Vesper — BlueInk Review (February 2026)
In Evan Marks’s novel, Manhattan serves as the backdrop for the dating woes and existential dread of a privileged Gen Z woman determined to protect her heart—until a surprising connection challenges her plans.
For 20-something Vesper Elsegood, romance is a futile state of delirium that happens to other people. After Vesper’s college boyfriend cheated on her with multiple women, she transferred from Penn to Oxford, seeking solace in the distance. That experience irrevocably shaped her approach to dating: have fun but bail before you catch real feelings.
Now, as a consultant at Pierce Alliance Group, Vesper’s life of long brunches with her girls, access to the hottest nightlife spots, and an apartment in the Village, looks enviably glamorous. Still, she’s unfulfilled by work and bored with the revolving door of predictable suitors.
When she meets Caspian during a holiday in the South of France, she’s intrigued but doesn’t expect to see him again. Upon returning to the city, though, Vesper runs into Caspian at a fashion show and realizes the initial spark was more than just cocktail-induced vacation bliss. As Vesper spends more time with the South African entrepreneur, will she break her own rule and fall in love?
Marks’s novel showcases a self-aware heroine who simultaneously observes and infiltrates the glitterati’s inner sanctum. The narrative effectively captures the absurdities and contradictions of modern urban dating, including ghosting and frustrating dating apps. Iconic landmarks, like the New York Public Library and Washington Square Park, help create a cinematic experience.
However, overstuffed sentences often prevent the prose from breathing: “I’m sitting on the couch voraciously binging through my Instagram feed while indecisively considering which Netflix series to hyper-fixate on during a lazy Sunday afternoon.” Vesper’s pop culture references can be dated, undermining character credibility, and chapters from the viewpoint of Vesper’s rejected dates fail to add valuable information or enhance the plot.
Such missteps impact the story’s overall effectiveness. Still, the novel has bright spots that will appeal to readers of women’s fiction.