Katalina Gamarra – Jill Grinberg Literary Management

Katalina Gamarra

Katalina Gamarra is the author of Ben and Beatriz, a contemporary reimagining of Much Ado About Nothing that was published in August 2022 by Graydon House. She earned a BA in English from Drew University where she received accolades for both creative writing and academic prowess, as well as an award in Shakespeare Study. Her work has been published on Thought Catalog and Verge of Verse and before becoming an author, she worked in bookselling, literary scouting, manuscript reading, and galley critiquing. She lives in Boston.

Agent

Larissa Melo Pienkowski

Ben and Beatriz

There’s nothing like falling for your worst enemy.

Beatriz Herrera is a fierce woman who will take you down with her quick wit and keen intellect. And after the results of the 2016 election worked hard to erase her identity as a queer biracial woman, she’d be right to. Especially if you come for her sweet BFF cousin, Hero. Beatriz would do anything for her, a loyalty that lands Beatriz precisely where she doesn’t want to be: spending a week at the ridiculous Cape Cod mansion of stupid-hot playboy Ben Montgomery. The same Ben Montgomery she definitely shouldn’t have hooked up with that one time… The things we do for family.

White and wealthy, Ben talks the talk and walks the walk of privilege, but deep down, he’s wrestling with the politics and expectations of a conservative family he can’t relate to. Though Beatriz’s caustic tongue drives him wild in the very best way, he’s the last person she’d want, because she has zero interest in compromising her identity. But as her and Ben’s assumptions begin to unravel and their hookups turn into something real, they start wondering if it’s still possible to hold space for one another and the inescapable love that unites them.

This retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is both razor-sharp and swoon-worthy: the perfect love story for our time.

Praise for Ben and Beatriz

“This creative retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing explores contemporary issues like drug addiction, suicide, mental health, class divides, racism, and more, all while the love story progresses quickly. An opposites-attract romance grappling head-on with real-world issues while still offering indulgent escapism.” –Kirkus

“Gamarra uses [Ben and Beatriz’s] love story to explore race, colorism, sexuality, and privilege, crafting a romance between two people who are all too aware of their differences but still find a safe space in each other. Fans of the original sparring hearts love story will find this a worthy update on the classic.” –Publishers Weekly

Publisher

Graydon House / Harlequin

Publication Date

August 2, 2022

Age Category

Adult

Genre

Contemporary

Rights

Harlequin / HarperCollins