First published 2017
Heather, a wandering California woman, falls hard for Brian, a bookish homebody writer who rarely leaves his Upper West Side apartment. Their romance ends abruptly when Heather gets pregnant and Brian declares he loves her but wants no children. Heather returns to California and gives birth to Gracie alone. Hours after delivery, a nurse shakes her awake with alarming news: her baby is seriously ill. Heather finds herself a solo parent to a fragile infant who smells like sliced apples and salted pretzels but may not survive. As Gracie's condition worsens, Brian returns. Together, they must decide what risks they will take to give their daughter a chance at life. The story follows their unconventional family through medical crises and impossible choices, exploring how love takes many crooked forms.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: California, Upper West Side
Period: 21st-century
320 pages · Hardcover · Henry Holt and Co.
Content warnings: medical-trauma, pregnancy-loss