The Circle by Maggie Sunseri was one of my most-anticipated reads of 2026, so imagine my sheer joy when I was gifted an advanced reader copy and could dive into this dark, contemporary rom-com a few weeks early. Set in New York City, The Circle explores cults, trauma, friendship, and kink in a masterful way that had me near frantic to read the next page.
After Nova’s childhood best friend betrayed her and left her behind, some careful social media stalking leads Nova to discover that Lorelai has joined The Circle, part kink club, part cult, all bad.
Despite everything Lorelai has done, Nova still wants to protect her, save her from her bad choices. Their childhood was hell, and Lorelai doesn’t deserve to escape one cult to fall into another.
Nova decides to infiltrate The Circle. She can get in, find Lorelai, talk some sense into her, and get out. At her first meeting, she meets Wes, a dark and handsome bad boy who has his own reasons for wanting more info about the cult.
But The Circle has no intention of making it that easy for them. They need to go further into the cult to find out more, and Wes offers to help her put on a show to prove she fits in the scene.
As they try to get to the truth buried beneath layers of culty bullshit, Nova and Wes discover that his dark desires match hers all too well, and the temptation complicates their mission, putting them both in grave danger.
The Circle is told mostly from Nova’s point of view, but Wes’s perspective comes in periodically in the second half in a way that gives readers just enough of his inner thoughts.
Nova is a struggling indie author who nannied for a time, and when I tell you I felt her career-related pain in my bones, I am not even exaggerating for effect. I think any writer or aspiring writer can relate to her in this way.
Her conservative fundamentalist childhood is less relatable for me personally, but she still feels like a character readers from any background can deeply understand, which is an impressive feat of character development.
The Circle is surprisingly funny given the dark subject matter. I know this was marketed as a rom-com, and it truly is a rom-com, although certainly one of the most unique ones I have ever read.
Perhaps tonight was the night I got serial murdered in a Gothic church by the VP of an investment bank.
This story is beautifully paced, with an enthralling plot and excellent romantic tension. I straight up forgot to eat lunch while I was reading this. I was so consumed by this story that I finished it in a single day, at the neglect of all else.
Maggie Sunseri makes her readers wait for the spice in this book, at least between the main characters, delightedly edging her readers. When that tension finally breaks, the chemistry is off the charts.
There’s a playfulness to Wes and Nova’s kink scenes that makes them feel so authentic, so meaningful, and so fun. The sex in this book is artfully well done, with a thoughtful exploration of kink and its impacts.
desire will always be far more powerful than shame or fear or hatred will ever be.
The final scene in The Circle is a partially spicy one, and yet it still left me with tears in my eyes. I adored every single page of this book; it truly has a little bit of everything. It’s funny, sexy, and emotionally raw.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, given how much I loved her prior works, but this might be my favorite Maggie Sunseri book yet.
Leave a Reply