“That’s why I don’t come back very often. There’s nothing to do, and it’s a long way from Ottawa. Plus, it burns a lot of fossil fuel to get here.” He took her hand in his. “It turns me on when you talk about fossil fuel emissions.” “You have a serious problem,” she muttered as he bent to kiss behind her ear."

Recommended and gifted to me by an author I follow on Twitter (THANK YOU), this was a sweet, contemporary romance between two friends who become lovers during a tense wedding weekend.

Natalie Chin-Williams is a 36 year-old climatologist and professor. She's had her share of heartbreak and has basically given up on dating. Natalie decided long ago she would never have children and she is tired of being told "the right one" will change her mind.

But, Natalie would like a date to her much younger sister's wedding, someone to be a buffer between her and her mixed bag family. Her racist grandmother and uncle are set to attend, and her Chinese grandmother won't relent in asking when Natalie will be getting married and having babies.

Connor has been friends with Natalie for well over 15 years, so he is happy to be her date to the wedding, even if it is far away. Heck, he once had a crush on Natalie, but time and various other relationships including his now failed-marriage meant he never acted on it.

As the wedding weekend progresses, Connor finds himself falling for Natalie as he learns more about her, her family, and her role in raising her little sister. Natalie also starts to see Connor in a new light and after some extremely unpleasant news rocks the festivities, they find themselves in bed together.

What follows is an endearing exploration of finding her perfect someone, despite the odds.

I loved that Connor was the first to fall and the one to fight for their relationship. I loved that both main characters were older (late 30s) than most romance novels, and I loved that they were both firmly in the no-kids camp. My only wish for the story was a bit more of Natalie and Connor together on page, as there are long sections with Natalie and her family.

Content warnings for divorce, mentions of miscarriage, abortion mention, and cheating (not between the main couple).