A STUDY IN SPARKLING

An Australian single mother who’s been through the wringer finds a soft landing with a courtly and handsome younger man.

Fiona Fisher, 35, is a bit lost and starved for affection after a cataclysmic breakup. In search of a clean break, her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Matt Sinclair, hasn’t seen their three kids since he left and isn’t paying child support, so she’s scrambling for part-time copywriting gigs and depending on the largesse of her judgmental father, who never lets her forget she’s a disappointment. Handsome, empathetic Satoshi Tsukamoto, 27, co-owner of a wine bar in their corner of Tasmania, offers a crucial lifeline when it feels like she’s drowning. He was there the night her world shifted. She’d been so worried that Matt asked to meet at the wine bar to tell her that he wanted to have another child. Instead, as she shared with Satoshi after the disastrous meal, “Matt doesn’t want another baby. He has a whole other family in Melbourne—and he’s leaving us for them.” It’s not the best scenario in which to start a relationship with a gorgeous sommelier eight years her junior, even one who’s attentive, kind, a great listener, and wants to support her every need. When she’s skittish, he offers a secret no-strings friends-with-benefits arrangement despite the fact that he’s head over heels for her. Though the romance is narrated in alternating chapters by Fiona and Satoshi, who has his own professional and personal challenges to contend with, Fiona’s journey serves as catalyst and anchor. While the way her marriage ended and her new relationship began are tantalizingly splashy, Fiona is relatable and grounded, and the novel’s strength lies in its fully realized and recognizable leads. Satoshi’s vulnerability is palpable, as is Fiona’s insecurity over having been so fully absorbed into Matt’s orbit that she never had a chance to be an adult on her own or pursue talents beyond homemaking and parenting.

This carefully crafted and effervescent contemporary romance balances a woman’s inner journey with a tender love story.