Summary
When Shay Zucconi’s step-grandmother died, she left Shay a tulip farm—under two conditions.
First, Shay has to move home to the small town of Friendship, Rhode Island. Second—and most problematic since her fiancé just called off the wedding—Shay must be married within one year.
Marriage is the last thing in the world Shay wants but she’ll do anything to save the only real home she’s ever known.
Noah Barden loved Shay Zucconi back in high school. Not that he ever told her. He was too shy, too awkward, too painfully uncool to ask out the beautiful, popular girl.
A lifetime later, Noah is a single dad to his niece and has his hands full running the family business. That old crush is the farthest thing from his mind.
Until Shay returns to their hometown and turns his life upside down.
Excerpt
Today’s learning objective:
Students will be able to know when it’s time for an axe.
I wasin my wedding dress when he called. Dress, veil, shoes, and an industrial-strength corset to smooth down my squish. It was a great cupcake of a gown too, heavy and poufy and impractical for a July wedding but it looked perfect nonetheless. Everything was perfect.
He said, “This isn’t going to work out, Shay.”
I knew what he meant and I knew it before my name left his lips. He wasn’t talking about the raw bar or the dogwood branches canopying the aisle or the band. And I wasn’t surprised.
I should’ve been surprised. I should’ve been shocked. But the spots where those emotions should’ve lived were filled with a dry, brittle emptiness that cackled back at me. And that cackle said I should’ve known better.
All I could do was rip the veil from my head and fling it to the hotel suite’s plush carpet while a quartet of bridesmaids cried out in horror. The veil meant something, and they knew it. A hair out of place wasn’t a risk I’d take, not minutes before moving outside for pre-ceremony photos.
The photographer lowered her camera as I said to my ex-fiancé, “Okay.”
Okay, apparently this doesn’t warrant an in-person conversation.
The photographer took a step backward. Then another.
Okay, we’re not getting married in three hours.
My maid of honor Jaime moved toward me, a hand outstretched and her eyes wide.
Okay, a year and a half of planning, right out the window.
My bridesmaids Emme and Grace exchanged a glance that seemed to ask What the hell?
Okay, all the things I thought I’d done right, wasted.
Audrey smoothed the skirt of her navy bridesmaid’s dress and ushered the hair and makeup artists toward the door.
Okay. Okay.
“Did…did you hear me?” he asked. “Do you get what I’m saying?”
I wish I could say this sort of thing didn’t happen to me. Not that I’d ever been left at the altar before—or damn close to the altar—but that I’d been left somewhere.
Review
(audiobook) What a rollercoaster! Hilarious at times, tearjerking at others, this book never leaves you indifferent. Through a rather simple second chance romance, the author explores what constitutes family and what inconditional love is.
Shay and Noah were more than friends in high school–but not boyfriend and girlfriend yet. Noah was awkward and overweight, and Shay was popular yet felt alone due to the circumstances that brought her in Friendship. They made big promises, but life broke them apart. Now, they’re both back, each with their own burdens, and maybe they can help each other.
Problematic couples, divorced couples, single parents, widows/widowers, estranged family members, reconstituted families, chosen families… Every aspects of families are explored in this book. Though Shay and Noah have very different upbringings, they share the loss of a parent and a complicated relationship with a mother, and they connect.
On more than one level too. They have a past, and the present adds attraction and common interests to the mix. It was interesting to see feelings develop along the way, through meaningful conversations and lovely moments. It’s a rather slow burn, but once they get to it, it’s explosive. To be honest, I wasn’t much a fan of Noah’s dominance, which didn’t feel right for the character, in my opinion. On the other hand, I loved the subtle mentions of Shay’s curves during sexy times, enforcing the fact that Noah finds her beautiful just as she is–acceptance, of physical or mental traits, is a big theme in this book.
I won’t reveal anything, because I don’t want to lessen its impact, but if you don’t tear up at the final–and definitely fall in love with Noah–I worry about your heart.
The narrators are perfect to bring you to tears or to make you laugh. They both manage to make Noah’s niece an absolute pleasure, through their energy and impeccable timing. And they embody their character with talent, bringing this book to another level of perfection.
Quickie
- Series: standalone
- Hashtags: #small town romance #second chance romance #teacher #farmer #fake wedding #single dad
- Triggers: past deaths, past bullying, mention of killing someone, neurodivergent child
- Main couple: Shay Zucconi & Noah Barden
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 5/5
- + that’s what I call pining
- – I wasn’t a fan of Noah’s peculiar proclivities
Stalker mode
You can subscribe to Kate Canterbary’s newsletter on her website.
You can also follow her on Facebook.
Vero Ticker 