Many thanks to my friends at @prhaudio for the #gifted free audiobook. 

Long walks in the sand. ✅
Cocktails and acoustic music ✅
Second chance at romance ✅

There’s a deep sense of nostalgia in returning to the places of youth, especially when they involve first love. 

Sam returns to her family’s Long Island beach cottage in search of the perfect wedding venue. But before she can embrace the future, she must grapple with the past… and the intoxicating sound coming from the guitar next door. 

Monaghan perfectly captures the essence of young love and that first heartbreak. But what drew me in most was the seaside setting and memories of summers at the beach. 

Oh Wyatt! Quite possibly the perfect cinnamon roll hero. (I have a thing for guys with guitars.). And yet, there was something that held me back from being fully sold on this romance. 

Monaghan’s last book, Nora Goes Off Script, is one of my all-time favorite romances. It’s about a middle-aged heroine finding love amongst the mundane parts of life (around dinner tables and on grocery store runs). 

And so I think: Maybe this book didn’t resonate to the same degree because it felt more YA, and I’m in my “mature” adult era. (It’s me. I’m the problem. It’s me.)

Still, I finished this in no time. It really is perfect for the pool bag. 

But I’d love to see Monaghan circle back to a middle-aged woman navigating life and kids… 

🎧 I listened to this one and found myself seeking out extra tasks that allowed me more listening time. Brittany Pressley is a favorite narrator, and she was partnered up with Dan Bitter. Together they created a perfectly angsty narration that I didn’t want to pause.