Book publisher Virago, a division of Little, Brown, has secured UK and Commonwealth rights to Lovers XXX, a literary novel by Allie Rowbottom, book news company The Bookseller revealed on Wednesday.

The acquisition was made by Anna Kelly from Emma Finn at C&W, while US rights were obtained by Mark Doten at Soho Press from Erin Harris at Folio Literary.

Lovers XXX explores the complex friendship between two young women, Jude and Winnie, who navigate the 1980s Los Angeles porn industry. Both women have fled traumatic pasts, with Winnie gaining fame for her beauty and Jude discovering a unique talent for on-camera sex. Amid the allure of drugs, sex and parties, they face intense sexism, fierce competition and the instability of life on the fringes. Their friendship ends in betrayal and decades later, Winnie embarks on a quest to uncover the fate of Jude.

Rowbottom, a Los Angeles-based author known for her debut novel Aesthetica and memoir Jell-O Girls, was a finalist for the 2023 National Magazine Award for fiction. Lovers XXX is set for release in June 2026.

Kelly described the novel as "a dark, addictive adventure" that also delves into feminism and female agency. Rowbottom added that she wrote the book to explore women's empowerment within oppressive systems and expressed her excitement to share her work with UK readers.