Abigail is a 38 year old teacher in a small school in Scotland near Inverness. She is unmarried and is feeling lonely, as if life is passing her by, when all she really wants is someone to love her that she can love back. Over the summer break she decides to reinvent herself, getting her haircut, using more makeup and updating her wardrobe. Her friend Mallory convinces her to join a dating app, giving the age range from 35-into mid 40s. She gets dates but most of the men are not looking for a committed relationship and she is. Mallory convinces Abi to lower the age range into the 20s, and a younger man contacts her. They text back and forth a lot while he is on an oil rig out at sea, find they have much in common and many shared interests, so when Joseph suggests they meet the next time he is off the rig, plans are made. Joseph is younger than Abi thought, but they find the attraction they had through texting each other is even stronger in person and they end up spending the night together. All is not well, however, as past information surfaces leading to what seem to be insurmountable roadblocks to their continuing relationship. How Joseph and Abi try to get past these obstacles to be together is the rest of the tale.
This tale of an older woman with a younger man highlights the prejudice that can be encountered in small, close-knit communities, the gossip that can spread, the little interest in getting the whole story, and the long impact on the lives of those caught up in it. This story held my interest, at times had me grumbling at Abi for some of her self-doubts, but rooting for Abi and Joseph to make it through despite odds against them. I enjoyed the book.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.