The Path to You

by Emelle Gill

Daisy has no time for distractions.

Jackson is all in.

With nursing school consuming every waking moment, she's determined to keep her eyes on the prize-and that means steering clear of the dangerously handsome older man who refuses to give up on her.

Jackson knows Daisy is worth the wait. Beneath her stubborn independence is a woman who sets his soul on fire, and every stolen glance, heated encounter, and stolen touch leaves him wanting more. Even when she pushes him away, she unknowingly reignites a dream he'd buried years becoming a professional soccer referee.

Just as Jackson is finally within reach of the career he's always wanted, everything changes. A life-altering health diagnosis threatens to destroy his future, forcing him to confront the possibility that he could lose not only his dream, but the woman who's captured his heart.

Their chemistry is undeniable. Their timing couldn't be worse.

As Daisy fights for the future she's sacrificed everything to achieve and Jackson battles for a second chance at the life he thought he'd lost, they'll have to decide if fear is worth more than love... and whether two stubborn hearts can risk everything for the one thing they never planned on finding.

Some dreams are worth chasing.

Some loves are worth fighting for.

Genres: Romance

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 21, 2026

Reviews

[Jenn]

I really enjoyed The Path to You. Daisy is completely focused on nursing school and has no intention of letting a relationship distract her, while Jackson is very much all in.

I loved their right-person-wrong-time dynamic, the slow burn, and all the yearning. I also liked that they both had dreams outside of their relationship, with Daisy pursuing nursing and Jackson getting another chance at becoming a professional soccer referee.

If you like slow burns, age gaps, medical drama, soccer, and two stubborn people trying very hard not to fall in love, this one is definitely worth checking out.

Thank you for the ARC!

[Sophia Moser]

I received this ARC and am leaving a voluntary review.
Such a cute romance!! Daisy wants to complete nursing school and is not looking for love but Jackson can’t stop thinking about her. All of the characters in this book were so relatable!! Their feelings and insecurities and desires. Just so much fun!! Honestly I probably would have given it 5 stars but a few times details were given to each other more than once like it was the first time hearing something about the other person. I was like “ you already told her this!!” But I loved how they fought for each other in the end even though it heybhad a lot going on in their own lives. And Jackson? He was so kind a patient and every woman’s dream!!

[Vicky]

Thank you to Emelle Gill for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review:

Synopsis:
Daisy is determined to keep her focus on nursing school and the future she’s worked so hard to build, which means the last thing she needs is a distraction in the form of Jackson: a dangerously charming older man who refuses to give up on her. Despite Daisy’s attempts to keep him at arm’s length, their chemistry is impossible to ignore.
For Jackson, Daisy awakens feelings and dreams he thought he’d left behind, including his ambition to become a professional soccer referee. But just as he begins getting closer to the life he’s always wanted, a life-changing health diagnosis threatens everything he’s worked towards. With Daisy fighting for her future and Jackson facing an uncertain one, the two have to decide whether they’re willing to risk everything for a love neither of them planned for

Review:

The Path to You was a nice, easy read that I flew through, but unfortunately, I never quite found myself completely hooked.

I really enjoyed Daisy and Jackson as characters, and I liked watching their relationship develop. Their chemistry was definitely there, and I enjoyed the push-and-pull between them, especially with Daisy trying so hard to stay focused on her goals while Jackson was determined to get through to her.

I think my biggest issue was that I wanted more. More depth to the characters, more time getting to know them individually, and more emotional development between them. There were moments where I could see the potential for a really emotional and impactful story, particularly with Jackson’s health diagnosis, but I found myself wishing those parts had been explored a little further.

Overall, this was a sweet and uncomplicated romance that was easy to pick up and read. I didn’t dislike it, I just wasn’t quite as emotionally invested as I’d hoped to be.

[Spreading Pages]

What to Expect:

💚Right Person/Wrong Time
💛Slow Burn
💚Sports
💛Medical Drama
💚Age Gap
💛Yearning
💚High Emotional Stakes
💛Cinnamon Roll MMC

My Thoughts (without spoilers):

This romance follows Jackson and Daisy from their first meet cute through their relationship.

Jackson is such a cinnamon roll green flag MMC. He is so kind and considerate. I was very surprised at his representation during the spicy scenes 👀

Daisy is..confusing lol. She doesn't want him, she does want him, he is too old, he is perfect. You can tell that she is a younger FMC (in my opinion) without her age even being included.

The right person wrong time theme was really prevalent in this entire novel. Cute read, good banter.

#slowburn #comingsoon #agegap #contemporaryromance #spicybooks

[Jaimie M]

I received this book for an arc read through my group, Indie Author Insider Influencer Group. I loved everything about it. Five stars.

Jackson and Daisy were great together. Even though a few times I wanted to slap Daisy for being so stubborn lol.
But Jackson...omg I love Jackson. He is such a sexy and perfect book boyfriend. The way he wears his heart on his sleeve and would do anything for anyone at any time. *SWOON* I fell for him from the first page. The chemistry is great. The banter and spice were perfect.
I had a pretty heavy arc schedule and almost passed this one up when I received the notice. I'm so glad I didn't. Perfect Rom Com and a fast read.

[Charity Riddle]

What a sweet romance. The slow burn was perfect for me. It's not to the point where I wanted to give up because you are at a frustrating acceptance of it not happening. I can relate with Daisy wanting to focus on nursing school. And Jackson had patience of a saint. Well, on the outside, at least. You could just feel the want and love he had for her. I have to say my favorite character was Blue (a side character). I don't know why but he just called to me.
You don't want to skip out on this one if you like a slow burn with a little heat, humor, and some sassy fun.

[Meg Williams]

The Path to You — Emelle Gill
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

An enjoyable read with relatable characters and a lovely story about growth and finding your way. I really enjoyed the age-gap and slow-burn romance elements.

I did struggle to completely get into this one, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a good book. It just wasn’t one I connected with as much as I would have liked.

[Autumn Reads]

This was a good, spicy contemporary romance. This was a pretty quick read, and overall easy to read. I did like seeing some character development, and the side characters were great. This was a cute romance and the banter was good. This does start fast and has a lot of back and forth between the MCs but it was good.

[Jessica]

The Path To You by Emelle Gill was a cute and enjoyable read. I love that the characters were relatable and had great banter. It was a quick read with lots of tropes I loved such as age gap, sports, cinnamon roll MMC, and yearning. It didn’t quite capture my interest right off the bat and I wasn’t the biggest fan of Daisy. But overall was a good book 📖 ❤️

[Karen Wheat]

My latest ARC read The Path To You, was a slow burn from the start. While their timing had them running in what seemed different directions.

Jackson was the sweetest. Everytime they did cross paths. I wish I had a Jackson in my life.

I love soccer so that drew me in as i related to Jackson's passion for the sport.

I got a little teary eyed at spots. It was a really good read

[Amber]

I love a good slow burn right person, wrong time story. Daisy is working hard to finish nursing school and can't have any distractions. Jackson was smitten from the start. He did all he could to prove to Daisy what he felt was real and they would be great together. Their chemistry and banter was good.

[Kati Kennedy]

Loved meeting Daisy and Jackson! The slow burn is on point! Age gap perfection! Loved that they both focused on their careers while still growing their relationship. Nothing better than accomplishing life goals while also helping support someone else’s goals.

[Stephanie Eastham]

I absolutely loved this and finished it in less than 24 hours! I loved the age gap between Jackson and Daisy, you don't see this too much in romance books and I can relate to this. The slow burn was just perfect, and the amount of spice was great without it being too much. Jackson was written perfectly, such a gentleman and Daisy was a great mix of sass and confidence. One of the best romance reads I've had all year.

[April Caseltine]

so good!
This one surprised men I really like how well it dealt with anxiety and past grief. The age gap, slow burn, will they won't they... not exactly grump/sunshine more sunshine/blinders on focused whatever tropes you consider this one... they worked together well!

[Leah Nelson]

Some of my favorite romances are written about a character not wanting to find love, and then they find love. This was well written and the plot was both realistic and an attention grabber. Jackson was a much more patient person than I am and Daisy reminded me a lot of myself.

[Kittykat2103]

This is a little slow burn romance with an age gap & spicy.

Its follows Jackson & Daisy.

Character development & understanding is easily read between the lines.

Jackson is the perfect age gap book boyfriend. Great banter, chemistry & fast read.

[Michelle]

ARC Review
A cute romance with banter and spice and everything hot and swoony! A fun quick read that I highly recommend!!

[Kaylee • herefortheplotttt]

The Path to You was such a sweet, feel-good romance with lovable characters, some spice, and a little more depth tucked beneath the surface. One of my favorite surprises was realizing this was Jackson’s story after briefly meeting him in Squeeze the Day. Since both books can be read as standalones, I had no idea the stories were connected going in, and I love when an author does that. There’s something so fun about recognizing characters from another book and kinda getting to step back into that world from a completely different perspective.
Daisy and Jackson’s story was sweet, easy to fly through, and had plenty of moments that had me rooting for them (and a few where I wanted to reach through the pages and shake Jackson AND Daisy😂)
But I also really appreciated the themes woven into their story—being truly seen by someone, taking care of your mental and physical health, figuring out who you are outside of your career or perceived “status,” and accepting that life doesn’t always follow the path you thought it would.

“Life has layers of things, which makes it so beautiful.”

A special thank you to the author Emelle Gill for this ARC in exchange for my honest review 💛