By a Thread

By a Thread (2020) is a contemporary romance novel by New York Times bestselling author Lucy Score. The novel was originally self-published through That’s What She Said, Inc. and quickly achieved the #1 bestselling Kindle ranking on Amazon.

By a Thread is a workplace, enemies-to-lovers romance that traces the tempestuous relationship between protagonists and first-person narrators Ally Morales and Dominic Russo. The novel features literary allusions to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813), casting Ally as the sharp-tongued, financially struggling independent woman, and Dominic as the severe, wealthy bachelor. The protagonists’ passionate dynamic explores themes of Balancing Personal and Professional Responsibilities, Overcoming Personal Demons, and Communication and Vulnerability in Relationships.

This guide refers to the 2022 Sourcebooks paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source text and guide include cursing, sexual content, and references to sexual harassment and abuse, disordered eating, mental health, chronic illness, and child abandonment.

Plot Summary

Thirty-nine-year old Ally Morales abandons her life in Colorado to move back to the East Coast to help her father when he grows ill. His dementia has progressed and Ally knows he won’t be able to care for himself without her help. She moves back into her childhood home, puts her dad into a nursing home, and takes on multiple different jobs: bartender, server, dance instructor, and freelance graphic designer. In the meantime, she starts renovating the house so she can resell it, pay off her dad’s expenses, and recover the money a scam artist recently stole from her.

One night while working at George’s Village Pizza, Ally encounters an entitled customer named Dominic Russo. Dominic is there with his mother, Dalessandra, but shows no qualms about harassing Ally for being rude to him. As payback, Ally spells out an explicit message using pepperoni on his pizza. Dominic reports her to her boss, who fires her.

As Ally waits for the bus feeling defeated, Dalessandra appears, apologizes for Dominic’s behavior, and offers Ally a job at her fashion magazine Label. Ally is thrilled by this new opportunity, but neither she nor Dominic is pleased when they run into each other in the hall. Dominic recently took over his father Paul’s position as creative director—a transition needed after Paul committed multiple acts of sexual harassment and abuse. Dominic is frustrated with the new role because he doesn’t like fashion and fears that everyone sees him as Paul. Ally’s presence further upsets him.

Dominic soon realizes that although Ally is annoying, she’s also attractive and intriguing. He finds excuses to talk to and work with her. He reads her file and shows up at her bartending job to demand that they work out their dynamic. Ally is also attracted to Dominic but is afraid that her feelings will compromise her job—which she needs to care for her dad and make ends meet. Dominic admits his feelings too. Ultimately, the two decide that they can’t spend time together in person and should try to establish a friendship via email. The online exchange only heightens their feelings for each other.

Meanwhile, Ally encounters a financial crisis. She can’t afford to pay her dad’s medical expenses because her paycheck from Label hasn’t cleared. She contacts her friend Faith Vigoda and asks to dance at Faith’s strip club on amateur night. There she runs into Dominic, who tries to pay her an exorbitant amount of money for a private dance he thinks will help cover her expenses. She does the dance but refuses his money. The next day, she takes her tips from the club to pay her dad’s fees but the nursing home clerk won’t accept cash. Then, Ally gets an email announcing that she’s been promoted to personal assistant and that a bonus has been wired to her account. She pays the fees, feeling triumphant.

On Monday, Ally is horrified to discover that she will be working under Dominic. The two agree to keep their dynamic professional. However, passion continues to brew over the following weeks. Finally, one night, Dominic discovers Ally in the office with bruises on her face: Her dad hit her but didn’t know what he was doing because of his mental decline. She opens up about her difficult family and financial situation. Dominic comforts her and they have sex in his office.

When Ally and Dominic decide to formally date, Dominic moves Ally into his apartment because her dad’s house is a construction site. He and Ally tell Dalessandra that they’re together, and clear their professional and personal relationships with HR. The company transfers Ally to graphics.

Everything seems perfect until Dominic has altercations with his father and his ex in the course of a few days. The encounters remind him of everything his dad and ex did to hurt him. Still reeling from anger, he sees images of Ally posing on a designer’s social media page. He races home and accuses her of cheating on him and using him for his money.

Ally moves out of Dominic’s house and quits her job at Label. The two stop speaking for many weeks. During their separation, Dominic realizes his mistakes. He emails Ally regularly to apologize. Then, he buys her dad’s house, gives her a grant for his care, and changes the tenor of Label’s next issue in her honor. Not long later, Dominic shows up at Ally’s new serving job. The two profess their love and make amends.

In the epilogue, Ally and Dominic discover that they’re going to have a baby and make plans to get married. Then they move into Ally’s dad’s house, where they soon begin raising their daughter. In the next 10 years, Dominic buys Ally her dream house and they adopt two children.