Purple State: A Novel

Dorothy “Dot” Clark, a buttoned-up PR professional from New York City feels stuck in her career and her love life. At twenty-five, she expected more from her choices. Seizing a chance to follow her passion, she’s sent to Cedar Falls, Wisconsin, a swing district in a swing state that could decide the next presidential election. Joined by her two best friends, Mary and Harper—both excited to escape the city for reasons of their own—Dot quickly discovers that small-town Midwestern life is far outside her urban comfort zone.

Nestled along the banks of the picturesque Cedar Creek, the charming town of Cedar Falls is everything Dot, Mary, and Harper have been missing. The close-knit community takes pride in its cozy cafes, locally brewed beer, family farms, and, of course, the beloved Reader Falls Bookshop. There, Dot meets the mysterious Danny Dawson, a big-hearted, truck-driving guy who follows hockey, not headlines—a man so unlike anyone she’s ever dated that she finds herself falling fast. And Mary and Harper, both tired of dating finance bros and influencer wannabes, soon also discover that guys outside New York might just be hotter, smarter, and more grounded than they’d imagined.

But with the campaign heating up, how can Dot find time for Danny when she has a job to do, and what’s the point when she’s going back to New York City after the election? Can love really cross party lines? Who says that two people from opposite sides of the aisle can’t eventually walk down one together?

Dana Perino makes her fiction debut with this witty and delightful romantic comedy—a small-town romance and touching story of self-discovery that asks if choosing love is the best decision after all.