Wants and Needs by Roxy Dunn

A novel about coming of age in your thirties- a woman embraces ethical non-monogamy as she tries to understand herself better, and finds a new kind of love along the way

Independence seems to be drifting away from Misty. Just months ago, she was living with her fiance and planning their life together. Now she’s single, back in her childhood bedroom, on crutches from knee surgery, and relying on her mother to help her with the smallest of tasks. This isn’t how thirty-two was meant to look.

When Misty turns to dating apps, she’s immediately intrigued by charismatic, handsome Christopher – so intrigued that she doesn’t doesn’t even notice the acronym ‘ENM’ on his profile. By the time she discovers that it stands for ‘ethical non-monogamy’ – and that he’s in a long-term open relationship – she already feels such undeniable, dizzying chemistry that she decides to give things a go.

And so Misty makes a pact with herself to date Christopher for the next six weeks while his partner is away. It’s all part of her plan- she wants to learn to become less attached, and to prepare herself for her next ‘real’ relationship. But is what she wants really what she needs?

About the Author: Roxy’s debut novel, As Young as This (published by Fig Tree, Penguin) was sold at auction and was a Best Book of 2024 in The Independent, Harper’s Bazaar, Stylist, Cosmopolitan, and Sunday Times Style. She is also a screenwriter and alumna of the BBC Comedy Room. Her scripts have been optioned by several production companies and her pilot Useless Millennials was commissioned and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Wants and Needs is her second novel.

29 Jan 2026
 

Wants and Needs by Roxy Dunn ISBN 9780241632758