SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE

The lives of two mismatched strangers collide in a commuter-train meet-cute in Thomas’ debut romance novel.

Piper Paulson is perennially flustered and late. One hectic morning, she finds herself accidentally standing on the foot of a handsome besuited man on her train, and the two of them enter into an awkward conversation that confirms her low opinion of men in finance. James Newhouse thoroughly regrets how rude he came across to the pretty woman on the train, but he’s soon able to correct the situation when, on another morning, Piper talks to him about how expensive travel is for a single person; if only she could score a family pass. Cue James falsely listing Piper as his wife, allowing them to share travel discounts. This seems like a great idea until the two of them witness a crime on the train, requiring them to pretend to be married when the police arrive on the scene. (“I’m not sure that we should keep up this charade in light of what happened this morning and what may be asked of us, but we could.”) Thomas plays with the “fake relationship” romance trope with aplomb, throwing together two seemingly very different characters (Piper abandoned a career in finance to work for nonprofits; James is practically chained to his desk in the world of numbers) who find solace in each other. The author skillfully weaves in their backstories and insecurities in chapters that roughly alternate between Piper’s and James’ perspectives, building the anticipation of a romantic crescendo for the reader as each character worries that the other doesn’t feel the same way (in Piper’s words, “I’m starting to get attached to him and he doesn’t seem to share the sentiment”). The protracted back-and-forth between the two as Piper and James struggle to communicate their true feelings in the final third of the story grows a bit frustrating, but it does make the ending all the sweeter.

A heartwarming “opposites attract” love story.