Summer Romance

by Annabel Monaghan ★★★☆☆

Ali Morris is thirty-eight, a mother of three, and she's been struggling with a series of difficult life obstacles for most of the last two years. "It's no secret that I'm more than a little stuck," she tells us. "I'm in a holding pattern, like a plane trying to land in too much fog. I am here, but also not here. Married, but also not." Two years ago, her mother passed away, and Ali still hasn't found peace without that presence in her life. A year ago, her husband Pete "announced he didn't want to be married anymore." Ali may be in a holding pattern, but with a divorce around the corner and part-time business that is running low on clients, she has some serious navigating in her near future.

With all of those complications in place, it's the last time Ali wants to be thinking about romance. But fate cares little for convenience, and a dog park meet-cute is right around the corner. Ali's dog pees on a man's sneaker, but this is not just any man—he's tall, broad-shouldered, confident, and if Ali didn't know better, she'd swear he was flirting with her. "There's something about him that I recognize. I don't recognize him, but the look. He's looking at me the way men used to look at me when I was younger. Like he sees me." He introduces himself as Ethan, and after a bit more slightly flirtatious banter, they part ways. It's been a long time since Ali has been seen, and it awakens something in her. She's determined that this is not going to be the last time she sees Ethan.

After stalking likely places in the small town of Beechwood where she might accidentally/intentionally bump into Ethan, Ali finds him at an unlikely spot: the skate park. Is skateboarding sexy? What if it's a man's primary hobby when he's thirty-six? Apparently, if he has "gorgeous legs and shouldery shoulders" (yes, that's a quote), anything can be sexy. On this occasion, Ethan asks Ali out, and our summer romance has begun.

Given the complications in Ali's life, and the fact that Ethan is only temporarily in town to help his parents, there are many factors at play that should prevent this from being anything more than a fun fling, but the heart works in mysterious ways, and as feelings grow deeper, additional complications arise. It's also an opportunity for Ali to finally get out of the holding pattern she was in. It forces her to deal with the realities and deficiencies of her marriage. It helps her confront and unpack her suppressed feelings of frustration for ways her mother allowed Ali to be diminished in that relationship. And it gives Ali the boost she needed to find her own strength and worth as she navigates the new challenges in her life.

There are components of the story that work well, and also some that don't. Ali's journey of self-discovery and refound strength feels genuine, as do her struggles to balance the responsibilities of her life with the desires of her heart. Ethan is a bit too good to be true, whether it's his unwavering devotion to Ali or his overly kind-hearted interactions with children, the elderly, and everyone in between. The book does contain the phrase "shouldery shoulders" not once but twice, which feels like two too many. It's a "How Ali Got Her Groove Back" summer story that I think could be a cathartic read for mothers who find themselves suddenly starting over in their late thirties, and I can see how in the right hands a reader could really connect with Ali. For me, though, it missed as often as it didn't. Pros and cons, high points and not—this will likely land directly in the middle of my rankings this year.