3.25 stars. There is a lot to love about this book and for the most of the time I had a good time reading it. This was the first book I read by Rey. It’s a charming, low angst book with characters that have a lot going for them. Unfortunately, the ending left me with a bitter taste and dampened my overall enjoyment.
In this second chance romance Sutton returns home to take care of her father when he has to undergo a double knee replacement. Ten years earlier Sutton broke up with Kate, the love of her life, left town and never returned. Now, back in town for three months, it’s inevitable to meet Kate and her daughter Harper and they find that they both haven’t forgotten each other.
The book is written in the third person with POVs of Sutton and Kate, but you get to know Sutton a bit better than Kate. I loved Sutton, she’s a dreamer, a slightly nerdy and a bit shy butch. I always enjoy a butch character that doesn’t fall in the rather stereotypical, super confident, player type. Kate is confident, sweet and adores her daughter Harper. From the secondary characters, I adored Bryce, Kate’s trans brother. He was a highlight of the book for me and I could easily read more about him. Harper was somewhat wise beyond her years if you ask me, the comebacks and questions/insights at exactly the right time started annoying me every now and then, also the fact that she immediately adores Sutton felt a bit too convenient, but the interactions between Sutton and Harper were very cute.
The breakup of Sutton and Kate is quite prominently presented in the book. I was fine with it, I mean, it’s in the past and they were both very young. However, the conflict at the end in part revolves around what happened during their breakup (and how they apparently still feel about it), and I just could not find it in myself to feel any sympathy for Kate. She keeps blaming everything on Sutton (who accepts all the blame, she truly is too sweet), while from my point of view Sutton did not do anything wrong, not now and not in the past. Kate is not self-reflective at all, only after talking to Bryce does she decide to take a look at herself, and even then doesn’t she really acknowledge her self-centered behavior. When they finally get together after their dark moment I just didn’t feel the love from Kate’s side, which is strange because I felt it before the conflict. Honestly, I thought Sutton deserved better. There is a final chapter/epilogue, but it couldn’t make up for the feeling that had taken root in me that they do not belong together.
So, the writing and pacing was all good, and if the conflict hadn’t bothered me that much, I definitely would have rated it higher. It’s a charming and easy-going book, with a high happy family feeling, but personally I can’t really recommend it due to the conflict and how I felt afterwards. However, I have seen several reviews of people who enjoyed this book a lot, so I suggest to read some of those as well in order to decide whether this book is for you. While this was not the best fit for me, I would like to read another book by this author.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.