Puck

Here’s a book that surprised me this year: Puck by Samantha Allen. I was offered an ARC of it a few months ago, and I was intrigued that it’s inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream—even though I’m not especially familiar with this Shakespearean play; what kind of English major am I?!—and that the main character is nonbinary.

Puck has built a career out of playing with people’s lives and orchestrating infidelity-induced breakups, all as part of the reality tv show they produce, Homewreckers. But now two of their college friends are about to get married, and Puck knows they’ve made the wrong match. Mia and Damon shouldn’t be marrying each other; Mia should get back together with her ex Zander, and Damon should be with lovesick Lena. During the weeklong celebration leading up to the ceremony, Puck decides to put their tv production skills to good (or bad?) use in trying to break up the affianced couple before it’s too late. But their schemes may get wrecked when the maid of honor, Robyn, gets under Puck’s skin… and a new romance starts to unfold.

What I Liked:

• Shakespeare-level comedic drama. If you’re familiar with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you’ll likely enjoy this reimagining. I don’t know much about that play, though, so I went into this blind and still loved it. Puck is, at their core, good at playing other people like fiddles. They know what people truly think and feel, what they conceal and actually want. Puck uses this perceptiveness to orchestrate scenarios that will make people make up, break up, and everything in between. Puck unfolds like the comedy it is, with all the hijinks and human awkwardness to make it entertaining.
• Devious matchmaking (and unmatchmaking) schemes. Puck really goes out of their way to put their friends into just the right scenarious to push Mia and Zander back together, Damon and Lena into each other’s orbit, and Mia and Damon away from their upcoming matrimony. From croquet matches to scavenger hunts, these characters enjoy all kinds of games secret meant to upend their lives.
• Nonbinary and queer representation. Puck is nonbinary and gay, and I liked how their experiences were shown here. We get a sense of their evolving identity when they were younger, how their friends (especially Mia) helped along the way, and what their queer community looks like now. Their gender identity and sexuality are shown in nuanced ways, from their pride in who they are to their hidden fears about not growing up the same way straight people do. This gets into gender theory a bit, which I really enjoyed. And then there’s Puck’s new, unexpected relationship with Robyn! This book doesn’t shy away from some raunchier themes, not just in Puck’s own sex scenes, but also in how they puppeteer others on their show.

Final Thoughts

Puck is a chaotically fun novel, but it has its deeper themes, too. I enjoyed the full cast of characters, depictions of love and friendship, and Puck’s own journey to self-discovery. I’m so glad I said yes to this book, because it absolutely charmed me.

Special thanks to the publicists at Penguin Randome House, Zando, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Puck here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Puck by Samantha Allen
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	North Carolina; Georgia
Number of Pages	288
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	June 2, 2026
Publisher	Zando

Official Summary

“Full of mischief and romance, this book is everything you’d want in a Shakespearean retelling. A joyful, riotous romp!” —Ashley Herring Blake, award-winning author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care

One of Marie Claire‘s Most Anticipated Romances of 2026

In this A Midsummer Night’s Dream-inspired romcom, Puck is a reality show producer and agent of chaos with a talent for bringing people together . . . and tearing them apart.

Meet Puck: the nonbinary, thirty-year-old mastermind behind Homewreckers, a dating show that puts troubled couples through hell—with a little help from their exes. Used to being the one pulling the strings, it shocks Puck when their life undergoes a plot twist of its own and their college roommate Mia announces her engagement to her ex’s best friend, Damon. Having only recently broken up with longtime-boyfriend Zander, and never having had much in common with Damon (who lovesick Lena has always pined after), Mia’s news leaves her friend group reeling—and Puck’s mind whirling.

When they arrive for a week of wedding festivities at an upscale resort in the Appalachian forest, Puck immediately sees that Mia’s marriage will lead to misery, and takes it upon themself to save their friends by rearranging the couples—without anyone finding out. But as Puck comes up against a type-A maid of honor hell-bent on making this wedding happen, it becomes clear that they will have to deliver the greatest stunt of their career. If only they can take their eyes off the bridesmaid. After all, the course of true love never did run smooth…

Written with Samantha Allen’s signature charm, wit, and an irresistible dose of Shakespearian mischief, Puck is the ultimate romcom for our chaotic era, and a celebration of the friendships that carry us through it all.