By Mhairi McFarlane

“But I did win. For the first time, I’m not scared of the future. I want to use its potential. Words saved me. My words.“

What a great book! A perfect mix of fun and funny with depth and serious issues. I teared up a couple of times and cheered a couple of times. Georgina and Lucas are two of the most intriguing and likable couples I’ve come across lately. Although Georgina’s life has been stunted both personally and professionally by two traumatic experiences, she is never a victim. She is strong and smart even though she has to tackle some challenges in order to lead her best life. One of which is a stalker ex-boyfriend. Troublesome scary Exs have been very prevalent in the novels I’ve been reading lately. Just an observation.

Lucas is a heartthrob but mysterious. He is revealed to have hidden depths and more than worthy of our Georgina, who I came to really love as a character. He is responsible for what I think is one of the most romantic passages I’ve read ever. I can’t say more. I’ve read a few reviews where the reader did not think that the book was romantic. I couldn’t disagree more. Okay. I guess if all you want from a romance is sexy scenes and if when and how the couple is going to seal the deal, then maybe this is not your kind of romance.

The author wisely keeps us wondering about a couple of things: the mystery of Lucas not remembering his steady girl in high school, and what has been holding Georgina, a talented writer, back for the last 12 years. The book is peopled with great secondary characters both family and friends. I love when characters other than the MCs have important parts and show some change and development. Just an excellent book. I got this from the library, but have already purchased a 3 pack of Mhairi McFarlane’s previous novels. None are rated as highly as this one, but she is such a good writer, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed. I can’t recommend this highly enough to anyone who loves Kristan Higgins, Milly Johnson, or Sophie Kinsella. **5 stars out of 5**

October 12, 2019