Drawn Together

De: Juliana Smith

Narrado por: Ava Erickson, Connor Crais

A rival children’s book author and illustrator become reluctant friends over their mutual need to advance in their careers in this heartwarming, character-driven, slow-burn romcom set in fall NYC.

In a city that never sleeps, Flora is desperate to wake up and finally land her first big break. But if your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Flora’s off to a terrible start. Five months into her move, she's barely scraping by—her closest companion a silent roommate, and her first major freelance job slipping through her fingers. Her best chance at making it is surviving the one commission no illustrator before her could: a notoriously impossible-to-please author who (quite rudely) rejects every single draft she submits. Flora’s timeline is short—and she's running out of chances.

To nail this project, she’ll have to lean into the dark, moody themes of his writing—no small task for someone known for illustrating woodland creatures in top hats. When she’s on the brink of giving up, a chance encounter with a surly stranger changes everything. Fletcher Harding, neighbor, a friend of her roommate, and a dark literature connoisseur, needs help writing a column on romance novels to achieve an advance in his career. Flora, a firm believer in happily-ever-after's, he decides is the perfect tutor.

On a hazy walk home, the two strike a deal: she’ll teach him about love stories, and he’ll teach her how to embrace the shadows in her work. As their creative boundaries blur, so do the ones between their growing friendship and something far more. But with both of them carrying the weight of their pasts—and the futures of their careers hanging in the balance—can they really trust a story where love is the final chapter?

Especially when Flora realizes the author critiquing her work is the very man she’s falling for.

©2025 Juliana Smith (P)2025 One Night Stand Studios

Tender, funny & intimate--5 HUGE STARS ⭐

Thank you to Juliana Smith and OneNightStand Studios for a #gifted copy of the audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

From the moment I pressed play, I knew this book had something special sprinkled into it but I honestly didn't expect to fall for it as much as I did. This story is romantic, cozy, playful & quietly profound and the audiobook brings every one of these qualities to life with sincere & heartfelt performances. This book is just like a big, warm hug and it's honestly a love letter to romance readers everywhere.

Juliana writes the PERFECT fall setting, builds up the sweetest & swooniest tension you can imagine. The chemistry between these two was churning at the same time a genuine & authentic friendship & admiration for each other was forming. Juliana has a real knack for writing characters who feel human & relatable. They are flawed, hopeful & honestly so dang easy to root for. I finished & was surprised at how comforting the story felt, even during the heavier & more emotional parts, there's a real warmth that Julie is able to write & you just leave with all the sweetest & tender feelings in the world.

Flora & Fletcher are seriously PERFECT!🥺 They just left my heart in such a tender state. They fit so well together & balance each other out. Their unusual meet cute leaves you thinking that Fletcher's going to be someone that's hard to love & that is ABSOLUTELY NOT the case! This man....he just made my heart so dang soft. He is so thoughtful, caring & sweet. He very quickly begins to ADORE Flora & it's as obvious as anything. Flora is the most likeable character. Her inner monologue had me just giggling the whole way through the book. She's so relatable to so many with the struggles she has with her insecurities & yearning to have close relationships but just not quite knowing how to go about making them. I loved her zest for life, her determination & her passion for illustrating children's books.

Guys!!! This book was just SO good. You get so many sweet, swoony moments, tender exchanges between the two MC's & a yummy nostalgic feeling that just had me giddy!

🎤Let's talk audio: Ok, hear me out..there honestly weren't two better voice actors for these roles. They were cast too PERFECTION! Ava & Connor totally capture the chemistry between these characters so intimately. Their banter literally sparkles! I LOVED these two in this audio. Ava just infused life into Flora's character. She was animated & authentic in a way that I just totally related to. 🙈 She WAS Flora & I adored her and wanted to be friends with her!😂 Connor perfectly captured the complicated man that Fletcher was with his delicious voice. The more we get to know Fletcher, the swoonier this guy gets & Connor just slathered on the charm! He was able to show the quiet adoration that Fletcher truly had for her! 🥺 SO many things this man said, just left me sighing & clutching at my heart!

I LOVED everything about this story & audio. I adored every minute of it. These are characters who will stay with me & a romance that was written perfectly! It's tender, funny & intimate in all the right places. GO LISTEN to this because you'll fall in love with it.

Incredibly romantic!

Flora Anderson is living the dream. Well, sorta. She's barely scraping by, living in an apartment in Brooklyn with a roommate she barely sees and seeing her big break as an illustrator slip through her fingers. She's been hired to draw for a notorious cantankerous author who rejects every single drawing she submits as 'too happy'. She needs to be darker, moodier, which is everything she's not. A chance encounter with a muffin 'thief' will change her drawings and her life. 
Fletcher Harding is a writer. He writes articles and he has to write about romance, something he feels highly unqualified for. So, he strikes a deal with the girl whose muffin he 'stole' and who, by sheer coincidence or divine intervention, is his friend's roommate. 
Two-person book club meetings and outings in NYC in the snow will bring Flora and Fletcher (who can never have a 'ship name, unfortunately) to find out about each other and there are secrets that can shake their budding relationship.
I absolutely loved this book! From NYC in the fall settings, to the wonderful characters, it's a sweet ode to finding your person, to being loyal to friends after they're gone.
The structure of the book is also interesting: it's almost entirely told in first person in Flora's POV with snippets at the end of the chapters in FLetcher's, letting us in on his feelings. That makes for interesting narration too. Ava Erickson portrays a delightful Flora, who thinks she's 'too much' but who just can't help being bubbly and sweet. She is also perfect as all the other female characters. Connor Crais voices the most green flag hero I've seen in a while - he's smitten and he carries a secret out of loyalty. He also voices all the other make characters brilliantly. 
I was completely smitten myself with their journey! It's an incredibly romantic and touching story that I highly recommend!
Note: closed door romance

Are Flora & Fletcher taking new book club members?

I've seen so many people describe this audio as a warm hug and I completely agree! Juliana sets the stage for the perfect fall romance set in NYC, Flora is determined to succeed as an illustrator for children's books when a chance meeting or two change everything. Fletcher was the last person Flora ever expected and he ends up being exactly who she needs in her life.

Eva Erickson and Connor Crais were absolutely incredible in duet narration. Eva brings to life the unique characteristics of Flora, her sarcasm and internal dialogue were my absolute favorite. Connor added the dry humor and initial grumpiness of Fletcher and artfully adjusted his tone as the story progressed and Fletcher's character evolved.

This is a must listen!

the fall romcom of my dreams!

DRAWN TOGETHER NOW AVAILABLE ON AUDIO!!

🍂 children's book author x children's book illustrator
🍂 Rivals to friends to lovers
🍂 Cozy, fall setting in NYC
🍂 “Why do you think?”
🍂 You've Got Mail inspired (with a twist)
🍂 ^ Enemies over email / friends in real life
🍂 Grumpy x sunshine
🍂 Stuck elevator scene
🍂 He learns sign language to talk to her sister
🍂 Found family
🍂 two person book club (he annotates his books for her) 

PHENOMENAL!!!!

This was a breath of fresh air! The perfect fall cozy read. Flora and Fletcher were so fun and the banter was laugh out loud funny. The found family came out of nowhere and was like a warm hug. I ended up falling so in love with Lennon. The friendship that her and Flora developed was so special. Flora is a children's book illustrator and Fletcher is a children's book author. They help each other without knowing that they are connected more than they know. This is a closed door romance but this did not take away from the romance of this story. The no 3rd act breakup because they actually communicated. I absolutely loved it so much!
Incoming chaotic thoughts:
•"Word of the day" was such a fun concept
• He annotates romance books for her! ::swoon::
•30 second hugs
• He stole her breakfast on purpose
• He learns sign language to be able to communicate with her sister
& SO MANY MORE!
Ava Erickson and Connor Crais absolutely brought Flora and Fletcher to life in the best way. Their performance was done beautifully!

This story is brought to LIFE on audio and transports you right into this sweet, fall romance!!

Drawn Together feels like a cozy warm hug and the vibes of this book were immaculate!! It transports you right into the perfect fall backdrop with delicious tension and chemistry swirling throughout the authentic development of their romance with a swoon factor that will have you giddy and smiling the whole time!! The audiobook elevated their romance even more as Connor Crais and Ava Erickson breathed life into Flora and Fletcher in the duet narration! Overall, this book is such a tender and wholesome romance with two incredibly lovable bookish characters that will hit you all in the feels!

Flora and Fletcher were perfection and so beautifully written!! Their first meeting will have you feeling like Fletcher is a rude grump but once you find out why and see him open up, you’ll discover how thoughtful and sweet this man truly is! The way he adores Flora and the things he does for her just had me melting! Then there is Flora who is so relatable with her insecurities while also trying to make genuine friendship. Her determination with her career was so admiral and I loved hearing her drawing process.

🎧AUDIO:
Drawn Together is absolutely phenomenal on audio!! The performance by Connor Crais & Ava Erickson in this duet narration transports you right into this cozy, feel good romance as they bring it to life!!

Ava’s bright, melodic tone made Flora feel so lively and authentic!!! Flora’s been told that she’s too loud and over the top and as Ava makes you feel all of those insecurities with the feeling in her tone she also embodying Flora’s true self as she learns to embrace who she is and also find her people! Such a beautiful performance!!

Connor did an outstanding job capturing the layers of Fletcher’s character with his voice! He brought out his deep, grumpy tone during their first meeting as Fletcher does not make the best first impression. As you get to know Fletcher on a deeper level, Connor’s smooth, velvety tone brought out the deep desire this quiet man has for Flora and completely upped his swoon factor with the way he delivered the things this man says!

Fall in NYC
Writer & Children’s Book Illustrator
Rivals to Friends to Lovers
Found Family
Closed Door (Incredible tension and desire!)

Sweet and Swoony Dual Narration

Happy sigh…Drawn Together by Juliana Smith was a sweet, swoony, and cozy rivals to lovers romance that warmed my heart in all the best ways. I couldn’t get enough of Flora and Fletcher’s witty conversations, and love of books chemistry had me falling for these two so hard. Their slow burn friends to lovers chemistry was undeniable and meant to be.

Ava Erickson and Connor Crais perform this audiobook in duet-style narration. Ava narrates the majority of this book in Flora’s point of view with Connor adding the male dialogue making this a fun immersive listen. Ava’s soft, decadent voice captured Flora’s romance loving heart and determined spirit to make her new living arrangement work. Connor’s warm, inviting timbre encompassed Fletcher’s observant and thoughtful demeanor perfectly. Both narrators created a light-hearted, magnetic chemistry between Flora and Fletcher that made my heart melt.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of a fall romance with a passionate children’s book illustrator, an endearing content editor, muffin meet cute mishaps, trivia night, making new friends, truths about the past, dream job books, two person book club, thirty second hugs, closet confessions, floatworthy first kisses, first date fantasies,secrets revealed, love declarations, and a HEA that will melt your heart, then you will love Flora and Fletcher’s story. I am looking forward to more from Juliana Smith.

Perfect Listen For A Cozy Fall Day

This audiobook is absolutely amazing. The book is such a cute fall read, but the audiobook takes it to another level. The duet narration is perfect and exactly how I imagined Flora and Fletcher to sound. Simply put, this audiobook is enchanting. I will definitely be listening to this every fall from now on.