First published 2014
Angela stares at the magazine photo pinned to her office wall. A cottage on the Maine coast represents everything her New York life lacks. She stores sweaters in her oven because she never cooks the Italian dishes her grandmother taught her. Her job feels meaningless. Her life happened without her choosing it. The clock keeps ticking on her single existence. A sailor's dating profile gives her the final push she needs. He loves dogs and Italian cooking. Angela packs everything and moves to Maine. The cottage falls short of her magazine fantasy. The small town feels foreign after city life. She takes a job at the local coffeehouse and slowly builds connections with her neighbors. Each day brings small discoveries about her new community and its hidden stories. Angela learns to cook again. She finds rhythm in small town life. The fantasy she chased dissolves, but something more real takes its place.
Genres: fiction, family-life, contemporary, contemporary-romance
Vibes: cozy, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, second-chance
Setting: Maine, New York
Period: 21st-century
320 pages · Paperback · William Morrow Paperbacks