5 stars I would have found it impossible not to fall in love with Jensen and Harriett, but then I wouldn’t expect any less from Caitlyn Crews. I first read one of her books through Netgalley and I have been a fan ever since, so when I saw this book offered on Netgalley as an ARC, I knew I had to request it. It was outstanding, as usual. Jensen Kittridge and Harriet Barnett are complex and relatable characters. In the hands of another writer, they might come across as caricatures of real people—the laid-back, good-natured cowboy/playboy and the prissy, proper librarian. But neither are quite what they seem. Jensen is committed to his role as town clown, always ready with a joke and a laugh, pretending to be dumb. Harriet immediately sees through his act, but it’s not until he confides in her the reason for it that we realize how damaged he is from a traumatic event when he was a teen. Meanwhile, Harriet dresses in frumpy, comfortable clothing and doesn’t have a care for what anyone thinks of her—until she realizes that they feel pity because they think that she has a crush on Jensen. When she realizes this, she is incensed and suggests that maybe he is the one who has a crush on her (not suspecting that he actually does). One of the things I liked about the two of these characters was their intuitive ability to read one another. Jensen recognizes the physical reactions in Harriet that reveal her interest in him (“...he had made a study of female arousal. Because Jensen liked a party, but he first liked to be invited to attend.”), while she recognizes the behavioral signs that he wants something more with her than he is prepared to admit. I also love how Jensen is always described in physical terms that convey his utter relaxation, even though it is an affectation to disguise his actual feelings. He is constantly propped against a wall, tipped back in a chair, or drawling his responses to questions. Early on, this encounter goes a long way toward describing their interactions: “...she held his gaze with an uncomfortable directness that might have made him sit up and take notice if he hadn't been so deeply committed to the lazy way he was currently lounging there.” Later, she sees him in the local coffee shop, kicking back on a sofa against the far wall and “he looked as if it was possible he didn’t actually possess a spine, so committed was he to his boneless lounging.” Harriet, although comfortable with herself and unconcerned with social isolation, nevertheless feels awkward when forced to socialize with her peers. When approached by several of the local women who seem to want to get to know her better, her response is priceless: “I’m not good with people,” Harriet announced baldly. “I honestly can’t tell if this is an attempt to befriend me or if it’s the opening scene in one of those horrific teen films where everybody knows what’s going on except me until endless humiliations ensue. I’d really prefer it if you could be up front.” Later, while giving her phone number to one of her new friends, she feels she must sound like “a robot impersonating a human.” One of the most endearing things about Harriet is her ability to cut to the heart of an issue and clearly see what is going on. She is guileless and honest to a fault. She understands Jensen in a way he can’t understand himself, and unfortunately, is not ready to understand himself. She also understands “the rules” if she wants him to stick around. But I was especially touched by her sudden and unavoidable understanding of the nature of love and heartbreak: “She’d always thought that heartache came later. The period at the end of a sentence she’d never uttered. It had never occurred to her that really, heartache was an echo. Because first there was this. “This ache. This stunning knowledge that something she’d never expected to happen to her, could. So easily and so smoothly it was like surfacing from the water and lifting her face to the sun.” The story is richly layered and profoundly touching. These are real people with real feelings, struggling to find their way to someone who will understand them, who will love them, despite their failings. It begins with an unlikely friendship and develops into a lasting love and it’s inspiring. September 20, 2021
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September 2022
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