Reservation for 40: The Backup Husband

By David Lagattuta Jr.

The Backup Husband is a poignant, humorous, and deeply human story about modern love, chosen family, and what happens when private pain becomes public entertainment. Set against the humid, glittering mess of New Orleans, the novel follows Toni Belsom and Cal Rafferty, best friends who have survived decades of bad timing, heartbreak, and each other.

When a viral video shoves them into the spotlight, Toni and Cal decide to turn the attention into something useful: The Backup Promise, a community fundraiser built from the wreckage of a reality-TV nightmare. As the city starts watching, Toni finds herself drawn to Beau Landry, a steady handyman who has no interest in performing for anyone. Cal, meanwhile, is forced to confront the quiet heartbreak he has spent years making jokes around, especially when Ellis Hart, a bookstore owner with patience and nerve, refuses to look away.

Funny, soft, and sharp around the edges, The Backup Husband is about the people who stay when the cameras are gone, the love that doesn't arrive on schedule, and the strange grace of discovering that being someone's backup was never the same thing as being second best.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H14MXBS3
• ISBN13: 9798196105074
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 131 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"