Nora Stephens works in publishing. She is very familiar with the tropes of romantic fiction and their striking resemblance to the plot lines of many Hallmark channel movies. And she’s starting to get used to how those tripes and plot lines dominate her love life.

Fresh off a phone call from her now ex-boyfriend, Nora sits across a cafe table from Charlie Lastra–stern, rigid, no-nonsense book editor. As a literary agent, Nora is used to fighting for her authors, but talking to Charlie is like stepping into a boxing ring with a brick wall. She shakes off the uncomfortable meeting, successfully shepherds her client’s book to the bestseller track with another editor, and forgets all about cantankerous Charlie. At least until she runs into him in the last place she ever expects.

As Nora spends the summer with her sister in small-town America, she yearns for the familiar hustle and noise of New York City. Out of her element, Nora quickly discovers that she may also be walking an unfamiliar and unexpected road to the love she never thought she would find.

I loved everything about this book. The wit and dialogue are sharp and fast, propelling the story with laughter and warmth. Nora’s dedication to her sister and her career–and the resulting lack of dedication to herself and her own needs or happiness–is relatable and heart-achingly raw. And Charlie. Well, Charlie is my new favorite book boyfriend. Intelligent, sharp, and quick-witted, Charlie is honest, loyal, and the perfect match for Nora.

I can’t say enough about how this book made me laugh and cry, how it broke my heart and restored it again. Five stars!