A beautiful portrait of love, grief, rediscovery and what it means to be a part of something.
This age-gap/taboo romance is about Riley (21 yrs old) and Banks (40 years old), and their road trip from New Mexico to Vermont.
Riley is the daughter of Banks' best friends, Laci and Joshua .
Joshua and Banks served as Army Rangers together, and one day, when Riley was just in grade school, while on a high risk mission, the vehicle Joshua was riding in, was attacked and it exploded. Joshua died that day, and so did a piece of Banks.
Before Laci died, she left instructions with her lawyer and Riley's paternal grandmother, that Riley is to travel from New Mexico to Vermont to live with her grandmother. and she asked that banks be the one to drive her there, and use the road trip as an opportunity to learn about her father through stories and memories shared.
The night before Riley is to meet with her transporter, she meets a handsome man who she is immediately drawn to. He feels it too. He asks her to show him the town and together they have a fun, easy time together at the town's carnival. She shares with him that her favourite ride is the ferris wheel - that when she is at the very top, she feels free, unstoppable, capable of anything. He finds himself falling for her, which is crazy because he just met her. He can tell she is much younger than him, but not sure just how young. They share a deep, steamy kiss, and he asks her to spend the night with him. She declines, but not because she wouldn't want to, but because she has a boyfriend and she's leaving anyway. what would be the point, she thinks to herself...
The next day, that handsome man shows up at her door. Imagine their surprise when they realize who the other person is. Banks had it in his mind that Riley was still that 9 year old girl - he showed up with a giant rainbow unicorn stuffy.
Riley, with her BFF Otis, a 4 yr old German Shepard, load up in the SUV and go on a road trip that will change their lives.
Riley and Banks learn so much about themselves, each other and Riley is finally learning more about her dad. Laci left Banks her diary, to read in private and to consider sharing parts of it with Riley. In that diary, Banks learns so much more about Laci and the love he, Joshua and Laci had for each other. No, it was not a MMF relationship.
Along the way, they stay with former Rangers, who open their homes and their arms to Banks and Riley. Some either knew her father personally or were part of a team who knew him.
The book is sheds light and insight to the experiences and struggles of a those who serve to protect their country. The author writes about Bank's PTSD with compassion and understanding.
Riley may be young, but she is wise, smart and an old soul. She can see through people and can navigate difficult situations with a maturity not common for someone so young and inexperienced.
Banks is trying his hardest to do the honourable thing by his late friends. He wants to be with Riley, but believes she deserves so much more than his broken pieces. Riley is determined to show him that their age-gap is nothing more than just a number, and that they should listen to their hearts, and not the opinion of others. Will Banks do the "right" thing? or will he do the right thing for himself?
I was given a free ARC of this book, and this review is my opinion