Author Tia Williams on "Audre & Bash Are Just Friends," her new book for young adults

CBS News

06-05-2025

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Club Calvi is spotlighting a new young adult romantic comedy book by bestselling author Tia Williams.
"Audre and Bash are Just Friends" is set in Williams' home borough of Brooklyn and features a character familiar to readers of her novel "Seven Days in June." In that book, Audre is the 12-year-old daughter of the female protagonist, Eva, and a student at an elite private school.
"She's just a hilarious character," Williams said. "She's very wise and she has a side-hustle therapy business where she charges $25 to classmates to give them therapy sessions. She was just so funny and ended up being a fan-favorite. I got so many messages, 'Where is the rest of Audre's story? Where is she now? We want more.' I decided to follow her up four years later as a 16-year-old and give her a summer romance."
Audre is still selling advice, but now finds she needs help. She seeks out Bash, the boy everyone is talking about.
"He is the new guy in town," Williams said. "He's a bad boy and so handsome and so cool."
Audre's issue is that she doesn't know how to have fun. She hires Bash to be her "funsultant," as Williams describes it.
Audre is writing a self-help book titled "A Teen's Rules For Flourishing on This Dying Planet" with the hope it will help her get admitted to Stanford University. Mary asked Williams for some of her favorite "rules."
"One of the sillier ones was: 'If you're wearing a light-colored dress and get caught in the rain make sure you are wearing nude panties or else your bright orange panties will show,' and she was speaking from experience," Williams said. "Also, 'If you run into a hot loner in the park and he drops a pearl of wisdom, don't write it off because he's good-looking and a player. He might be actually a sage.'"
The book is not solely fun and games. Audre and Bash are also dealing with family issues.
"They are both trying to navigate difficult relationships with parents, mental health issues, and the scary what-do-we-do-after-senior-year moment," Williams said. "It's a dance between the frothy, exciting, delirious feelings of new first love and some of the tougher aspects of being a teenager."
You can read an excerpt and purchase the book below.
The CBS New York Book Club focuses on books connected to the Tri-State Area in their plots and/or authors. The books may contain adult themes.
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"Audre & Bash Are Just Friends" by Tia Williams
From the publisher:
MEET AUDRE. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time.
MEET BASH. Mysterious new senior. Everybody's crush. Tall, floppy, great taste in jewelry. King of having a good time.
It's the last day of school at Cheshire Prep, Brooklyn's elite academy-and Audre Mercy-Moore's life is a mess. Her dad cancelled her annual summer visit to his Malibu beach house. Now? She's stuck in a claustrophobic apartment with her mom, stepdad, and one-year-old sister (aka the Goblin Baby).
Under these conditions, she'll never finish writing her self-help book-ie, the key to winning over Stanford's admissions board.
Cut to Bash Henry! Audre hires him to be her "fun consultant." His job? To help her complete the Experience Challenge-her list of five wild dares designed to give her juicy book material. She'll get inspo; he'll get paid. Everybody wins.
He isn't boyfriend material. And she's not looking for one. Can they stay professional despite their obvious connection?
Tia Williams lives in Brooklyn.
Little Brown
"Audre & Bash Are Just Friends" by Tia Williams (ThriftBooks) $17
Excerpt: "Audre & Bash Are Just Friends" by Tia Williams
Chapter 11
I am simply a girl asking a boy for help in reaching a goal, thought Audre as she strode toward Just Because. Nerves? None to see here.
She told herself that Bash was just a guy she hired to perform a service. A means to an end. She was being proactive! Instead of sitting around, wallowing in self-pity because her life was in shambles, she was wrestling her personal drama to the ground! As she headed down the bustling sidewalk, she felt lifted by a powerful surge of confidence.
But then, flashing across her brain, was a picture of his sculpted biceps flexing as he crossed his arms. And his sparklyeyed, megawatt smile. And she remembered that his (apparent) kindness felt weirdly at odds with his reputation. Hello, nerves.
Something about him made her feel things— which was embarrassingly cliché. It's like he was AI designed to be crushworthy. When Sparrow said he looked at her and she felt a cosmic spark? For once, that girl wasn't being dramatic. Audre had felt the same thing. When his soulful gaze fell on her, she went all gooey. Clearly, he was cosmic with everyone. Maybe it was a trait he couldn't help, like freckles or a super-long second toe. He'd probably have sexual tension with a potted plant.
No. Audre was too practical to let this meaningless attraction spiral into a Whole Thing. And, she reminded herself, he was almost certainly dating that Prospect Park girl. Besides, she suspected he only had two brain cells in his head. He could go from super engaged to checked out in seconds. Was he fried? Was she boring? Hard to say. But he could help with her book.
Besides, feeling attraction wasn't the same as acting on it. And maybe it wasn't even attraction. Maybe it was just appreciation. Like admiring good art.
Audre turned the corner on Degraw. And there was Bash. He was standing under the Just Because awning wearing striped swim trunks, a short- sleeve button- down (the buttons were pointless since the first three were undone), a rope necklace, and Nike slides. The top of his hair was tied into a knot. He looked like a person who lost their luggage on a tropical vacation.
And yet he made Audre's stomach flip-flop. She swallowed hard and then tugged at her short smocked sundress. Was she too dressed up? Were the platform sandals too much?
"Hey!" she called out.
Bash looked up from his phone and saw her. His eyes widened and, from her vantage point, he seemed to freeze. Just for a moment, though. Then his face softened, and he flashed Audre a small, hesitant grin. It was a symphony of expressions.
"Hey you," he said. "What's going on?"
"Nothing much!" Her voice sounded strained.
"That's wassup."
They stood silent for a bit, fidgeting and looking at their feet. Finally, Bash spoke up.
"Let's just start over. Like we're meeting for the first time."
"Great idea!"
"Are you a hugger? I'm a hugger."
"Let's hug!" They embraced stiffly while managing to keep their actual bodies far from each other. She did note that the top of her head fit nicely under his chin.
Bash pulled away, thrusting his hands in his pockets. "You look nice."
"You too. Um . . . this isn't a date," she blurted out. Immediately, she wished for death.
"Um . . . I know," he said, his eyes widening. "Damn. You're hella direct."
"I don't know why I said that. I'm sorry. I just think boundaries are super important."
"I'm aware it's not a date. I'm your fun consultant. Your funsultant."
"You're funny." She lightly punched him on the shoulder and immediately felt like an idiot. "So. I'm excited to get started."
"Me too, but I just wanna manage your expectations. I'm not as interesting as you think."
Audre's face fell. "Please don't back out. You already agreed to help me. On this mortal plane, all we have is our word, Bash."
"On this mortal plane." He tilted his head, mulling it over. "Bars."
"Well, in third grade I won a citywide poetry contest," she offered awkwardly.
He grinned. "Don't worry, Audre, I'm not backing out. I kinda feel like you're nervous.
Excerpted from "Audre & Bash Are Just Friends" by Tia Williams. Copyright © 2025. Reprinted with permission of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.
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