Ellie K. Wilde wanted to explore what is it like to meet someone who is the complete opposite of everything you are and would want in a partner, and hence "Only Between Us" was born.
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
With "Only Between Us," I wanted to explore what it would look like to meet someone who, on the surface, is the complete opposite of everything they are and would want in a partner — only to find deep understanding, unexpected (and tragic) similarities, and healing through the relationship, when they take the time to connect.
I was also inspired by the copious daily hours of sports playing at home, and the resilience of athletes who are so passionate about their sport that they’re willing to sacrifice their bodies to play it.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
To me, it means deliberately seeking out and championing stories that depict queer love, written by queer authors. It means celebrating the diversity of our world, and doing your part to counteract the forces seeking to harm queer communities.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
Firstly, it would be impossible to accurately write about our world without representing the diversity within it. One of the best parts about reading is the connection it offers — both when seeing yourself represented in the characters on-page, and in finding connection in perhaps unexpected places. Reading a richly developed world with a variety of representation builds understanding and empathy, which, these days, feels especially hard to come by.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
"Only Between Us" is an incredibly fun, steamy and touching summer read about a former pro-football star making a comeback to the league, who’s forced to fake date the ex-girlfriend of another high-profile player when a photo of them goes viral. My goal with this story was to put a smile on your face, and that’s exactly what it does — it’s the perfect book to take with you on vacation.
What can fans expect from your book?
Brooks and Siena are hot and hilarious together — the kind of chemistry that jumps from the pages, even while they hate each other. But what I love most about them is the way they lean into their unexpected partnership, steadily chipping at each other’s confident exteriors to discover they’ve both been faking much more than their relationship, and giving each other the space to heal from their pasts.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
The follow-up book in the series, "If Only You Knew," releases on February 17, 2026! It follows childhood best friends with terrible luck on the dating front, who agree to match make each other to disastrous results. Luckily, they eventually figure out that they’ve been soulmates all their lives.
