Author Book Launch! Julie Murphy, The Undergrads: Student Union - 7 May 2026

Note: The book purchase is your ticket! Orders may be picked up at Talking Animals Books at our 909 S. Main St. location on or after May 5, or at the May 7 event! Books will be available at the event for purchase! The deluxe paperback edition features stenciled edges and a map.

#1 New York Times-bestselling and beloved author Julie Murphy is hitting the road, celebrating the launch of The Undergrads: Student Union (on sale 5/5/26), the first installment in her new adult college romance series, perfect for fans of Elle Kennedy and Hannah Grace. 

Come hang out with us from 6:30 - 8:30 PM on May 7 for an evening of fun freshmen week themed activities and an author talk featuring Julie Murphy herself and Romance author Kayla Olson. Come dressed in your collegiate gear and celebrate the launch of this highly anticipated series! More information to come on attending vendors and scheduled activities.

The Undergrads: Student Union a sexy rom com about a college marriage of convenience that goes way beyond chemistry 101...This book is the first in a trilogy of romance novels that follows a group of girls as they navigate love, friendship, and new adulthood. 

Clover Rowan Walsh knows The Plan™.

1. Get a full ride to her dream school, Wexley University.

2. Conquer the school of business.

3. Say goodbye to the paycheck-to-paycheck life she and her mom have known for years.

There’s just one hiccup. With the first semester rapidly approaching, Clover learns her housing grant has fallen through. But a loophole presents itself: Married couples can live in the dorms for the price of one student. Clover is willing to sacrifice the sanctity of marriage . . . even if it means proposing to the one person she swore she’d never speak to again.

Bennett Andrew Graves is the only heir to the Graves Coffee empire. After spending his first year at Wexley, squeaking by in classes and becoming personally acquainted with the female student body, he is looking forward to living off campus. Until the girl he grew up with (and whom he completely devastated years ago) walks back into his life with the most absurd question: Will you marry me?

Bennett can’t refuse Clover. He owes her this, but that doesn’t change the fact that these two can barely carry on a conversation without getting at each other’s throats. Forget about sharing a dorm—much less one bed.

But as Clover and Bennett hide the true nature of their marriage, they find that playing house isn’t all that bad—especially with certain marital benefits in the mix. In fact, Clover and Bennett are soon forgetting the most important part of their fake marriage of convenience . . . that it’s supposed to be fake.

Julie Murphy splits her time between Texas and Kansas with her husband who loves her and her cats who tolerate her. A former librarian, Julie is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of books for all ages including Dumplin’ (now a film on Netflix and one of TIME Magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time), Dear Sweet Pea, and If the Shoe Fits. She is also the co-author of the Christmas Notch series with Sierra Simone. Julie has been featured by Good Morning America, Teen Vogue, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and more. When she’s not writing or reliving her reference desk glory days, she can be found watching made-for-TV movies, hunting for the perfect slice of cheese pizza, and planning her next great travel adventure. Julie is also the founder of Bittersweet Books, a story production and intellectual property company. To learn more about Bittersweet, visit bittersweet-books.com.

Kayla Olson is the author of The Reunion and The Lodge in addition to two books for young adults (The Sandcastle Empire and This Splintered Silence). Whether writing at her desk or curled up with a good book, she can most often be found with a fresh cup of coffee and at least one cat. Visit her at KaylaOlson.com or at @AuthorKaylaOlson on Instagram/TikTok.

Please note: Patrice Caldwell will no longer be in attendance.