4.5 star rating

I've been saying lately that I'm not really a romance reader, but then this book came along and it's made me question why I am not.

I really enjoyed this book, it just lacks that spark and 'can't get it out of my head-ness' that a 5-star read carries. But for a romance, this book ticked a lot of boxes. I loved the older main characters, I loved the baseball/sports fiction tie-in. I loved the small-town setting. And I loved the platonic friendship between Evvie and her best friend Andy, and the forced proximity romance between Evvie and Dean. Evvie and Dean are both in places in their lives where they are embarking on new beginnings. Evvie is grieving her ex-husband after a tragic accident, and Dean is grieving the end of his Major League Baseball career. Neither of these chapter endings were planned, so these characters find themselves starting over, together.

This book also taught me what 'first-call grief' is. Which brought a whole world of insight into a friendship that I'm no longer a part of. That was an unexpected takeaway.

This is one of those reading experiences where the book teachers the reader about their reading tastes and preferences. I want more romances like this one. I like the emotion and the cute-ness and the witty banter, without the heaviness of romance that a book like one by Nicholas Sparks can take (who I also love, but time and place right?). I was rooting for all of the characters, even the side ones. This book was a joyful, hopeful read.

Also, the audiobook is solid. I would recommend either format, or both!