Ellie Hayes and the Himbos

King (A Certain Appeal) opens her playful sophomore outing on a very bad day for 30-something Ellie Hayes. She’s just been tentatively diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dumped by her live-in boyfriend, leaving her desperately searching for a new place. Following a sparkly pink sign advertising a room for rent near UT Austin, Ellie expects to meet and hopefully room with a group of female college students. Instead, a trio of puppy-like, early-20s “dudelings”—Grant, Diego, and Alistair—open the door. Somewhat surprisingly, they immediately click, with the boys asking Ellie not only to move in but also to be their mentor “for adult stuff.” Ellie also hits it off with Grant’s burly older brother, Ian Hammond, whom she meets—and makes out with—while drunkenly cleaning the apartment’s filthy bathroom during a kegger. When Ellie gets a job at Ian’s gym, the pair fall hard—but she’s worried that if she tells him her diagnosis she’ll scare him off. Sweet, considerate Ian, whom Ellie thinks of as “Man Mountain” and “Mr. T-Shirts Don’t Fit My Arms,” is easy to fall for, as is bubbly but practical Ellie. Meanwhile, the trio of hapless but bighearted college bros adds plenty of humor. This is a treat. (Nov.)