⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. Layla started her trip with low expectations and ended up finding a passionate and binding second chance at love.

Physician Layla Bailey has spent over a year telling herself she’s moved on from a painful but amicable divorce from her college sweetheart. Staying friends with her ex seemed like the mature thing to do, but when Layla is invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris—where Layla once spent her own romantic honeymoon—she knows her commitment to maturity might be her worst enemy… especially since her ex isn’t attending alone. The only thing that could make the week more difficult is getting through it without the distraction of the wedding. But when what Layla thought was a harmless conversation about the choices of her younger self leads to the bride getting cold feet, Layla finds herself facing down the groom’s mysterious, taciturn best man, Griffin, who will do anything to make sure this wedding happens. Since she broke it, Griff demands she help him fix it. Going along with his plan to alleviate the engaged couple’s doubts seems like Layla’s best chance at maintaining a good relationship with a family she once called her own. But as she learns more about the past heartbreak that’s driving Griff to help his friend, she gets closer and closer to confronting the true depth of her own pain… while finding herself more and more willing to risk it all again for Griff.

my thoughts

This wedding was bound to be awkward, for so many reasons. But weirdly enough, the biggest elephant in the room wasn’t the fact that Jamie and Layla used to be married. Oh no, apart from a couple of other big ones, there were a bunch of smaller elephants stampeding all over the place, stirring up trouble.

Layla was put in a very difficult position by her former sister-in-law, and for all her anxiety and overthinking, I thought she was by far the most mature person in every situation. Her inner thoughts would probably disagree, but she acted with grace and patience, even when people unfairly expected her to smooth things over.

Griffin and Layla had an instant connection, though it started somewhat adversarial. They were the two odd ones out at the festivities. Griffin was a complex character and difficult to understand at times, until he opened up to Layla about his injuries. Their growing bond from reluctant allies through friendship to lovers felt so real and intense and emotional. I loved how they learned to live for themselves first, before including anyone else. They were two lost souls who found each other in the unlikeliest of places.

This story came with a lot of heartbreak, doubts, complex issues, and flawed characters. Layla and Griffin underwent a lot of growth, but Emily and Michael had their own moments of clarity. The rest of the guests weren’t super likeable for the most part.

I can recommend this book if you like an emotional, slow burn romance with family drama. See what other readers are saying on Goodreads.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Sensuality Rating: Warm