JANAE SANDERS' SECOND TIME AROUND

A single mom reconnects with her secret high school crush, 25 years after graduation.

After years in a controlling marriage, followed by drawn-out, bitter divorce proceedings, nurse anesthetist Janae Sanders has finally found peace and receives love and support from her best friends in the “Savvy, Sexy, and Single Club.” When former NBA star turned educator Adam Henderson returns to their small Pennsylvania town, old feelings come rushing back, but Janae has no time for romance—not when her 15-year-old son’s beloved dance and fashion design extracurriculars are cut due to budget constraints. As the PTA president, Janae is ready to fight the new interim superintendent to reinstate the arts programs, only to discover that the person in that role is none other than Adam. He proposes a weekend cabin getaway so they can work together to find alternative funding—and acknowledge the obvious attraction and unresolved feelings between them. Janae and Adam are both thoughtful, emotionally mature adults who are open about their priorities and desires. This means there isn’t much conflict between them, so tension in the book comes more from the fraught relationships they each have with a parent: Janae’s mom critiques her daughter for being bold and big (qualities Janae loves about herself), and Adam’s father always pushed his son into basketball and can’t understand why he gave that up. Janae strives to be a very different type of parent, showing her son full support to pursue his artistic dreams. Janae and Adam’s budding romance is sweet and sexy, and it’s satisfying to watch them advocate for themselves and each other in this story that showcases the importance of being true to oneself and encouraging loved ones to pave their own paths.

A gratifying romance between kind, confident, deserving leads.