First published 2025
Sam Pulaski lives in her mom's condo at 26, drowning in student loans from her art history degree. She works a dead-end service job and waits for PhD programs to rescue her from Ohio. Her toxic situationship isn't helping either. When Nick moves in next door with his nine-year-old daughter Kira, Sam wants nothing to do with the almost-forty single dad. Nick gave up his travel career to manage a chain restaurant after his divorce. He focuses entirely on Kira's happiness in their new life. The thin wall between condos makes avoiding each other impossible. Nick's quiet confidence forces Sam to examine the broken men in her life, including her absent father and her emotionally unavailable friend with benefits. Their unexpected attraction builds despite their different life stages. Sam fears commitment and children while Nick has already settled into steady routines. As their connection deepens, Sam must decide whether to embrace a relationship with someone whose life is everything hers isn't.
Genres: romance, contemporary, contemporary-romance, new-adult, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Ohio
Period: 21st-century
352 pages · Paperback · Dial Press Trade Paperback
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, toxic-relationship