Crate Expectations

De: Tia Kelly

For Nova James, life is a symphony of dusty vinyl records, rare sneaker drops, and perfectly timed one-liners. As a pint-sized force of nature, she has an eye for vintage treasures and a knack for putting her best friend, Deion, to work. Need a human ladder at a vinyl convention? Deion is there. Extra hands for hauling her latest IKEA shelf find? Deion shows up with an Allen wrench in hand. He is her ultimate sidekick, always steady and in her corner.

While Nova’s head is buried in record crates, she is completely oblivious to the fact that Deion has been harboring a not-so-secret crush on her for years. Sweet, patient, and endlessly loyal, Deion is the perfect cinnamon roll of a man, but he finally grows tired of being her go-to errand boy and decides to move on with his life. When he starts showing interest in someone else, Nova is shocked. Maybe she is even a little jealous. The problem is that his new love interest feels all wrong for him. At least, that is what Nova tells herself. As she sets out to prove she is the only one who truly understands him, Nova is forced to confront her own feelings. Slowly, she begins to realize that maybe she has been the one holding them back all along.

Armed with quick wit, a vinyl collection that speaks to her soul, and some hilariously misguided attempts to win Deion over, Nova must take the biggest leap of her life. She has to trust that Deion’s love for her is not just a background beat, but the melody she has been missing.

Crate Expectations is a laugh-out-loud friends-to-lovers romance about self-worth, vulnerability, and finding that love has been right in front of you all along . . . with an Allen wrench in hand.

©2026 Tia Kelly (P)2026 Dreamscape Media