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Sophie ran away from her life after her divorce and she decided to settle in Wishington Bay. She works two or three jobs, she has a small and cozy apartment, and she has made great friends. She has found her new comfort zone. Then Gabe and Holly ask her to look after Gabe’s brother. Nate is staying at their newly renovated place while they are away on a trip. He is in the midst of his own stormy divorce, and he has serious self-confidence issues. Sophie’s previous life is a huge secret for most of the book, and it was quite a doozy.
Nate and Sophie get to know each other, initially because she came to clean for him and bring him meals. And later on because they wanted to.
I like second-chance romances, but this one was a bit too fresh from the divorce court for me. Sophie and her husband are firmly separated, and the final papers still had to be signed. But Nate’s was a lot more recent. He had just split up with his wife, it was a huge shock to him, and they hadn’t even started divorce proceedings yet. I feel like they should have had some time to discover who they are on their own, before embarking on another serious relationship. And yes, I get that they, like anybody else, are entitled to have some fun, to date people, and be intimate. But Nate wasn’t even into recovery mode yet, he was still mourning the loss of his marriage. And he was very much in love with his wife. Obviously, Sophie helped him a lot to get his head in a better place. A lot of their conversations also revolved around their failed marriages. And when Sophie’s old life collided with her new one, Nate didn’t handle it very well.
Apart from that, it was a lovely read. Not too heavy, and the friendship and romance between Sophie and Nate developed slowly.
Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Was I hooked by this book? Not completely.
Genre: Contemporary Romance