5 stars I love to lose myself in a Tracy Sumner story. She creates characters who are real and evocative, not to mention memorable. She taps into the emotions of love and loss and longing with precision. Here, she introduces Charlie, a spirited, independent woman who doesn’t quite fit in with her small town (and who, by the way, is incredibly strong), and Adam, a wealthy, experienced newspaper editor...and her new boss. With every interest in common as well as an undeniable attraction to one another, it seems inevitable for them to end up together. However, Adam is determined to never love again, after having lost his mother and his brother to death and feeling devastated. Charlie is willing to accept what little he can give because she loves him enough to not want to cause him the discomfort that would come along with loving her. Adam does everything he can to avoid the final realization that he loves Charlie just as much as she loves him. The journey is poignant, and at times, heartbreaking, but there’s never really any doubt about the happy ending that will eventually arrive. Personification is always a favorite of mine, so I loved this image: “Moonlight from the lone window poured in, sliding across his legs to pool on the floor in a neat puddle.” And this one was funny: “She tried to compose herself, brushing wrinkles from a dress that looked as if it had jumped off an ironing board minutes before.” There were some fun similes/metaphors in this story, like this one: “...a rich, all-too-comforting fragrance permeated the air, slashing like a blade as no words could have.” I also liked this one: “The morning was a sharp and frigid as an old woman’s cackle and just as inviting.” And this one, because it was so closely related to the love of writing that Adam and Charlie shared: “...she swayed and slipped to the ground as weightlessly as a piece of parchment in the wind.” This one was an apt reflection of Adam’s state of mind, desperately clinging to the memory of Charlie while fighting his feelings for her: “...he muttered and threw the pieces to the ground. Then, pitifully, like a beggar after a few coins, he gathered them and slipped them in his shirt pocket.” But Adam’s state of mind was probably best described thusly: “He could not love her. Would not love her. Oh, God. It frightened him to consider that the matter had been decided without his consent.” How many others, throughout history, have lamented just this fact of life? I enjoyed the voice of the narrator (third-person) and the alternating POVs of Charlie and Adam, with a few from Miles (their mutual friend) and Marilyn (briefly) thrown in. It could have gotten confusing had the author decided to switch to these other POVs more often. As executed, it was perfect for allowing the reader a view of the lovers through the eyes of observers, who clearly saw the love that Charlie and Adam were valiantly denying existed. I really enjoyed the book and I highly recommend it. September 12, 2020
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