As one of many authors who gained massive popularity during the early days of BookTok, K.L. Walther continues her streak of summery YA romances with We’re a Bad Idea, Right?, a gender-swapped take on Risky Business. Walther’s seventh rom-com stars a teen girl who finds herself at a crossroads: Audrey must find a way to raise the tuition to attend an arts fellowship and continue her Etsy business, or go to business school like her parents want. In a last-ditch effort to get the money, Audrey enlists her best friend Henry to help rent out her expensive home while her parents are away. In exchange, Audrey agrees to fake date Henry in hopes of garnering the attention of his ex. Of course, what starts as a business arrangement soon spirals into something more. Walther spoke with PW about the marriage of humor and grief in her work, her love of ’80s romances, and what writing about young love has taught her.

Your last book was inspired by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and this one is inspired by Risky Business. What calls to you about ’80s films, and what about them are you hoping to bring to modern romance novels?

I watched a lot of ’80s movies and all of John Hughes’s work. But Risky Business [stood out]. It’s another fun caper with a male lead, and I thought the boys shouldn’t be having all the fun and spearheading these shenanigans. I wanted to flip it on its head and have a female captain, if you will. I just want to bring some escapism and old-fashioned throwbacks into the modern romance age—and say it’s okay to suspend your disbelief a little and just have fun.

Second guessing oneself is a major theme in this novel, as the title suggests. What made the idea of second guessing important to you—have you ever dealt with it yourself?

I think it is very natural to second guess yourself as a senior in high school, because applying to college or possibly taking a gap year or going another unconventional route is a big decision weighing on you at 18 years old. There is a little bit [of questioning] when you get into college, [thinking about] which college is right for you, and what do you want to major in. [But with] second guessing, it unfolded in naturally while I wrote. It’s only when I went back for revisions that I saw this thread and was like, “Okay, I’m gonna tug on this more.”

Many of your books home in on humor: utilizing those “only in a rom-com” hi-jinks that readers love. Why does silliness appeal to you in romance?

It’s a nice counterbalance. I have experienced a lot of grief in my life, and I write about it a lot. My dad passed away in 2020 from brain cancer, so I find myself fascinated by grief. I go through different phases of it but I don’t want to write sad books. When I was writing The Summer of Broken Rules, my dad was really declining, and he told me, “You have to make this book funny. It has to be funny.” So I found that humor is always a great counterbalance when I want to express my grief or whatever serious coming-of-age topic I’m homing in on. And I love humor. I love stand-up comedians. I watch a lot of stand-up specials with my family. We are always joking around, teasing each other, and I like to make myself laugh. Banter is always something I look for in a good romance novel.

How has your understanding of young love evolved since writing your debut?

There’s a lot of nuance behind it. I never find writing a new relationship the same because people have different personalities, backgrounds, and journeys. With the fake dating [in this novel], these two people are so compatible but have never really thought they would work as a real couple. So it takes some stupid mistakes to realize that they do work and to get that happily-ever-after. Whereas, in my debut novel, Maybe Meant to Be, the protagonist knew that she and this boy are the perfect couple, but she worried that getting together too young before having some life experience under their belt would get in the way of their happy ending. So, it’s a lot about timing. There are many different ways to get to that [happily-ever-after].

We’re A Bad Idea, Right? by K.L. Walther. Delacorte Romance, Mar. 31, $14.99; ISBN 978-0-593-90479-4