HART'S LANDING

In Harlow’s romance, when circumstances force a young woman back to her hometown after 10 years away, she finds herself reexamining abandoned friendships and lost love.

The book opens during Mila Ferguson’s last days in the small town of Hart’s Landing, where she recently graduated high school. She finally works up the nerve to kiss her longtime crush, Everett McKean, who stops by the bakery where she’s working, only for them to be interrupted by an explosion that sets the store ablaze. Believing herself responsible for the destruction, Mila leaves her quaint town and loses touch with her three closest friends, as well as Everett. Ten years later, Mila is living in Brooklyn, New York, and working as a botanical illustrator. Her mom calls to tell her that she’s having double hip-replacement surgery and will need her help afterward. Despite their turbulent relationship, Mila reluctantly agrees to come home, but from the moment she arrives in Hart’s Landing, she’s assaulted by memories from her childhood, including her abandonment by her father and her mother’s relentless pressure. She also runs into Everett everywhere. Their mutual attraction hasn’t abated, but Mila is reluctant to pursue Everett because she’s only in town temporarily and healing from a divorce. Even so, she can’t seem to resist his charm and devotion. As the two grow closer, she also tries to reconnect with former friends. Harlow mainly tells the story in chapters from either Mila’s or Everett’s first-person perspectives, and it’s an engaging tale, despite some unanswered questions. For example, the story of Mila’s third lost friend remains unresolved, as if forgotten, and the author never makes clear why the whole town is so thoroughly caught up in the mystery of a single workplace accident from 10 years ago—especially when they all seem to agree on the culprit. Mila’s fraught relationship with her mother also largely goes unexplored. Still, the chemistry between Mila and Everett jumps off the page, and Harlow renders the steamier scenes well; the main characters, as well as Hart’s Landing itself, are thoroughly lovable.

An often captivating story that’s equally heartwarming and sexy.