The current dating climate is riddled with wild stories, and chaos definitely seems to be in the air. This is something that Taylor-Dior Rumble, author of The Situationship, cannot agree with enough. “We’re all going through it. But I’ve tapped out because I’m actually over it. I’m just trying to live my best life and see what happens,” she tells Stylist over Zoom. However, it’s a good thing she didn’t tap out until recently; otherwise, the world wouldn’t have been given the magic and chaos that is The Situationship.

Rumble’s debut novel follows the story of Tia, a twenty-something woman who’s been waiting for the love of her life to return after a few months away in America, only to find he’s come back with a girlfriend. Heartbroken, Tia’s friends convince her to download the dating apps and to put herself back out there, and she ends up connecting with Nate, a handsome and charming photographer. Everything seems to be going great between them but they’re yet to have The Talk, and Tia can’t quite figure out their relationship – or should we say situationship.

“This book is for the hard-working babes who are just trying to figure life out,” Rumble says. It’s a story packed with the joy and messiness of figuring out life (and love) with your friends – the highs, lows and everything in between. A lot of the dilemmas that Tia has to deal with, both at work and in her love life, are inspired by Rumble’s own experiences and those of her friends at the time. And this is what makes The Situationship warm, witty and deeply relatable while never compromising on its overall message of independence and choosing yourself.

It’s a message Rumble knew from early on in the writing stage and was inspired by her younger sister. “I just thought, if I wanted to pass on one piece of advice to my sister it would be to never compromise herself or her happiness for the sake of others. And that’s what I hope readers take away from it,” she says.

However, her foray into romcoms may not have happened as she initially set out to write a “really dark and serious” novel. But when it came to sitting down and trying to write something, she just wasn’t feeling it. “Turning to the romance genre felt very natural to me because those are the books and TV shows that I turn to for comfort. I just love love.” She also explains she wanted to write a story that was reflective of her own experiences of going through the chaos of her 20s. “I love reading and watching stories about strong, independent young women just trying to figure it all out with their best friends by their sides, so I wanted to put that at the heart of Tia’s story.”

Born and raised in south-east London, the 26-year-old started her journalism career at the BBC aged 18 and went on to produce and cover stories ranging from the politics of Black hair to colourism in Hollywood. It’s a career that’s also reflected in her novel: Tia is a young journalist working at London City News (LCN) and her experiences at work form a huge part of The Situationship. “When I was in the thick of working as a journalist, yes, I’d be going on dates and trying to squeeze them in whenever I could. But it was work that was the bulk of my life, so I had to include that for Tia too because it’s the reality for so many of us,” Rumble explains.

The Situationship is #Merky Books’ first romcom, a fact that Rumble may have manifested years ago. When she left her job at the BBC a few years ago, she wanted to sit back and think about how she wanted to express herself creatively and put together a vision board. On this board? A picture of the #Merky Books logo. “It was one of the only places that I felt I’d be comfortable enough to write and have my creativeness properly harnessed. It’s been an absolute dream come true to work with them.”

Writing the book was a “cathartic” experience for Rumble, even though it took her a while to get into the fiction writing process. “I’ve never done a creative writing course or anything like that; I honestly googled ‘how to write a book’ at one point!” Music was also a huge part of her process and helped Rumble get into the mindset of her characters, putting together The Situationship playlists. Artists such as SZA and Lauryn Hill were regular features on the playlists. “Their lyrics were so brilliant at describing the kinds of feelings that I wanted my characters to experience, especially around heartbreak,” she says.

So, what’s next for Rumble? “The first thing is rest! I’m gonna chill for a hot minute, breathe and try to take it all in.” But more books may be on the horizon. “I’ve got two book ideas that I’m really excited about – both romance. I just want to get to know the characters a little more and flesh out their world.” For now, we can enjoy Tia’s world in The Situationship as she figures out who she is while having a whole lot of fun in the process.

Images: ; courtesy of #Merky Books