Seventeen years after she left, Sarah Eastman, now a mother, returns to her aunt’s place in Spruce Mountain after a nasty divorce. The town has a population of a little over a thousand people, so running into the Sheriff, Natalie Strand, is unavoidable.
When in high school, Sarah, the most popular girl, had kissed Natalie and then essentially ghosted her before leaving town. One small art of Natalie never got over Sarah. So, when they start spending time together again, the incomplete beginning from their high school days finds its inevitable ending.
Everything about this book is right. The MCs are likeable. There is an adorable kid and a seemingly prescient dog. The dialogue is good. The chemistry, perfect.
Yet…
This book feels like it is competently written but there is no soul to it. It is like the craft is perfect but the art is missing. We don’t get the sense that the writer has got involved with the characters and is feeling them and resultantly, you don’t get involved and invested in the characters either.
So, despite there being absolutely nothing technically wrong with this book, it is a rather ho-hum read.
