Brighton and Charlotte have known each other since childhood. They started dating in high school, went to college together and were supposed to get married. Until Brighton left Charlotte at the altar. Five years later Charlotte is still living in New York, pursuing her dreams and travelling with her string quartet in the New Year. Brighton is living in Nashville, having been recently kicked out of the band she was in, hasn’t picked up her guitar in months and is working at a local bar. Through happenstance, both end up in an idyllic town in Colorado. Charlotte pretends she doesn’t know Brighton, even though they will be spending the holiday in close quarters. Even as they spend time together, Charlotte still refuses to talk to Brighton, but who can blame her after what Brighton did. But can time heal old wounds, will Brighton and Charlotte remember what made them so good together? 

 

Charlotte and Brighton are opposites. Charlotte is closed off and appears unfeeling, while Brighton is charismatic and outgoing. When we get to learn more about Charlotte, we learn that her mother had a child as an experiment, never really nurturing or caring for her. I would have liked there to have been more exploration into what made Charlotte who she was. Brighton seemed to have been beaten down and lost her faith in herself.  I liked how her reconnection with Charlotte pulled her out of her funk. She found her voice, her strength and her worth by being reminded of how good a musician she is. These two were truly opposites in so many ways and we saw it so many times throughout the book. The author also did a great job showing the tension between the two, and the palpable emotions that both were experiencing as a result of their history. 

 

I thought Charlotte’s anxiety was well portrayed. I felt there with her in the moment when she was experiencing her anxiety. I enjoyed the friend group that surrounded these two. They added to the story, giving us relationships with a variety of friends supporting both of them. This found family allowed both Charlotte and Brighton to come out of their shells and find love again. 

 

If you like cozy Hallmark vibes but make it sapphic and spicier, this would be a perfect book for you. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine. 

 

reading if you like: grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, second chance, left at the alter