I yelled.
I raged.
I cheered.
I begged for more.
And that was all just while I was reading Soft Launch this week.
Iâm not even sure I know how to neatly sum up this bookâŚbut maybe thatâs the point. What it made crystal clear to me (again) is thisâŚ
We need fiction.
Not as escapism alone. Not as a checklist of morals. But as a mirror to our humanity, our contradictions, our mess.
So often, when we talk about literature as a way of understanding the human condition, we point to the classics. And yes, I get it, theyâre classics for a reason. Theyâve endured because they say something timeless about who we are.
But I want to make a case for contemporary fiction, using Soft Launch as my exhibit A.
We meet Sam⌠newly divorced, chasing what she thinks she wants, and carrying a whole bundle of what the hell am I doing with my life energy. Sheâs smart, flawed, ambitious, reactive, tender, and, at times, deeply frustrating to the reader.
While reading her story, I went through a full emotional arc of my ownâŚ
Well, at least Iâm not like that.
âŚ
Wait.
Am I like that?
âŚ
Wow. Iâm actually really grateful for my messy life.
Samâs friends show up for her, not as cheery secondary characters who tell her sheâs always right, but as people who love her enough to tell her the truth. The relationships in her life are complicated (to put it mildly), and each one reveals something different about her values, her blind spots, and the moral choices sheâs navigating, often imperfectly.
I am not a first-year attorney.
And after reading this book, I can confidently say I have zero desire to become one. (I need my sleep.)
But as a human? I can absolutely use Samâs imperfect life to reflect on my own.
Thatâs where contemporary fiction has itâ moment to shine and really help us take a hard look and our live... and see what we might want to change or what we like and want more of.
Seeing a working woman drink copious amounts of coffee, worry about money, spiral internally, and narrate her life during late-night Uber rides feels far more helpful than another self-help principle promising to make me organized, productive, and âliving my best lifeâ in 90 days.
Life is messy.
And maybe we donât always need to be fixing ourselves.
Maybe sometimes we need to recognize ourselves.
Fiction lets us do that safely. It gives us space to explore choices, consequences, and contradictions without turning everything into a lesson or a be a part of the 1% hack. It allows us to say, ohâIâm not alone in this.
So yes, read the classics. Love them. Return to them.
But also⌠read the books where the characters are a little lost. A little caffeinated. A little unsure of their next step. The ones that make you cringe, laugh, argue, and reflect.
Because stories like that donât just entertain us.
They remind us that being human is already enough.
And honestly?
I think it todayâs craziness, thatâs something we all need to hear.
If this book has you curious (or already nodding along), hereâs a little nudgeâŚ
⨠Soft Launch is available right now through Amazon First Reads for Prime members.
⨠It will be available to everyone on February 1st.
Weâre starting our Mini Monthly Challenge tomorrow inside The Literary Assistant community.
This monthâs challenge is designed to help youâŚ
slow down and observe whatâs working (and whatâs not) with your newsletter, Substack, and social media
reconnect with your creativity
and make small, meaningful shifts⌠without pressure or burnout.
Itâs gentle. Itâs low-touch. And itâs perfect if youâre craving clarity as we move into a new season.
The Literary Assistant community has now donated 23 books to women in need.đ
Your support means the world to me! For every membership upgraded to $7, I donate a historical fiction or romance book to a local womenâs shelter.
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Register individually as a standalone event or gain access to the Zoom link with a paid subscription to Colin Mustfulâs Substack for more History Through Fiction content.