by Cali Adeline
First published 2026
Sonny Magee clutches her notebook as she arrives at the Sanctuary Resort & Spa in Arizona, completely out of place among the wealthy guests. She inherited money unexpectedly after losing her mother as a child and surviving a cold grandmother who left her wary of human connection. The luxury spa overwhelms her. Staff members hover with unwanted attention. Fellow guests make small talk she cannot navigate. Sonny retreats to her usual habits of watching from corners, headphones blocking out noise, pen moving across notebook pages. The resort forces her into contact with strange characters she would normally avoid. A staff member shows romantic interest that confuses her. She still feels safest as an observer rather than a participant. Then a sudden accident shatters the resort's peaceful atmosphere. The crisis reveals shocking information that destroys everything Sonny believed about her world. The people she kept at arm's length surprise her with their responses. She discovers that stepping beyond her protective bubble might not destroy her after all.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, second-chance
Setting: Arizona, Sanctuary Resort & Spa
400 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness