From the Mountains to You

by Zoe Grace Douglas

Six long years have passed, and a wedding pulls them back to where it all started.

Dakota Summers has spent the last six years tucking her heartbreak into the deepest corners of her heart and avoiding the one place that holds all the memories. But with her Dad's upcoming nuptials, she’s forced to confront everything she has sworn she forgot.

Her goal? To heal and forget, and celebrate her father.

However, within the first few days of being home, everything tips on its axis, and she’s faced with more than she bargains for, when past becomes present.

Reece Fischer has spent the last six years pushing to his final mark, reaching the goal he’s put his blood, sweat and tears into having. But it doesn’t feel like what he was expecting; there’s no thrill or passion. Not when his life was leached of colour since losing her. So when he hears his childhood babysitter is marrying the one person he least expects, it feels like fate calling his name.

Timing was off when they were younger, but now it seems to be offering them a second chance… and he’s all but willing to take it this time.

But can they outrun the ghost of their past that easily?

364 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2025

About the author

Zoe is a romance author based in Australia, writing heartfelt, angsty romances. From her love for reading, to her wild imagination morphing into storytelling, writing has become an outlet she's clung to in the rush of her life. If she's not writing, she's either looking after the elderly as an aged care nurse, curled up on the couch with her kindle or a paperback, absorbed in another world of romance or fantasy, or passed out with her little fur babies from exhaustion. There's no in-between. 

Reviews

[Alina]

dnf
a whole lot of talk about " yearning " and never moving on, yet nothing to back it up. and also the fact that he slept with other women.. nothing says i regret screwing you over like moving on with other women.
the only reason he decided to go back to her was because his life was a literal clusterfuck without her, all his choices to get her back was because of selfishness

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Because you are my true north. I knew with you, I would find my way out of whatever shit I had to go through. And because I could never physically have you again, this was my next best thing to have you guiding me.”


Tropes:
🩵 Second Chance
🩵 Ex to Friends to Lovers
🩵 He Falls First and Hard
🩵 Secret Tattoo
🩵 Mental Health Rep
🩵 It's Always Been You


🩵 ARC Review 🩵

Zoe, this book was absolutely beautiful! Ever since book one, I needed Dakota and Reece to have their happy ending. You could tell that they belonged together, and even after all this time, they never could move on from each other.

After Reece left, Dakota has been heartbroken ever since, but that didn't stop her from moving to Melbourne to fulfil her Dream: to become a photographer. She has not been home for 6 years cause her hometown reminded her of Reece, the man that broke her heart. But due to her father's wedding, she takes all the courage and comes back home. So when she arrives 3 months early to help her dad and his fiancée with their wedding, she didn't expect to find her ex joining her in helping with the wedding. All this time she tried to shut off her Feelings for him, but one look at him and she's heartbroken all over again.

Never in a million years did Reece think he would be back home. Ever since he joined the MLB, he never visited home - he even broke off contact with his dad. But when Jenna asks him to come back home and help her with her wedding, he doesn't hesitate. Cause after his mom passed away, Jenna was the only Person who truly believed in him and was like a safe space for him. He knows that once he helps Jenna with the wedding preparations, he will have a lot of time with Dakota. And all he wants is for Dakota to give him a second Chance and will do anything to gain her trust again.

I loved how we got to feel both of them slowly work through the wedding preparations, and how Reece fell in love with Dakota all over again. It was really cute when he suggested the game 20 Questions to get to know her again, and wanted to find out if she is dating anyone (while secretly hoping that she is single). When he was asked about his favorite Color, he didn't hesitate to say blue cause her eyes are the Color blue, and whenever he looks at her, he gets lost in them. Moreover, he also struggles with an injury that results in him retiring at a young age from Baseball and moving eventually back home. Cause whenever he is around Dakota, he feels like he is the happiest Person ever and will do anything for her.

Even move back home to see her live her dream - cause wherever she is, he wants to be there right by her side. Cause Dakota is his North Star, and he will follow her everywhere.

Thank you so much Zoe for the ARC 🫶🏻💗

[Monique Wallam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Zoe for allowing me to beta read this.

I think you guys will love seeing Reece and Dakota again. It was one of those books that have you going through a roller coaster of emotions but so worth it

[Jamie]

November 19th, 2025: I want to thank the author for the e-Arc. Much appreciated ♥

I'm not going to be able to read this, though, before it publishes, since I didn't realize it was a sequel. I'll be back, though.