The Weekly Pour: Puck by Samantha Allen
Pull up your favorite armchair, friend — the new releases just landed, and this one practically dares you to settle in. Every week we uncork a fresh fiction release and pour you something from the bar to read it with. Think of it as your living-room-away-from-home: a cozy corner, a curated story, and a glass that fits the mood.
This week we’re raising a toast to a book that’s equal parts mischief and heart — the kind of read that makes you laugh out loud, then sneak a glance at the person beside you. So grab your ID at the door, find a seat by the window, and let’s talk books (and sips). Here’s Puck.
About the Book
Meet Puck: a nonbinary, thirty-year-old reality-TV producer and full-time agent of chaos. By day they’re the mastermind behind Homewreckers, a dating show that drags troubled couples through the wringer — with a little help from their exes. Puck is used to pulling everyone’s strings… until their own life gets a plot twist.
When Puck’s college roommate announces a whirlwind engagement, the whole friend group is sent reeling. Cue a week of wedding festivities at a swanky resort tucked into the Appalachian forest — and Puck quietly deciding to do a little behind-the-scenes “producing” on their friends’ love lives. There’s just one snag: a type-A maid of honor determined to keep this wedding on track, and a certain bridesmaid Puck can’t quite stop looking at. After all, the course of true love never did run smooth… (Where it all lands? That’s for you and your glass to find out.)
If that setup feels familiar, it should — Puck is a modern, queer riff on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, reimagining its most famous trickster for our chaotic, swipe-right era. Samantha Allen (the GLAAD Award–winning journalist and author of Patricia Wants to Cuddle) brings her signature wit, warmth, and a generous dose of mischief. It was named one of Marie Claire’s Most Anticipated Romances of 2026, and Library Journal gave it a starred review for being both stylish and emotionally grounded.
Perfect for fans of: Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake, A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander, Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen, and If Shakespeare Were an Auntie series by Nisha Sharma.
Why We Pulled It Off the Shelf
We’re fiction people through and through, and Puck is exactly the kind of frothy-but-earnest romcom that begs to be read in good company. It’s messy in the most delicious way, big-hearted about friendship, and laugh-out-loud funny — perfect for a lazy afternoon in the lounge or your next book-club night. If you love a Shakespeare retelling, a found-family friend group, or a love story with a little spice and a lot of charm, this one’s for you.
Best paired with: a slow evening, a comfy seat, and the pour below.
This Week’s Pour: Veer Scavenger Rose
A book set during a midsummer wedding in an enchanted forest deserves something that sparkles and surprises. Our pick leans bubbly, botanical, and just a touch chaotic — like Puck themself. Veer’s Scavenger Rose is dry, effervescent and a little flirtatious. Bright berry and a clean, crisp finish that keeps pace with the book’s fast, funny banter. Puck is all sparkle and forward motion - every chapter fizzes. A glass of Veer Scavenger Rose matches that energy: celebratory enough for a wedding week, playful enough for a trickster, and easy to nurse through a long, page-turning afternoon.
Not a wine drinker? Pair this read with an elderflower and rosemary mocktail - floral, herbaceous, and forest-fresh with the same celebratory fizz. We’re 21+, but the magic doesn’t require alcohol.
Come Read With Us
We’re still working on a few finishes touches to the lounge, like our Beer and Wine licensing, but there’s plenty of cozy to go around in the meantime. Whether you’re here to disappear into a story, swap recommendations with fellow readers, or host your book club in our reservable nook, there’s a chair with your name on it.
Happy Reading (and Sipping!)
The Book Lounge Crew
