Falling in love in a small town.
Devyn is a work-a-holic real estate broker in Philadelphia. She left Dreamer’s Bay behind for bigger and better things. Elizabeth is Dreamer’s Bay’s sweetest resident. She couldn’t imagine anyone not loving it in the small town. An incident requires Devyn to return, and the two women end up spending time together. As they become closer, Elizabeth will have to deal with her growing feelings when she knows that Devyn is not there to stay.
This starts off exciting as we are taken on a bit of a mystery and grass roots investigation. It’s not for long, but it certainly made a great way to begin the story. From this incident, we get a glimpse of who the main characters are in this story. Devyn is uptight and a bit snobby. Elizabeth is down to earth and a bit quirky.
Brayden sure knows how to build a relationship from ‘no way’ to ‘meant to be.’ She takes the time with lots of interactions and cute moments that literally light the characters up on page. Plus, she writes adorable leading ladies. Who could not have a big old crush on Elizabeth Draper? Ever the positive, kind, and dorky woman of Dreamer’s Bay. Sigh.
But this was not just a light and breezy romance. There was quite a bit of depth as it dealt with abandonment and being closed off to love. There was a bit of family drama and facing lightweight bullies. The growth of both Devyn and Elizabeth was an awesome journey to go on with them.
The best part of this book was the angst and having to overcome mistakes. I had watery eyes for the last 20% of the book, I believe. This was unique in that there isn’t just a speedy happy ending. And it was really satisfying to see some work toward happily ever after. Especially when it was called for.
Overall, this was a great love story. Cute and likable characters. Fun outings. Swoon worthy flirty banter.
I recommend this to everyone. Friends with benefits, romance, abandonment, bullies, priorities, small towns, second chances, courting, and corn hole.