You, Me & the Conspiracy by Emma Barry ~ a Review

by MK French

Tenure-track history professor Jessica Wilson needs something new to publish, and discovers a coded message written by one of the founding fathers that can change understanding of American history if she can prove it’s real. Jess tracks down Harvard PhD student turned adjunct professor Calloway Morgan. He left grad school when researching a shadowy revolutionary organization, so he might have been onto something. The two begin to work together, but the clandestine fraternity still exists and is ready to kill. Jess and Cal’s attraction grows as they go on the run, trying to avoid being the conspiracy’s latest victims.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

November 2026; Atria Books; 978-1668229118
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); rom-com

If you're a fan of the movie National Treasure, pick up this book. The coded message is a cipher, asking to move an item; on its back are two words in Latin that happen to be the name of an organization that opposed George Washington. Cal is sure there was a conspiracy to stage a coup against Washington, and the organization that staged it succeeded in making him a puppet president. He was essentially drummed out of academia for it, and it's that same publish-or-perish world that Jess works in. He warns her away, but her search for truth matches his own. It means working with a conspiracy theorist, hiding out, and tracking down members of the group to try to prove that it exists and that their academic careers weren't tanked for nothing. 

The conspiracy is a fun nod to Revolutionary War history buffs; hiding keeps Jess and Cal in close quarters. The initial attraction to each other grows, and they fit in more ways than just their mutual love of early American history and revealing the truth. They talk about their innermost thoughts and fears, and truly understand and trust each other. It's a good romance alongside the cinematic scenes, and I had a hard time putting the book down.

Buy You, Me & the Conspiracy at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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