Despite her painful past, Helen has managed to defeat the odds and have a very successful YA book series that, much to her shock (and discomfort), is being formulated for a streaming series. While she has always loved books and loves to write in the privacy of her own spaces, she feels completely out of her league in the LA scene. Then, as icing on the cake, she sees the list of writers who will be working on her show and is utterly thrown: Grant Shepard? The boy who happened to be driving the car her younger sister threw herself in front of years ago? This can’t be happening…
This is a sort of tragic romcom. While there is an underlying current of sadness, after both Helen and Grant have suffered greatly after the pivotal and horrifying incident of their youth, there is also the spark of hope for both of them. They are thrown together by unlikely circumstances and are, in a sense, forced to confront this past. On the other hand, because they’ve shared such profound grief and anger, they also are bound together by a situation that only the two of them could possibly comprehend.
Like many other lighter novels, some degree of suspension of reality has to happen here. The likelihood of their coming together so far from their home is a HUGE coincidence. Yes, it can happen. No it is not likely. Also I felt the sex scenes were explicit and gratuitous (which may be an attraction for some, forgive the pun) but I didn’t feel they added much to the story. On the other hand, the characters are very sympathetic; we understand Helen’s awkwardness, and we are sensitive to Grant’s panic attacks. They are relatable characters, written well.
Overall, this is an engaging story, certainly an easy beach read and perfect for this season!
kindread spirits 