Hope Engel 📚

@hopeengel.com

710 Followers 450 Following

Reader, writer, cat mom, baseball fan, based in NY. Debut novel "At Your Pace" is out now! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWXYD77J (She/her)

After the train rolls into Grand Central Terminal an hour and a half later, I make my way up from the dining concourse to the main level, when I hear an “Emerson!” Amidst people streaming into and out of the city under the high green celestial ceiling, I see my love bounding toward me from the opposite side of the station, all smiles. I cross the floor toward her, and when we finally close the distance, she throws her arms around my neck and pulls me closer to her.
a thread started by user @susansavagelee.bsky.social about writing challenges in which author hope engel engages and a bot under the name of Favour writer does asking about the drafting process - then hope asks a question about lasagna to trick the bot into revealing it is a bot
Come on, Duolingo units about food, pull through for me here. I enter class and take out my headphones as I sit down in my usual spot. The girl next to me is furiously reviewing flashcards, muttering underneath her breath in Spanish. The guy next to me is totally unfazed, scrolling on his phone. I just hope I'm at least somewhere in the middle when it comes to preparation.
Come on, Duolingo units about food, pull through for me here. I enter class and take out my headphones as I sit down in my usual spot. The girl next to me is furiously reviewing flashcards, muttering underneath her breath in Spanish. The guy next to me is totally unfazed, scrolling on his phone. I just hope I'm at least somewhere in the middle when it comes to preparation.
My pocket buzzes, and keeps buzzing, so I know it’s not a text. I never answer my phone if I don’t recognize the number, but some kind of divine inspiration tells me I should pick it up this time. Worst case scenario someone tries to sell me on an extended warranty or do a political survey, I guess.
That sort of put serious dating on pause for a while for me. But as the end of my contract approaches after next season, the little voice in the back of my mind saying I should retire and settle in Portland instead of uprooting for a few more years on another team is getting more and more convincing.
We barely have time to look over the wine list before a server comes by. “Welcome! We will be getting the painting started in a few moments. I do want to highlight that all of our wines are sourced from local Oregon wineries. What can I get for you to drink?”
background image is purple clouds. text says Last Chance (for now) and has an image of the cover of the novel At Your Pace enclosed in an ipad or ereader. There is a little price tag with $2.99 on it
“She’s so easy to talk to and joke with, but with less of the bite that Iris can deliver. I lose track of time with her, oblivious to the buzzing of my watch, and the other students around. I think she’s having a good time too. It doesn’t seem like she’s rushing to get out of here, but I don’t want to look into it too much.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
screenshot of a google doc file. “What type of nurse do you do, Paloma?” I ask “Hospital”
Photo of a small wall mounted bookshelf with three shelves, more than half filled with a variety of books
3x3 grid of images from top left: brick university building, orange background that says "At Your Pace", baseball and bat on a dirt field, a bookshelf, a young couple cuddling in bed, a sunset in a forest, a line of string lights, orange background white text that says 'Available now', a classroom with individual desks and a green chalkboard
“I’m sorry I ruined our anniversary,” she mumbles as we get to a spot where we can hear ourselves. I rub my thumb over her hand. “What? No, Ler. You didn’t ruin it.” She pouts. “You suggested somewhere normal and I picked the weird place with the bad music. And the wrong drinks. And we didn't even get to eat the ham cheesy potato appetizer thing you wanted. It was objectively kind of a failure.”
Screenshot of Amazon listing for the book At Your Pace. Image text says: Book 1 of 1 ‏ : ‎ Hudson Valley State Best Sellers Rank: #314,495 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #889 in Friends to Lovers Romance (Books) #1,287 in Friends to Lovers Romance (Kindle Store) #3,834 in Sports Romance (Books) Customer Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars (4)
“It’s just a Sunday watching football, but I get a sense like I’m living through a really poignant moment in my life that I should savor. I look up from my reading and really look around the room. My two closest friends and Valeria—I don’t know exactly what we are yet, but I like her a lot—all hanging out, sitting together comfortably, eating together, in our long-standing weekend plans. It’s touching, all of them happily obliging me and my choice of entertainment. Iris was right. This is good, and it’s all because of them.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
“Did you all have fun at the brewery last night?” Mom asks as she starts another pot of coffee. “Yep. Rob and Hailey might have grilled Valeria more than you did, believe it or not.” Their questions were a lot more fun, but I don't need to say that aloud. A few beers deep, Hailey started her favorite game, asking "would you rather" between the most insane hypothetical scenarios. Rob culminated the game with a difficult one: “If you had to delete football or baseball from existence which would you choose and why?” This caused both Valeria and me to contemplate, and my super-smart girlfriend found a loophole by saying football because we could just take up an interest in rugby as a substitute.
Photo of a three shelf bookshelf with about 20 books and 2 books on CD on it messily arranged
“So, Valeria mentioned she’s applying to Ph.D. programs this fall,” my dad chimes in. “Yep.” “Do you know where?” Mom asks in that artificially casual tone, keeping her eyes down on her coffee. I shrug. “I think she’s still narrowing down the list.” I haven’t asked. It's over a year away.
So, I put a little more effort into what I wore yesterday morning. I cuffed my jeans (partially a necessity for my height, but also thankfully trendy queer-coded fashion), picked a cute little button-up shirt I thrifted over the summer, and laced up my fresh sneakers for the school year. It’s been a little too warm for flannels and boots just yet. Which sucks. I need the extra height. And I put on one swipe of liquid black eyeliner. Big change for senior year. Hair? Still purple, freshly touched up yesterday. Still short, qualifies as a pixie, but I had the stylist keep the top be a little longer. 
up close photo of a paperback of the novel At Your Pace against a baseball stadium background
“Valeria once again joins us for Football Homework. She made use of the freshly picked apples from her outing in an apple crisp that is so good, I eat three normal-sized bites from her plate. “It’s supposed to have ice cream on top, but since it doesn’t, it’s basically oatmeal,” she says. It’s not, but I’ll delude myself into thinking the sweetness is entirely from the apples for a Sunday treat. Between the four of us, it’s gone by the end of the first quarter of the first game.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
Image of 3 shelves of a bookshelf, mostly empty, containing a mix of hardback and paperback books, including new moon by stepehenie Meyer and at your pace
We could hear the roar of the stadium before we could see it. The deep booming of the drum lines echoed across campus, bouncing off the tall academic and dorm buildings at the center of campus. Well, Iris and I could. Asher had his earplugs in, but at least he agreed to join. The stadium’s student section was a sea of red and white. The band played the familiar “We Will Rock You” as we walked in. The lion mascot waved a flag, hyping up the crowd. The first game of the season - men’s soccer - was about to start. Soccer wasn’t quite my thing, but I loved the environment of any kind of sports match. Going to the first game of the season was a ritual to kick off the new school year. I also knew the energy that came from playing a game with a big crowd. It amped me up to bring home the win, but made me a little nervous too. The soccer guys were more popular than our baseball crowd, but I still liked showing up for them. I spotted some spots on the bleachers at the back and we made our way up there. Iris stood on the seat to be able to see over the crowd.
Image of a white hand holding a paperback copy of the novel At Your Pace in front of a baseball stadium from home plate on an afternoon with a blue sky
Photo of heritage financial park a minor league baseball stadium from behind home plate on a cloudy evening
At Your Pace Hope Engel Not yet published Expected 8 Jul 26 4.50 10 ratings11 reviews
“As you lower down to your mat, let’s take a moment to stretch,” Maya coos into the microphone again, and I internally rejoice. “Come up into a tabletop position, then slowly push your hips back and head down into puppy pose.” As I turn my head back to my mat, I can’t help but notice the plentiful curves of Valeria’s ass pushed into the air directly in front of me. I instantly push my head down to the mat and take some deep breaths. I do not want her thinking I’m staring. After our quick stretch break, it’s back to another round of the core and leg moves. My abs are starting to protest. Normally in my workouts, I follow my lifting routine or drills in practice without complaint or too much clock-watching. But here, I’m out of my element.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
“One final down, four to go. We walk hand in hand through the main quad, gingerly making our way back to my car. The cold, crisp air fills my lungs and helps me feel a little less queasy. The light snow had continued to fall. The campus is starting to get blanketed in little white fluffs, snow piling on the ground and tree branches. Students take a break to frolic in the snow on the grass. The only good thing about feeling so weak from the food poisoning and subsequent inability to eat much is that I don’t have the extra mental energy to overthink things. It’s all about getting through the moment, doing just what I need to. I have no extra processing power available for any sort of spiral of second-guessing. All of a sudden, I need to tell Valeria what I’ve been feeling for weeks, right now. The presentation is behind us. I don’t have any more good excuses to delay it.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
I give her a little squeeze. " [happiness, celebration]
chapter thirteen. The sun is almost set and casts long shadows over Valeria’s street as I approach her house. Should I knock? Ring the doorbell? Text her? I knock, feeling my hands get a little sweaty. I try to subtly wipe them on my jeans before she opens the door.
Sasquatchmom june 2026 wrap up: 9 books read, 2262 pages, average rating 4.0. Highest rated reads father material by Alexis hall, happy place by Emily Henry, you made a fool of death with your beauty, 100% fiction read. 29% more books than May and 1% more pages
If we’re going to do Halloween with Valeria, Iris insists we need costumes. On Saturday, with Asher at an e-sports tournament downtown and set with his costume, Iris and I hit up the nearest thrift store.
“What’s your favorite color?” she asks. “Hmm. Probably green?” “What shade of green?” I ponder this. “A dark green. Like the forest. How about you?” “Oh, it changes all the time. But I’ve always liked turquoise. Like the water in the ocean.” “That’s pretty.” I think of what to ask her.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
Image of a laptop propped up on a laptop stand, a bowl with paper folded up in it, and a paperback copy of the novel At Your Pace on a windowsill overlooking a small parking lot
“Did you know each other before this class?” she continues. “Nope.” “Finally!” she says, and Valeria laughs. “Do you know how many project pairs I root for?” I don’t know what’s going on with Elijah and McKenzie, but she might have a second matchmake she can take credit for.
white background. humorous image. center is the cover of the romance novel at your pace featuring a latina female and white male college student on encased in an ipad. around it are two red banners that say "last chance" and "arcs" and images of a free sale tag, an hourglass, a stopwatch, 2 people running, a dollar sign with a cross over it, a yellow megaphone, a circle that says "just in time" in red text" and "take action" with a checkmark in yellow pink and green
“Dr. Metzger checks her watch. “Before we conclude today, let me just take a few minutes to discuss some of your upcoming work. To help prepare you for your work in the ‘real world,’ as they say, you’ll be working in groups on two projects this semester—one due around midterms and one final project.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
Background image is pale pink and purple clouds. Text on top of it says: “Lately when I need to get myself off, I’ve been letting my mind wander to the curve of her ass that I see at the gym, but now I have new material—visual, audio, and tactile. Letting myself indulge in replaying the events of last night has me fully hard in record time. I’m dying to know: Is she just as horny as I am this morning too? Does she touch herself when she is? Does she think of me when she does?”
background image is a blonde male and brunette female cuddling in bed, fairly transparent. On top the text says At Your Pace naughty word count: sex - 15, fuck - 11, ass - 10, balls - 7, grind - 3, condom - 2, dick - 2, bra - 1
“Of course, in the half hour he’s been here, Rob has knocked back a beer and found a way to add fuel to the fire. During appetizers, he makes rounds and asks multiple guests if they’ve heard about my new girlfriend. He ignores my glares and text message plea for him to stop, not wanting to draw any more attention to the matter. He culminates with Aunt Krista while she’s seated next to Mom.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
Screenshot of a StoryGraph listing for a book with 1 4-star review showing the pace is medium, the book is plot driven, and it has lovable characters
“Ugh, I just want to be irresponsible and have you stay over,” she grumbles, playing with the zipper of my jacket.
“I’m taken aback. No one has ever even suggested I consider keeping up with baseball after college. When I’d floated the idea of going pro when I got recruited for the Hudson Valley State team, my mom had told me to be realistic, keep my grades up, and get some real resume experience. I never even brought up playing for a summer collegiate wood bat league to try to capture a scout’s attention. My family and I have this unspoken understanding that baseball was just a thing I could do to maybe get me to college, cover some of the cost, and then it will just… end.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
She boards the train, and I wait on the platform until it rolls away. The first hard part of the day over, I take a deep breath and walk back to my car, messaging Rob and Hailey that I’m on my way to get Harper.
“The trees are in their fall best, radiating golden and orange against the blue sky, which gives me something to look at so I don’t just stare at her. Sunlight trickles through to the paved path, and it’s a perfectly comfortable day—one of the last before we’ll need heavier jackets. Families enjoying a bit of sunshine in between the rainstorms fill the park. We walk slowly along the sidewalk that loops through it.” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
“Iris will figure it out eventually, so I might as well see if she knows her. I look around to see if she’s around, then drop my voice low. “Do you know a girl named Valeria Rivera Betancourt?” Iris claps her hands together, fingers tapping against one another. “She lived on my floor freshman year. She’s really nice. What about her?” I can see the excitement bubbling up in her. This is all working out just a little too well. “Well, we got assigned to work together on a group project. And…” I hesitate. “Spit it out,” Iris demands, bouncing up and down. I lower my eyes. “She’s, like, super pretty.” Iris nearly squeals. Some people at the next table actually look over at her. I put my head in my hands.”
“Valeria sips her piña colada and chats with Iris and Peyton and Alyssa. I’m trying to tidy up as I go, but Valeria pulls me to the living room. “Sit down; you’ve been playing bartender,” she says. After I get at least the blender cleaned and put away—I don’t want someone slicing themself on the blades—I oblige. I sit on the couch across from” Excerpt From At Your Pace Hope Engel This material may be protected by copyright.
Image of the top of a bell pepper plant with nine bright green leaves, and three buds of early peppers in a potted plant
“Hey,” I say. In a moment of inspiration fueled by the extra shot I slammed earlier against my better judgement, I slip my hand onto the small of her back, feeling the warmth of her bare skin. My brain’s moving slower than my hand. Oh shit, she’s wearing a crop top. She’s going to think I’m so creepy.”
screenshot of the header of the bluesky profile for hope engel. cover image is blue and says "at your pace coming july 8th pre-order now!" with illustrated white male and latina female college students looking at one another. copy says Hope Engel and has an image of me, a brunette white female. it says @hopeengel.com, 613 followers, 395 following, 4.1k posts bio reads: reader, writer, cat mom, baseball fan, based in NY. Debut novel "at your pace" coming july 8th 2026 - get an ARC here with a link to a google form
Image of a pumpkin plant and a tomato plant in a planter on a deck
“Dr. Metzger continues with her presentation. “What are some of the different ways within our cultures that shape how we communicate?” A fellow guy in my major takes this one. “Language, but not just literally the words we speak. I’m having a hard time thinking of an example, but there are studies about how speaking in different languages causes our brains to work differently. Like some concepts don’t exist in some languages and others have specific words for different phenomenon. But it’s like a two-way street, like culture shapes language but language also shapes how we think and act.” I notice Valeria nodding to herself as she jots down notes.”
Photo of a broken tomato plant indoors with the branches set off to the side on the floor
Cover of the novel At Your Pace. Blue background illustrated to look like a chalkboard in a classroom. Features two college students, a white male and a Latina female looking at one another. The male character is wearing a red baseball cap, red sleeved baseball shirt, jeans, and holds a baseball glove. The female wears a blue dress and glasses and has a hibiscus flower tattoo on her arm.
screenshot formatted as an imessage chain. Emerson: last thing for the liquor store list - —rum please Iris: Sure. Why Emerson: piña coladas Asher: Since when do you like piña coladas? Emerson: you get one guess who does Iris: Awwwwwwww boyfriend Emerson is back!!!!!
Maybe the physical distance between us makes it a little easier to open up, because it feels like a good time to go out on a limb. “I’ve missed you this weekend,” I say before I can convince myself otherwise. “I’ve missed you, too,” Valeria replies instantly, warming my heart. I see my chance. “What time do you get back tomorrow?” “Probably like noon? I think we’re all ready to be home.” I thought it would be later. I run my hands through my hair. “I know you’ll need some time to like, settle in and stuff, but if you have time, I’d… really like to see you tomorrow. But if you need the night to prep for the week, I totally get it,” I say, offering her an out to save face.
Picture of a box of a product called mineral spring Emerson runner 2‘ x 7‘ at Costco
We grab towels and dry off. I crack open the cooler and pass around the sandwiches we made back at home. I hand one over to my niece. “Okay Harper, yours has just turkey-” “Does mine have salami?” Rob interrupts. “Yep," I say, handing his over. “Why does Mom get the good ingredients now that I don’t live there?” Rob jokes. “Probably because you would have bankrupted our family on cured meats," I say. Rob tears a bite off. “Hailey, we need to add this to the grocery list.” “You’ll bankrupt our family on cured meats instead,” Hailey laughs before turning her attention to Harper. “Dry your hands before you eat the cheese puffs, baby, that’s... gross.” I look over at Valeria sitting and munching on her sandwich, hanging out and joking with my family as if she’s known them for years rather than just a few months. I don’t even mind when she and Rob joke at my expense in Spanish I can barely understand. I feel a sense of warmth that has nothing to do with the scorching heat of the last summer day at the lake.
screenshot of the new york times books instagram post saying "74 books everyone will be reading this summer" with 30+ book covers on it, but the 74 is crossed out and 75 added above it, as a joke
I join the meeting link minute before, and take a deep breath. Suddenly, a man in his fifties hops onto the screen, wearing a black zip-up jacket with the school logo embroidered. Did I overdo it wearing a button down?