This is an extremely slow paced love story between Ollie Williams and Ana Rose. One that I carefully digested at the pace the author set forth and loved every second of. You really have to be ready to just take your time with this story.
It starts off with a bang. Literally. Then fast forward years later and we are introduced to Anna, a 51 year old mother to daughter, Bethany, and adopted son, Timothy, who is on the spectrum. Even though she has been casually dating Liam for months, she feels bored and lonely. Her daughter convinces her to take up a hobby to meet new people. So she begins attending a crochet club. There, she meets Ollie, a 51 year old ex soldier that carries a bit of baggage from her time in Iraq.
This was a very sweet, slow build romance filled with the giddiness of a first crush. The way this author subtly mentions little things like stolen glances, noticing fingers travel down chains of yarn, an x at the end of a text message, blushing, attraction, etc. It felt all so very purposefully nuanced.
I loved the crocheting theme. I tried to pick it up a couple of years ago. I managed to make a fairly uneven blanket with a larger than expected hole in the middle. But I AM very proud of it. I have some yarn and after reading this, I feel inspired to start my next masterpiece.
Something I don’t read often is internalized homophobia. It is so sad but I can relate to Ollie when she struggles with saying that she is gay. Coming to terms that it is OK to date women. And I thought it was ironic that the seemingly straight, Anna, who had never been with a woman, had an easier time with it than Ollie.
Both of these women have grown children that have impacts on their relationship decision making. I liked this dynamic, although I was a bit annoyed with how many times Anna made excuses for Liam’s unacceptable behavior toward her autistic son, Timothy.
But overall, I super enjoyed this. It was like eating a really good piece of chocolate. You nibble at it slowly because you want to take in and savor all the flavor. These women felt like friends that I set up on a blind date and wanted it to work out SO badly.