Read Between the Pines

Maple Ridge #1

by Mary Walden

She traded the skyscrapers of New York for the small-town charm of Maple Ridge, but running her aunt’s bookstore is just the beginning.

Abby thought escaping her fast-paced city life would be easy, but between a grumpy, brooding handyman (who just might be the most ruggedly handsome man she's ever met), a tight-knit community eager to play matchmaker, and exes that just won’t get the hint, nothing is as simple as it seems.

For fans of small-town charm, grumpy x sunshine, cinnamon roll heroes, and inheriting a new life, this heartwarming romance full of cozy fall vibes is a must-read.


Small town
Second Chances
Grumpy x Sunshine
Cinnamon roll hero
Cozy vibes

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Ebooks, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

162 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2024

Reviews

[Harmony Feldbusch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cute idea. Horrible execution. So many gaps and missing chunks of time and no depth to the characters. Barely any dialogue amongst the main characters but then an “I love you”was thrown out there after barely knowing each other? Yikes. Feels like it was written by a 12 year old.

[Jess Titts · Rating 1 out of 5]

It just felt a bit flat for me- the concept was great and held such promise but it felt a bit all over the place and very much felt like just a series of uplifting quotes rather than swinging to the romance side that it was pitched as.

[Jennifer Mathews · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started off really enjoying the sweet story line, but then it started making big jumps forward with nothing letting you know what had happened, so you end up feeling like you’ve missed big chunks of the story. Then parts seem to repeat with variations on a previous scene. I read the ebook, so maybe it was just a really bad editing job.

[Pamela A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝓐𝔀𝔀 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪 𝓬𝓸𝔃𝔂 𝓬𝓾𝓽𝓮 𝓼𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓰𝓻𝓾𝓶𝓹𝔂 𝓼𝓾𝓷𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮. 😍😍😍

𝓘 𝓯𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓲𝓷 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓶𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝔀𝓱𝓸 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮! 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪 𝓯𝓾𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝔃𝔂 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓼! 𝓘𝓶 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓽𝔀𝓸 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓭𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼! 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝔀𝓪𝓵𝓭𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼!! 😉😉😉😊😊😊🥰

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Between the Pines

What a delightful read! The characters were realistic and believable. The small town and townspeople made me wish I lived there.
The author did a beautiful job with the story and she made me want to read the next book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good book that leaves you feeling good and warm on a cozy night.

[KHexe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fourth Wing was mentioned like 4 times. Also it stinks AI (just like the cover)

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית ואנגלית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/read...

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love some grumpy man who is a sweetheart underneath. I wish someone would leave me a bookstore (not that I wish some of my relatives would die). But who hasn’t dreamed of fleeing their actual life and start all over again ?

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 75%—Felt like jumping from vignette to vignette from a poorly done Hallmark movie. No depth or development of characters.

[s.elle.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute cozy small town romance

This was a really cute bookstore romance!!

So glad I picked this up. It was such a nice quick read. The characters were lovely and I enjoyed their development.

I would recommend this book!!

[anenchantedcorner · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 56%. I need to stop letting covers lure me in, and stick to what I know. This is just 13 tropes and a cat meme under a trench coat masquerading as a romance novel. No real chemistry, no real character development, hell no real conversations. Everything so manufactured by BookTok I would think AI wrote this. Big yikes.

[autumnal_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was like a warm mug of hot chocolate topped with cosy dose of marshmallows

Honestly this book was a bookish autumn gals dream. Small town bookshop owner with hallmark movie vibes - SIGN ME UP!!

ive never read a book by this author before and honestly im ashamed because wow this author can write! Her stories have a great flow and thy can really set the scrne. I could so easily picturr the bookstore with its cosy nook, pumpkin autumn display and hot cocoa stand!

The budding relationship between the characters was a swoon worthy one. Classic hallmark romance and i loved it.

If you loved the pumpkin spice cafe book you will adore this!

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the perfect story to listen to while you work or do chores. It is a heartwarming, small-town town and endearing with the basis around a bookstore. The light romance and mature characters make this an enjoyable story. I love this bookstore and would love to visit it. The townsfolk are larger than life and so caring. The AI Audible was worth listening to and not boring at all.


Abby is a corporate woman working her life away at a New York City building, hoping to get the next promotion to Senior Creative Director. She is sassy, midlife, and good at what she does. However, life gets turned upside down when the one guy at work, Mr. Charisma, gets what she deserves. Also, she has a history with Mr. Charisma that went from work to a relationship to hate. So she quits.


Ethan is the small town handyman. He is grumpy, but Rich doesn’t have to work, but does anyway, as it gives him something to do. He has connections to everyone in Maple Ridge and loves this small town. He is mourning the passing of Maggie, the small-town book shop owner.


The story sets up nicely for our big city MC to come to the small town in upstate New York and inherit the bookstore. So far, I have loved Kayla and her amazing quotes for book lovers. I am listening to this story in Audio but also reading it as well.


I appreciate Ethan’s realistic pov and, of course, the townspeople's conversation. However, the bookshop isn’t as perfect as Abby had hoped, but it is cloaked in nostalgia. It needs a lot of work to open. The interactions are realistic and interesting. Let the bookshop renovation process begin.


Also, the whole town is full of readers is so wonderful. I love the quaint, nostalgic atmosphere of this story, the characters are endearing, and the whole village, in this case, town gets involved. This book's audio has me smiling and chuckling as I listen to it. It has the perfect amount of autumn vibes and, of course, popular book references to keep me entertained.


Ethan cares in his own grumpy way, but he is such a cinnamon roll. I love Molly and the fact that her friend is also in the story. Ethan has a history of exes as well, and it comes into the story, but he also has a self-confidence issue.


I like how cozy this story is, but also the fact that the characters keep moving forward. There is introspection, but mostly in the categories of what they are struggling with on the outside and in, and how to then move forward. The bookshop reopening is heartwarming, as well as the town characters gossip.


The only issue I have is why the past people keep coming up in the current storyline. Yes, it makes it more dramatic, but really, can we move on? Ugh, her ex is the perfect character to love to hate.


Abby is a strong female, loves standing up for herself and her choices against a manipulating jerk. Her tangents are meaningful and encouraging. Omg, I adore Matilda( the cat), her menacing behavior is amazing.


Ethan’s communication is honest but shy, Abby, on the other hadn’t is more flamboyant about her wishes and desires. But the tension and angst are really good.


The autumn activities will have you wishing it were already time to go pick pumpkins. The ending of this book is clean and sweet with a little touch of romance and a whole lot of cozy conversation. This story is a clean romance, just kissing.

[Hunter Edens · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was trying to push through this. This was supposed to be a quick read but I DNF’d at 84%. This was truly awful. I don’t think the author/ editors actually read this book beginning to end. The amount of repetitions, time gaps, contradictions, and lack of relational development was just baffling. This started out cute and cheesy (cheesy in the feel-good kind of way), then turned into something so painful to trudge through, I couldn’t even spend the remaining 43 minutes it would take to finish this. I’m just really confused on why this was the final draft for the book.

Also, I’ve never been so icked out by an MMC. Ethan was a total child. How is he gonna say two words to her, completely ignore how she acts uncomfortably when her ex shows up, then storm out “hurt” as if they were even a “thing”??? Make it make sense.

“Oh no, my ex forced himself on me and the whole shop came to my defense except Ethan because he felt CHEATED on and stormed out. I need to go explain to him that it’s not what it looks like!” GIRL… He hasn’t said more than 2 full sentences to you to get to know you… y’all ain’t dating! What are we doing here????

Anyways… rant over. Sorry. 🙃

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Avrei voluto dare una valutazione più alta a questo libro ma purtroppo devo essere onesta: non succede niente.
L'inizio della storia è interessante, la protagonista, Abby, eredita a sorpresa la libreria della zia appena scomparsa proprio dopo aver lasciato il lavoro a New York, quindi si butta in questa avventura nella piccola città senza nessuna esperienza nel campo e inizia una nuova vita. L'ambientazione è incantevole ed è l'unico aspetto che mi è piaciuto ma purtroppo il libro è molto ripetitivo e la trama procede come per inerzia senza nessun vero ostacolo per Abby. Gli altri personaggi non fanno che darle gli stessi incoraggiamenti e il protagonista maschile, Ethan, si innamora sin troppo in fretta di Abby mostrandosi scorbutico solo in parte. Non ci sono momenti carini tra i due, non si parlano mai per conoscersi meglio, si parla solo del negozio e di quanto gli occhi di lei "brillino" ogni volta che lo menziona. Il lieto fine arriva troppo comodamente ed è un peccato perché sarebbe potuta essere una storia carinissima.

[Ena · Rating 1 out of 5]

This short book was like a quick stop for me. A short read for a fall vibe. While the fall vibes did not disappoint… it also felt like a lot of telling vs showing & overly perfectly cliche.
While I understand it’s a short book so not a lot can be covered but I think I’ve read shorter books that has accomplished what it’s meant to do.
This book lacked a lot. From plot holes, wtf moments & no real chemistry whatsoever, it just felt bland.
There’s no character development or investment. We skipped the characters chemistry and went straight to “I love you” when they’re barely dating…?
If I see one more, “she breathed life into the community” or blah blah whatever, 🙄🤣.
Overall, go find a better fall book. You’re not missing out on 154 pages of her breathing life into the community or his lonely life as he claimed. It’s cute but made no real sense and I have a problem with characters telling each other I love you when they barely know each other.

[Laurel Becker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cute Hallmark style story (still waiting to inherit a bookshop in a small snowy town). The editing is rough, mostly in the mechanics although also in instances where the action jumped or scenes were a little disjointed or pronouns were used without any references. but overall the story was cute, and I enjoyed the read. It was a great little autumn story.

I have seen several people suggest this was AI written, and I do find it a bit strange that there are no personal details or photos or true online presence by the author…I honestly don’t know how to tell for sure, but some of the writing definitely seems to lean that way. Whether or not this was actually human generated is the difference in 3 stars or 1 star for me. I read this for free on KU, but I doubt I’ll pick up the rest of the series unless there’s some real clarity about the authorship. Definitely go in aware and make your own conclusions.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a cozy, low-stakes fall romance, this book certainly delivers there. The setting is adorable and with some more development I could absolutely see the supporting cast outshining the main characters. The thing I had the hardest time with was the rushed pace. It felt like there was only a few interactions between the main couple, and since the bookstore plotline and the establishing and dismantling of both characters' past love interest took a good chunk up of the pages I had a hard time fully buying their chemistry, which wouldn't have bothered me if the other plots didn't seemed rushed as well. I would have loved some more attention and detail on any one of the plots, otherwise this is the kind of story that's best appreciated when you just let is wash over you and enjoy the seasonal vibes.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters were super sweet, and I really enjoyed the premise of the book. But the book fell short. There was no depth or detail to their relationship. Key moments that should have told you when they started falling for eachother were left out.

Also a bunch of errors in character information and structure flow. Ethan's sister referred to him as her big brother, but then Ethan also referred to her as his big sister. The sisters children were introduced as Timmy and Wyatt, and in the next sentence one of them was referred to as Jack. Randomly referring to the mains as "he" "she" without reintroducing them, leaving you confused as to which he or she is being referred to.

If we ignore the underwhelming romance aspect, the plot of the book was pretty enjoyable.

[Lucinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start, mid ending

Abby quits her job when she learns her aunt has died and left her a bookstore in a small town, where Ethan, the town grouch, doesn't think she's capable of running it. She'll do everything she can to change her life and his opinion.

I really liked the vibes of the story and it reminded me of my dream of working in a bookstore (I never got a call in my country ☹️) It was about personal growth, doubts, and hope... but halfway through, a cliché appeared that I dislike, and the last few chapters felt rushed in terms of the protagonists' relationship. It could have been so much better.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, quick read with all the cozy small-town and fall vibes you’d expect. The romance is sweet and completely clean (zero spice), which makes it a great pick if you're looking for something wholesome and low-stakes.

The meet-cute was charming, and the setting had that warm, comforting atmosphere perfect for autumn. That said, the time jumps made the story feel a bit disjointed at times, and I didn’t feel super connected to the characters. Still, it was an enjoyable, light read—like a Hallmark movie in book form.

Great if you're in the mood for something short, sweet, and seasonally cozy.

[Kayla Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The outline of a cozy, fall, small-town romance was there, but this one didn't hit the mark. It sped through from A to C, with B being completely avoided. The main characters met each other, had maybe 2 conversations/encounters, and were in love 15 pages later. I get this was a short Kindle Unlimited pick, but still. No real substance which was a let down with such a perfect set-up. Definitely gives off AI vibes, especially with the author having zero personal details on their website.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as an audiobook which was read by Virtual Voice. I’m against AI for audiobooks on principle, and borrowed this from Audible’s plus catalog without noticing it was Virtual Voice. I did not like the narration. You can tell it’s AI.
I did like the book though. It was well written and a good story. I give the book 4 stars and narration 2.

[Rose Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

We follow Abby as she leaves her job in the city due to being passed over or a promotion that goes to her ex that took credit for her work. Soon after she found out her Aunt Maggie passed away and left her bookstore to Abby. After she worked through initial doubts it turns out to be life changing in a good way. If you like grumpy/sunshine small town stories you will love this one.

[TheShaylanEdit - Shaylan Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet little novella with 0 spice. Ultimately the scenery was my favorite, love a cozy fall background, but the rest fell flat. The meet cute, fall too fast, really isn’t my fave. Give me some pining. Give me some spice. Give me deep characters. The ending felt rushed together and that translated into not feeling believable for me. Still a cute easy read but ready for more depth.

[Victoria H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cozy romance about a girl finding her home in a small town, with a bookstore and a handyman. It was a really wholesome and quick read, definitely had a lot of potential to be amazing, and I totally recommend this if you are looking for a cute light non spicy romance, overall it wasn’t my favorite but it was definitely enjoyable!

[Winnie Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5⭐️ Got in a stuff your kindle event. it was almost a DNF but I pushed through, it’s a really cute and cosy idea, and love the name of the book/bookstore. but both the book and relationship just felt flat and rushed. completely checked out for the last 10%, don’t feel the need to read anymore of the series

[Rebecca Andersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A swwet and cozy story

This story is a sweet and cozy story about stating a New. Finding one self and finding love.

I liked this story very much and Even thou it sometimes felt like there was some repeting lines the feel and cozyness of this story made the story.

If you like a cozy romance this story may be for you.

[Carey Michels · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely gives cheesy hallmark vibes. I felt like the book tried to cram too much in, bringing in several major tropes and trying to over-reference current pop culture. I was expecting it to have a lot more seasonal/fall content. If you are looking for something quick and easy, this one was good for that.

2.5 stars

[Lynn Hyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small Town Home

Ethan loves his small town and hides it behind his grumpy exterior. Abby has I herited her beloved aunt's bookstore and relocates to the same small town. He works miracles as a handyman, and she works miracles pulling the community together and breaking down Ethan's walls. Sweet story with a happy ending.