In her new young adult romance, We’re a Bad Idea, Right?, local Bucks County author K.L. Walther explores the precarity of a creative career and the tenderness of teenage romance through the world of the spunky protagonist, Audrey Barbour. Audrey is a high school senior in Connecticut and an avid glass blower determined to attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina, rather than follow the more traditional path of higher education. She runs an Etsy shop where she sells her creations with her best friend Henry, the two of them spending a lot of time together between the business and their leisure time.
Audrey’s passion for glass blowing and her plans to go a nontraditional route cause friction with her parents, who don’t support her choice to pursue glass blowing and instead urge her to keep it as a hobby while she pursues a degree in business at Wharton. As Audrey schemes to make her dreams a reality against her parents’ wishes, readers are immersed in a world of chaos and ambition. When her parents leave for an anniversary trip, Audrey drunkenly pays her Blue Ridge tuition with the family’s emergency credit card, prompting her to start renting out the guest house in the three weeks before her parents’ return.
Intertwined with Audrey’s antics and career is her friendship with Henry, which evolves after he’s dumped by his long-term girlfriend, Ellie, at the start of the novel. In order to make Ellie jealous and get the attention of Audrey’s crush, Griff, Audrey and Henry agree to fake date. Audrey is nervous at first, but slowly comes around after the two practice cuddling when no one is around, a scene that showcases the closeness of the relationship and Audrey’s inner-world.
“I was leaning against his chest, able to feel his heartbeat, and he had an arm lazily draped across my collarbone. There was nothing pointy or sharp or edgy about it; in fact, it was quite cozy. ‘Should we go back to the movie?’ I asked when my eyelids started fluttering. What time was it? When Henry didn’t respond, I tilted my head back to look at him, wondering if he had fallen asleep. But no, his gaze was warm, wry, and trained on me. Without thinking twice, I stretched up and pressed my lips to his. They tasted sweet like honey—the secret ingredient in his grilled cheese—and I sensed a strong wave of surprise ripple through his body, but he didn’t pull back. In fact, he did the opposite, taking my face in his hands and deepening the kiss. My eyes fell shut.”
This is the first kiss Audrey and Henry share, and it sets up the rest of the story while giving readers a dreamy glimpse into the way Audrey views him. Words like lazily, cozy, warm, and sweet all covey the security and comfort Audrey finds in her relationship with Henry without being overly conspicuous in her adoration so early in the text and their relationship.
The questions and interruptions present in Audrey’s train of thought, both in this excerpt and throughout the text, help immerse readers in the story and serve to make Audrey a more believable, enjoyable character, despite her moments of glaring impulsivity.
In addition to the impulsivity of spending her emergency fund and kissing Henry, Audrey also improvisationally decides to start renting out her actual house and begins staying in the guest house when she realizes she isn’t making money fast enough to replace the full emergency fund. This obstacle is one of many challenges Audrey must face without much adult intervention, as she asks Henry and their other friends to keep her Airbnb scheme up and running. As she relies on Henry’s help, their relationship becomes more intense and real, but with the distance they’ll be battling after graduation, is it really a good idea for them to be together?
Tension and complications build as Audrey must deal with the consequences of her decisions and her parents’ impending return. Readers will enjoy Walther’s depiction of teenage chaos and the quick, quirky thinking of Audrey Barbour.
You can learn more about K. L. Walther and find out where to purchase her work here.
We’re A Bad Idea, Right?
K. L. Walther
Delacorte Romance
March 31, 2026
374 pages
Ronan Brinkley is a Philadelphia based writer and Drexel alumnus who completed their BA in English. They enjoy horror movies, and long walks on the beach. In their free time, they like writing poetry, reviewing books, and critiquing shoddy films. They dream of someday having a mug cabinet.