Drift: A Small Town Romance

by Aubrey Whitten

Betrayed by one man. Falling for another. I know how this ends if I get it wrong.

The last thing I need after a messy divorce? More drama.

But starting over in a sleepy seaside town isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. My career as a historian is a distant memory, and now my days are filled with a dead-end job, an apartment crumbling around my ears, and…Luke. I have the perfect arrangement with the celebrity chef. No strings attached. Just fun.

Until the night I overhear him tearing me apart behind my back.

Just like that, the one part of my life that feels easy is gone, and catty socialite Kristen is determined not to let me forget that I don’t belong. The only thing keeping me steady in the chaos is Sawyer. He spends his days on a lobster trawler and is rugged and gruff, but he shows up for me when I need him most. And the more time we spend together, the harder it is to pretend he’s just a friend.

But Luke isn’t ready to let me go…not without a fight. I need to make a choice, and I know exactly how this ends if I get it wrong. The problem is, I’m not sure which mistake I’m about to make.

Genres: Slow Burn, Friends To Lovers

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2026

About the author

Aubrey Whitten writes contemporary romances with an Australian twist. She has a soft spot for flawed characters searching for second chances and crafts stories with warmth, humor, and romantic moments. Aubrey lives in the sunniest part of Australia and juggles writing around a busy day job and the chaos of her small but mighty family.

Reviews

[Nikki ღ Navareus]

DNF 20%

I'm just not feeling this book at all. I'm pretty sure that love triangles just aren't my thing.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

The streak of not coming across a sad, pathetic, loser of a female lead ends with this book. Being divorced is not the problem, it’s the fact that Elsie even entertained another man who was embarrassed and ashamed of her. You could say my anger should be directed at the man, but that’s the thing, by nature men are already disappointments so there no surprises there.

Being a girl’s girl is hard because you want to be supportive, but also seeing a girl be pathetic and grossly desperate over a nothing man cannot be handled with kid gloves. They need to be slapped with the truth. Hard. This story did none of that. It’s like it’s written by a man. Just yuck.

[Michelle Claypot_Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren’t enough stars for this story - it’s definitely a favourite read of 2026 for me.

I absolutely devoured it, staying up til 4am and finishing with a smile on my face. It’s a beautifully written story full of genuine characters and slowburn chemistry that had me kicking my feet with happiness. It’s a gentle read with fantastic dialogue and reminded me exactly why I love romance stories so much. This is a book I know I’ll read again and definitely recommend.

[Xeenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It captured my interest and it has a satisfying conclusion. I love how the other man wasn’t painted as overly one dimensional evil.

[Jill S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor clueless Luke.

[Holly Doyal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried - I really did.

I found this book silly and quite annoying. I never felt anything towards any of the characters - it was actually boring.

[TorturedTBRDept · Rating 4 out of 5]

love the ending

This book was very sweet. I wish we would have seen more development between the characters but at the same time it’s what keeps you on your toes wondering where it’s all going. The ending was by far the best.

[SC Girlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complaints but no regrets - really good story

I’ll start with what I didn’t like and some minor spoilers so be aware
- I didn’t like finding out who the letters belonged to - made me feel sad about the ending
- I didn’t love the fmc for a lot of the book
- I really didn’t like that her ex never got his comeuppance considering she should have gotten some money out of the divorce

Now what I did like

- I loved Sawyer - he’s an absolute gem and just wonderful
- I really liked Cain - great side character
- I really enjoyed the back and forth between Luke and Elsie - funny clever conversations

Overall the story was great and if we get a story about her daughter awesome! I am not sure I would read about Dare and Grace because he’s terrible and she s a doormat clearly and willing to settle for the town bicycle :-(

I still recommend though and even if Elsie makes you mad, try to finish

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why can't all Heroes be like Sawyer? So adorable but put the man in a bedroom and he goes rough! Lol.

I loved this story of an h who finds her strength with the love and encouragement of the H. Sawyer is everything and I was so happy they got their hea.

I hated Luke at first for what he said but grew to love him and am so sad for how things turned out. I hoped he would get a

Hea somehow but at least, hopefully his son will. So sweet to have their story come full circle but with their kids instead maybe?

5 stars for the story, the characters and their development as well as the beautiful ending.

[Beckie Orms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky and sweet

This was a beautifully sweet read. You get the gut punch right at the beginning, which I love. You then read thru the journey of Elsie using her voice, opening up and finding the love she always deserved. Sawyer was such a breath of fresh air and knew exactly what Elsie needed. Luke ... what can I say.. ur words hurt, and hopefully, u learned that they matter and even a sorry can't take them back. He is honestly one of my favorite "dumb" MMCs, and his letters hit me right in the heart. I loved this book. ❤️

[Janet Welling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relatively Entertaining.

This book had some fun moments and for the most part the characters were well developed. More back story would have been helpful. The main problem was the FMC. Elsie was shy and introverted but also a complete doormat until the last 20 percent of the book. The entire premise for the story never felt particularly genuine. Given Luke’s actions after Elsie overhears him saying unkind things about her, his outburst felt contrived. It did not ring true to his character and felt forced in order to push Elsie into the arms of the MMC, Sawyer. Once again the author has written a story with adults behaving as if they were in middle school, which included the over the top mean girl in the form of Kristen. Overall this is an average read for a day at the beach or while riding the bus waiting for your stop to come up. 2.5 stars.

[B Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This small town romance was a perfect read for a warm summer’s day. Elsie is desperate to find her way now that she’s found the place that calls her home. Still tender from an acrimonious divorce, she yearns to ease her loneliness and makes some less than healthy choices. The reality of her situationship shatters her already broken confidence. What follows is a story of finding your voice and demanding what you deserve.

[Kim Brewing · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but I wanted more. When I first started it I wasn't sure who the MMC was, even half way through I was second guessing myself. I wanted Elsie to stand up for herself. I wanted revenge on the ex that left her with nothing. I wanted more people to acknowledge what Kristen was doing to Elsie. Sawyer was the strong silent type, but at times he almost seemed like caricature.
I did love the children meeting and how opposite from their parents they were.

[Leigh Cleary · Rating 0.75 out of 5]

If I hadn’t felt such unadulterated female rage toward the FMC, this might’ve been a 1.5—maybe that should be the entire review…but I’ve got thoughts and nowhere to shout them.

The FMC was absolutely ridiculous (I wear vintage clothes and make it my personality, and I come alive in the water…🙄). Hun, you’re entertaining a man who is ashamed to be with you. That isn’t a personality trait.

Also, the story was just…silly.

Yeah, definitely not for me.

[Kris · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

I liked this book. What happened at end was something I did not see coming, so I appreciated that. I don’t usually like a book that has 2 male characters vying for the female, unless one is clearly awful. This wasn’t the case for me. I actually liked both of the men. While I hate what the first guy did and said about h, and why he did it. I wound up liking him, in the end, and feeling for him.

[Rom Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Aubrey’s writing and her ability to show real emotion and growth in the characters.

An amazing love story and her description of small town Tasmania makes me want to move there. Great Characters, Great Story, Great Book.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the story a clean romance with a little bit of angst,I really like the writing style of the author.

[Diana Money · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather slow

I wished the story moved a long a bit quicker. Rather slow for me. The bit at the end was a bit corny too.

[Laur Laur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure fun fluffy stars, needed this after the ridiculous amount of ai cheaty betrayal books I've been gobbling up.

[Smiler]

Just not for me. Stopped at around 30%. It felt a bit clunky and bitty to read, I felt nothing and it just didn’t keep my attention.

[Rinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[azahlia]

Such a sweet and comforting read. I hope there's a extra epilogue out there that shows Elsie's ex husband losing all his money and going bald and ugly.

[Jacinta Bray · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Set in Australia but not written by an Aussie?? Our cars don’t run on ‘gas’ and we’d never EVER refer to a barbecue as a cookout🙄