“Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It” combines nostalgia for early-2000s rom-coms with a contemporary exploration of mental health.

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Brooke: Something happened to me a few years ago, and I can't go into detail without spoiling the book, but something happened — and it was not the most amazing thing — but I was able to cope by being like, "Wow, this would be a really good book." I think putting some distance between myself and that thing, and looking at it through the lens of a character, was really helpful. So I wrote that [idea] in my notes app, and it just sat there for a few years. I was waiting to write it. Then, once I decided that I was going to write about Phoebe, that note became the book.

Brooke: I think the most surprising part, which I was very pleasantly surprised by, was how collaborative it was. I had really amazing agents who helped me through the early structure because it was my first time writing a book. I texted and called them whenever a question arose, and we got to brainstorming immediately. They were really, really helpful, and I loved working with them. I think a lot of people think that writing is a very isolating process, but it doesn't have to be. I really enjoyed the collaborative piece of it.

The vulnerable scenes were really rewarding for me because I didn't think that I could do them. I am someone who deals with any sort of inconvenience or sadness with humor, and so I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to get really deep with it. I found that I was, and that was really rewarding to me. 

And the frustrating part was when Phoebe did things where I was like, "Please don't do this." I had to write them! We all read things, and we're like, "No, why are you doing this?" Those scenes were really hard to write. Like, I have control. Why am I doing this? It's for the greater good, but it's still hard to do. 

Brooke: It was really great to be able to have Phoebe as a buffer between me and my emotions and vulnerability. So much of my anxiety went into Phoebe, but there was distance, so I was able to see things clearly, and so that was really, really helpful for me and taught me a lot. It actually made me feel a lot better about myself. I think it's really hard to judge yourself favorably, but you can always judge your friends favorably. And so Phoebe became like a friend to me, and I saw her going through so many of the things that I go through, but with her, they didn't seem like the end of the world. I felt very empathetic toward her, and that helped me approach myself with more empathy. 

Brooke: If you enjoy early-2000s rom-coms and Tumblr, you'll love Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It.

Brooke: I was really trying to capture the essence of an early-2000s rom-com. So, I watched a lot of those in the writing process. I watched 13 Going on 30 a lot. Bridget Jones. He's Just Not That Into You. Crazy, Stupid, Love. Some of the classics. I was really trying to capture that energy. And then obviously I was listening to a lot of Broadway and Glee, which I wouldn't say informed the novel, but there are definitely references.

Brooke: Yes, I have a very extensive Phoebe playlist. There are a lot of showtunes on it and a lot of early-2000s. "I Can Hear the Bells" from the Hairspray soundtrack is a big one. I also think "Take a Bow," whether you do Rihanna or the Glee cast, that's up to you. Early-2000s film songs, like Michelle Branch, that type. I think the song's called "Everywhere," where you're just yearning. 

BuzzFeed: I had "Kiss Me" [by Sixpence None the Richer] come to mind. I also thought about "He Could Be the One" from Hannah Montana while reading it.

BuzzFeed: And "I Want" by One Direction.

Brooke: There's a lot of One Direction. Oh, "Strong" by One Direction. 

Brooke: At the beginning of the novel, I would say chaotic and hopeless. Then, at the end, I would say chaotic and at peace. 

Brooke: I wish I had a better answer for this one, especially as I start writing book two, but with Phoebe, truly, I was just so excited about it, and it had been brewing for so long, that in any free moment I had, I was at my computer, writing. So it really was not an issue for me to write. It was an issue for me to step away. That was the experience that I had with Phoebe, which, now that I don't have another story that I've been sitting on for so long, I'm going to have to figure out what my writing routine is, which is interesting because I've already written a book, but I do not have a routine. So, we will see how that goes. But with Phoebe, it just came out, and I was so excited. 

BuzzFeed: I don't know how much you're allowed to talk about book two. Is it in the Phoebe universe? Is it a standalone? Is it totally different? Is there anything you can tease or talk about?

Brooke: From what is in my head right now, it's in the Phoebe universe, but it is also a standalone. 

BuzzFeed: Very exciting. How far along in that process would you say you are?

Brooke: I would say at the very beginning stages. I think once I say goodbye to Phoebe after the tour, then I'll really be able to get into this new story. 

Brooke: I think the message in Phoebe is that you might think there's something wrong with you, and with whatever is wrong with you, that everybody is thinking about it. But I think what I've learned is that everybody has their shit — their own "virginity," so to speak, and no one cares. 

Brooke: I have tons. I really do think my favorite book of all time might be A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I really love that one. The romance in that is very important to me. I also love Emily Austin, so Everyone in This Room will Someday Be Dead by her is a favorite. I love Twilight. I love anything that Taylor Jenkins Reid writes. There's this book called Idlewild, which is about being in high school, and I really love that book. Those are some of my favorites. 

Brooke: I love Emily Henry. I love Ali Hazelwood. Oh my god, I love The Love Hypothesis. That's also one of my favorite books. Emily Austin, I love. And, John Green. 

Brooke: General fiction, I could do, for sure. And I think that there's a little bit of Phoebe that could be found in general women's fiction, too. I don't think I could do fantasy. My brain doesn't work that way. Maybe I could do a thriller one day, but there would also have to be romance in it. 

Brooke: I would say you need to accept that the first draft, especially your first pages, will be bad. If they're not bad, then something might be wrong. They are going to be bad, and you just have to keep going. I think that that was my biggest hurdle. Like, these pages suck, and I want to stop, but once you keep going, that's when you'll write the book.

BuzzFeed: How did you deal with self-editing and self-censorship throughout the process?

Brooke: I just have to remind myself that these pages are not going anywhere. If there's anything that's going to disappear, it's the ideas that are in your head right now. So get them out, and then you can always go back. You can always go back. They are not going anywhere.