent in ways that were far ahead of their time. I felt them over my shoulders like guardian angels as I wrote (and kept fifties-era photos of them propped next to my laptop lest I forget). So many of the details I incorporated into the book were lifted directly from my core childhood memories, from Cassidy’s vintage fashion moments to the hand-sewn Barbie clothes to Pyewacket the cat. While I may have been creating a fictional world, I gained very real appreciation for how fearlessly they lived, and how admirably they navigated a world that lacked so many of the freedoms and opportunities we now take for granted. In many ways, this book is a tribute to them and to all our grandmothers, who deserve more respect and gratitude than I could ever express.
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, thank you for reading The Rom Con. There are so many books out there, and I truly appreciate that you chose to spend your time with one of mine. I hope it gave you that butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling, an excuse to laugh, and most of all, a few hours of escape.
It’s always difficult to distill several years of work, energy, and existential angst into a few paragraphs of thank-yous, but here goes.
To my editor, Kate Seaver: Thank you for your steady encouragement, your thoughtful and incisive edits, and most especially, your patience and flexibility in allowing me the time and space to make this book the best it could be. I am always calmer and more focused after talking to you, and I feel so fortunate to have you in my corner. Thanks also to the entire Berkley Romance team, including Amanda Maurer, Lauren Burnstein, Chelsea Pascoe, and Jessica Plummer, as well as artist Ana Hard and art director Vikki Chu for designing such a stunning cover.