A Valley Girl Dilemma

by Monica Goertzen Hertlein

In 1986, the days of big hair and shoulder pads, Elaine can choose The Good Life or risk following her heart.
Socially awkward Elaine Richards has the university education, comfortable home, and credit cards her parents provide, but never filled in a resumé, operated a washing machine, or shopped for groceries, despite her desire for independence. Hoping she’ll settle into a socialite marriage like her parents, her father introduces her to Ken, a handsome young lawyer. At the same time, she’s entranced by Roland, an equally attractive maintenance manager, with his large, loving, working-class family.
As Elaine struggles to balance the expectations of her parents and best friend with her own dreams, she tests her ideals of love. Before she can sort out her tangled feelings, unplanned complications derail her life. Now she must finally choose whether to give in to her father’s plans for an affluent marriage or try to make her own way with the help of Roland and his sisters.
With new responsibilities to consider as well as her own heart, is happy enough really enough?

248 pages, Paperback

Published February 18, 2026

About the author

Monica is an accountant, sociologist, and novelist. She always wanted to write, but never thought it was a real job. After career and family, she returned to her childhood passion and writes the stories she loves to read: women having adventures and falling in love.

She has long believed that science fiction is a place you can reflect our world from new angles as well as imagine better worlds.

She has been published in Search for the Any Key, Impulse, Embark, Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Volume 8, Best of CaféLit 14, and The Lorelei Signal. Her entries to the Writers of the Future contest won Silver Honourable Mention and Honourable Mention. She grew up, resides, and writes in Saskatoon, on Treaty 6 Territory and the homeland of the Métis. She is a member of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, Saskatoon Writers’ Club Inc., and Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Reviews

[Tori Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a cozy read. Elaine's choices are a struggle for her, yes, but as a reader you know it has to end up well or it wouldn't be a story worth telling. The plot twists and turns, though sometimes shocking and surprising, make this story much more intriguing. Elaine is immediately likable, and you care about her, and the other characters.
This story is also a really good look at life in general. I wasn't around for the 80s, but the class divide part of this story still hits home, whether it's 1986 or 2026. The struggle to follow your heart, or do what the people around you are telling you, is a universal experience. Monica navigates the mental and emotional questions Elaine goes through quite skillfully, and tugs at your heart strings the entire time.
All in all - this is a fun read, especially for people from Saskatoon! It made me ask my mom questions about Saskatoon in the 80s, and I got some fun stories out of her, too!

[KC S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gag me with a spoon! This book was AH-mazing! I don’t know honestly what I loved more, remembering so many things from my years or the actual story. This book reeled me in immediately with the hair mouse, bangles, and shoulder pads. There were so many things that brought time back. From waterbed, pop culture references, and cassette tapes. Elaine the FMC had me frustrated at times. Then I would remember what it’s like to be her age and things isn’t simply aren’t that easy when you’re going through it. This was a really good story of folks from different sides of the tracks trying to figure it out. I could easily read more stories of these characters and their families. 10/10 a must read!

[Micah Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking a jaunt back to the 1980s in this romance novel is an absolute delight. The story features Elaine, a strong yet endearingly naive protagonist whose journey is frustratingly believable and compelling. What begins as an intriguing love triangle soon deepens into something much more, as we watch Elaine navigate not only the complexities of love, but also her evolving understanding of what it means to be a woman.

The novel moves quickly through many settings, both physical and social, to delivery a fast-paced critique of society and gender roles, while keeping the reading on the hook to find out how it all will end. Great read and looking forward to what Monica delivers next.

[Ashleigh Mattern · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story transports you to a time before cell phones, when hair was big and clothes were frilly and colourful! It's a sensory-rich novel with author Monica Goertzen Hertlein doing a wonderful job of describing the popular clothing, music and food of the era. I liked the main character and that she was determined to make the right decision for herself despite outside pressures. While I was pretty sure I knew the path she would choose, the story kept me guessing, and there were unexpected surprises right through to the end. It's a fun romance with just the right amount of spice, and I recommend it to romance readers and anyone nostalgic about the '80s.

[Mary Fran Gualandri · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review- A Valley Girl’s Dilemma is pure pastel nostalgia. It was a breezy, fun read that I would see playing out as an 80’s movie before my eyes as I was reading. The atmosphere and heart were perfectly evocative of the era. All the book needs is a playlist!

[Chi chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute and nostalgic, love that its in prarie lands of canada.
I do think its a great novel for young adults and its shows what a true dilemma some girls have to go through tho. if your not into spice but want a simple romance this would be great, if you looking for spice not so much.