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Review
4.5 stars!
I love this book! Penelope Ward never fails to deliver, and with this book she has given us a chemistry-filled, slow-burning romance that is full of feels, and that I couldn’t get enough of. The fantastically-handled older man/younger woman theme just adds to the intensity, and I loved these characters and their story so much!
Heather is a 20-year-old who had to grow up too fast. Her father took off when she was young, and she cares for her mother who fell into a deep depression following the death of her sister. She also works and runs their accommodation business where they rent out the boathouse on their lakeside property. Her life is busy but not exactly exciting and though she dreams of more, she handles her responsibilities without complaint. And then sexy older man Noah rents out their boathouse for the summer.
Noah is a professional photographer who has taken three months away from his life to rest, recoup and get himself together. A cabin by the lake for three months sounds perfect, and he’s enjoying his peaceful getaway… until Heather comes along, bringing with her all kinds of turmoil.
Life is made up of little moments that don’t seem that important at the time, but in retrospect they’re what get you to where you are.
Heather and Noah are instantly attracted to each other, and their initial interactions are full of fun, great banter and chemistry. But while Heather is all too keen to explore it, Noah is reluctant due to their ages – she is 20, he is 34 – not only a huge gap, but also putting them both at completely different stages in their lives. She accepts his concerns, but they can’t resist their draw to each other, making this very much a friends-to-lovers romance as Noah and Heather hang out, open up with each other and get to know each other on a deep level.
Their friendship develops beautifully! They genuinely enjoy spending time with each other, and I loved reading about their time together just sitting on the porch and talking, their deep and meaningful conversations, the fun moments and the late night texts. And the whole time, their attraction to each other only grows, bringing a delicious slow burn as the love story builds. And with their connection as strong as it is, I knew it was going to be epic and I was not disappointed.
There’s a true emotional bond between Noah and Heather, so much more than just lust, and that translates into some truly intense scenes as they finally cave in and act on their chemistry, and holy hot damn! But their time together is limited. And with Noah actively supporting and encouraging Heather to live the life she has always wanted, their futures are heading in different directions. But by the end of summer, everything has changed and neither of them will ever be the same.
I was living the moment I’d always feared: knowing what it was like to have her and still feeling as though I needed to let her go.
I freaking love this story! I want to say it’s angst-free, but the relationship does have an edge to it with them fighting so hard to resist, but it’s a really good angst and through it they are so freaking functional! From the very beginning they are nothing but honest with each other about everything, talking about what they’re thinking and feeling, and there’s absolutely no game playing. Sure, they have issues to overcome, but they do it openly and without any stupid behaviour, following their hearts, and I loved that so much! Neither of them expected it, but the way it plays out and the way they handle it is just fantastic!
“In the end, all we have are memories. I don’t have nearly enough memories with you. I want to make some.”
The story of their relationship is enough to carry the book, but there is an added twist thrown in, coming externally to everything happening between them. It’s intense yet real, and it works so to progress the love story and I thought was really well done.
This is an absolutely beautiful story. Heather and Noah are fantastic characters, I truly adored them both, and there is lots of time spent with the two of them together, so we feel everything right along with them as they find their way to their beautiful happy ending, which left me feeling all fluffy with a huge grin on my face.
I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Andie Arndt and Sebastian York, and it was, as always with these two, fantastic to listen to.
Such a special read, and I couldn’t put it down. 4.5 stars.
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