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At Last It's You
A second chance romance set in 1962 about reunited high school sweethearts — one a divorced but still closeted housewife and the other an openly gay radical bookstore owner
One year ago, Alice Brown had everything she had ever wanted – except Lee Grant, her high school love who she let slip away a decade ago. Then her lavender marriage ends in divorce, and Alice’s world falls apart. Shunned by her neighbors, worried about her bullied son, and suffering from panic attacks, Alice feels as if she's drowning. When Lee comes back to town, Alice steels herself for more heartbreak. Instead, their relationship slowly reawakens as Lee unearths Alice’s delicate strength and Alice rediscovers Lee’s quiet defiance.
Lee has no intention of staying in the suburbs. She adores her home in Berkeley, the revolutionary bookshop she runs there, and the found family she has formed. She won’t live a life in the shadows again, not even if leaving means losing the love of her life. Yet before Lee leaves, she surprises herself by begging Alice to accompany her, and Alice surprises her by tentatively agreeing to visit.
Plunged from the staid suburbs of Connecticut to the free-wheeling Bay Area, Alice finds herself torn between her stale old life and a budding new life. But If she’s to stay in Berkeley with Lee, she must decide what she values more, societal approval — or love.
Perfect for fans of Carol and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! Happy ending guaranteed!
One year ago, Alice Brown had everything she had ever wanted – except Lee Grant, her high school love who she let slip away a decade ago. Then her lavender marriage ends in divorce, and Alice’s world falls apart. Shunned by her neighbors, worried about her bullied son, and suffering from panic attacks, Alice feels as if she's drowning. When Lee comes back to town, Alice steels herself for more heartbreak. Instead, their relationship slowly reawakens as Lee unearths Alice’s delicate strength and Alice rediscovers Lee’s quiet defiance.
Lee has no intention of staying in the suburbs. She adores her home in Berkeley, the revolutionary bookshop she runs there, and the found family she has formed. She won’t live a life in the shadows again, not even if leaving means losing the love of her life. Yet before Lee leaves, she surprises herself by begging Alice to accompany her, and Alice surprises her by tentatively agreeing to visit.
Plunged from the staid suburbs of Connecticut to the free-wheeling Bay Area, Alice finds herself torn between her stale old life and a budding new life. But If she’s to stay in Berkeley with Lee, she must decide what she values more, societal approval — or love.
Perfect for fans of Carol and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! Happy ending guaranteed!
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2026
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225 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 11, 2026
1962, Connecticut and California.
Lee Grant owns a subversive bookstore in Berkeley, CA, and has a life she's built carefully just out of view of the authorities. While caring for her mother in Connecticut, she runs into her dearest high school friend, Alice, who broke her heart by marrying a man. Alice is divorced now - her ex-husband, also queer, has moved to San Francisco - and grappling with her identity and sexuality. Lee has never gotten over Alice, but knows it will take patience to help Alice feel comfortable embracing a life wildly different from that of a suburban Connecticut housewife.
At Last It's You is a lovely, melancholic debut queer romance set against the politically turbulent backdrop of the early 60s. Lee is a butch lesbian who understands the risks she runs by being carefully out, praying she doesn't get caught in a raid at a lesbian bar or that quietly paying off the cops will keep her bookstore safe. Alice suffers from "hysteria" - an acute anxiety over her sexuality. She worries about raising her young son the "right" way, protecting him from the deviance of both his parents. Lee must slowly help Alice unwind from this way of thinking in order to reach their happily ever after.
I refer to this as melancholic, served alongside a healthy dose of pining and angst. The era Marston has chosen is an incredibly different one, because queer relationships were more often hidden from the light of day. Both Lee and Alice struggle for acceptance by family members. Alice is so cautious about letting her guard down, that until she visits Berkeley she doesn't even feel comfortable making friends. But Lee is adamant that lesbians deserve happiness, and her perseverance is a strong thread throughout, giving the book a determined tone to cut the melancholia of the era.
It will surprise no one that this pairs well with After Hours at Dooryard Books, which I read last week, with the 60s queer bookstore vibes. The tone is a little sadder and a little quieter, but with a fierceness I imagine is natural to the lesbians of the 1960s.
Thank you to Marianne Marston for an eARC. At Last It's You is out now, and available on KU!
Lee Grant owns a subversive bookstore in Berkeley, CA, and has a life she's built carefully just out of view of the authorities. While caring for her mother in Connecticut, she runs into her dearest high school friend, Alice, who broke her heart by marrying a man. Alice is divorced now - her ex-husband, also queer, has moved to San Francisco - and grappling with her identity and sexuality. Lee has never gotten over Alice, but knows it will take patience to help Alice feel comfortable embracing a life wildly different from that of a suburban Connecticut housewife.
At Last It's You is a lovely, melancholic debut queer romance set against the politically turbulent backdrop of the early 60s. Lee is a butch lesbian who understands the risks she runs by being carefully out, praying she doesn't get caught in a raid at a lesbian bar or that quietly paying off the cops will keep her bookstore safe. Alice suffers from "hysteria" - an acute anxiety over her sexuality. She worries about raising her young son the "right" way, protecting him from the deviance of both his parents. Lee must slowly help Alice unwind from this way of thinking in order to reach their happily ever after.
I refer to this as melancholic, served alongside a healthy dose of pining and angst. The era Marston has chosen is an incredibly different one, because queer relationships were more often hidden from the light of day. Both Lee and Alice struggle for acceptance by family members. Alice is so cautious about letting her guard down, that until she visits Berkeley she doesn't even feel comfortable making friends. But Lee is adamant that lesbians deserve happiness, and her perseverance is a strong thread throughout, giving the book a determined tone to cut the melancholia of the era.
It will surprise no one that this pairs well with After Hours at Dooryard Books, which I read last week, with the 60s queer bookstore vibes. The tone is a little sadder and a little quieter, but with a fierceness I imagine is natural to the lesbians of the 1960s.
Thank you to Marianne Marston for an eARC. At Last It's You is out now, and available on KU!
Review of advance copy received from Author
A second chance romance set in the mid-century, this sapphic love story is a wonderful debut romance novel. It’s angsty, steamy and a carefully told story of two people facing themselves and the real world. I loved reading this story of two people finding their way not only to each other but to themselves too.
Alice and Lee are lesbians in 1960s America. They are both white women from Connecticut, Lee moved to Berkeley, CA, where she owns a bookstore with her friend Johnnie. Alice has a little boy and her ex-husband moved to San Francisco. While Lee has been able to accept herself and live as she (mostly) wishes away from her conservative origins, Alice hasn’t quite come to terms with all that’s inside her. She tries to balance the reality of being a divorcee in the early 60s in the suburbs, a single mom to a sweet 6-year old, and her renewed attraction to Lee. Lovers during high school, the two women reconnect in their adulthood and they can no longer pretend they haven’t been thinking solely of the other this whole time. But how can they make things work when there’s so much in the way?
Marianne develops each character at their own speed, allowing them to make mistakes, to learn and grow, never shying away from the real world pressures and circumstances that would have been felt at the time. The author weaves in this particular time period very well with her characters’ stories, creating a rich world around them and a very real sense of being. I can picture Alice and Lee and Mikey and Johnnie and Dot and Michael, their mothers, their world on Telegraph Avenue and their community. I will think of Alice and Lee living their HEA alongside all my beloved romance couples.
I was generously given an ARC of this book, Marianne and I are in a book club together.
Alice and Lee are lesbians in 1960s America. They are both white women from Connecticut, Lee moved to Berkeley, CA, where she owns a bookstore with her friend Johnnie. Alice has a little boy and her ex-husband moved to San Francisco. While Lee has been able to accept herself and live as she (mostly) wishes away from her conservative origins, Alice hasn’t quite come to terms with all that’s inside her. She tries to balance the reality of being a divorcee in the early 60s in the suburbs, a single mom to a sweet 6-year old, and her renewed attraction to Lee. Lovers during high school, the two women reconnect in their adulthood and they can no longer pretend they haven’t been thinking solely of the other this whole time. But how can they make things work when there’s so much in the way?
Marianne develops each character at their own speed, allowing them to make mistakes, to learn and grow, never shying away from the real world pressures and circumstances that would have been felt at the time. The author weaves in this particular time period very well with her characters’ stories, creating a rich world around them and a very real sense of being. I can picture Alice and Lee and Mikey and Johnnie and Dot and Michael, their mothers, their world on Telegraph Avenue and their community. I will think of Alice and Lee living their HEA alongside all my beloved romance couples.
I was generously given an ARC of this book, Marianne and I are in a book club together.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews