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Trope: Reverse Age Gap
Guest: Jodi McAlister
Book: A Study in Sparkling, Atria Australia, 28 July 2026
Jodi McAlister, PhD, is an author and academic from Kiama, Australia. She is the author of An Academic Affair and the Marry Me Juliet trilogy. She is currently a senior lecturer in writing, literature, and culture at Deakin University in Melbourne and is the president of the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance. For more, visit JodiMcAlister.com.au or find her on Instagram @JodiMcAlister.
Jodi brought us the Reverse Age Gap trope, wherein a romance happens between an older woman and a younger man. Examples of this trope include Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie, Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez, and That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert.
She talks about her book A Study in Sparkling, a romance novel about Fiona Fisher who thought she had it all: a loving husband, three kids, and a life far away from the suffocating expectations of her family. But when her husband reveals that he's leaving her for his secret second family, Fiona is left devastated and humiliated.
Satoshi Tsukamoto wants it all. He’s the owner of a popular wine bar, and he’s studying for the hardest test in the world: the Master Sommelier exam. There aren’t enough hours in the day for anything else – except maybe Fiona, his favourite customer, and the woman he’s head-over-heels in love with.
On paper, Fiona and Satoshi make no sense. He’s eight years younger than her and has no time for romance. She’s a single mother and doesn't know if she'll ever be able to trust anyone again. But how can Fiona resist when Satoshi suggests they give into their mutual attraction to let off some steam? And how can Satoshi resist when the woman he adores is finally within his grasp – even if they’ve agreed to keep things casual?
A Study in Sparkling is available at a bookstore near you!
