Orlando's reigning Big Time Celebrity Author does it again with her third novel, another sexy, funny, queer classic. You don't need to be Orlandoan to love Arnett's books — as her dozens of critics' picks and weeks on various bestseller lists over the years prove — but if you are a local, the level of astute detail will enrich the wisdom and whimsy of Stop Me. Scenes set in 7-Eleven parking lots, Publix aisles, plastic McMansions and DIY punk houses, soundtracked by I-4 traffic and alt-right comedians, capture the anxiety felt by each of us, every day, "in this economy," haha. But felt just a little bit more in the South. And just another little bit more if you're gay in the South. And, well, still more if you're underemployed and gay in the South. And Arnett makes the heartbreak hilarious.
Best of Orlando 2025: Arts + Entertainment
1st Place: Snap! Orlando (RIP), snaporlando.com
2nd Place: Crealdé School of Art Alice and William Jenkins Gallery, crealde.org
3rd Place: CityArts, downtownartsdistrict.com/cityarts
1st Place: Vicki Landon, orangecountyfl.net
2nd Place: Frankie Messina, frankiemessina.wordpress.com
3rd Place: Patrick Kahn, dearly departed, snaporlando.com
1st Place: Orlando Fringe, orlandofringe.org
2nd Place: Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, wpsaf.org
3rd Place: Immerse, immersefest.com
1st Place: Les Vixens Burlesque, lesvixens.com
2nd Place: Mystix Burlesque, mystixburlesque.com
3rd Place: Corsets and Cuties, corsetsandcuties.com
1st Place: Orlando Ballet, orlandoballet.org
2nd Place: Phantasmagoria, phantasmagoriaorlando.com
3rd Place: ME Dance Co., marshallellisdanceschool.com
1st Place: Florida Film Festival, floridafilmfestival.com
2nd Place: Orlando Film Festival, offvirtual.com
3rd Place: Orlando International Film Festival, orlandointernationalfilmfestival.org
1st Place: Joey Fatone, facebook.com/realjoeyfatone
2nd Place: Megan Borkes, linkedin.com/in/megan-borkes
3rd Place: Kendall Leamy, instagram.com/kendall_leamy
1st Place: Owl Goingback, owlgoingback.com
2nd Place: Aldrin Hicks, facebook.com/aldrinh1
3rd Place: Ilene Lieber, zoeysadventuresbooks.com
1st Place: Ivanhoe Park Brewing Co., Curtains Up, ivanhoeparkbrewing.com
2nd Place: Sideward Brewing Co., Moon Boots, sidewardbrewing.com
3rd Place: Deviant Wolfe Brewing, Nefarious Nebulas, deviantwolfebrewing.com