Mrs. Nash's Ashes by Sarah Adler

Former child actress, remembered fondly by many a boy for her TV appearance in a yellow bikini when she was fourteen, almost 30 year old Millicent Watts-Cohen would rather NOT be remembered for the show she starred in long ago. She wants to be liked for who she is now, not for her fourteen year old bathing suit clad body. She's a romantic at heart but she would rather have no romance than to be used for what she used to be.

Millie has some ashes to deliver but the trip gets to a rocky start as flights are cancelled just as she is about to board her flight. Scrambling to find a way to Key West from D.C, Millie is able to get a ride with extremely handsome and super curmudgeon-y Hollis Hollenbeck, a teacher and writer, who promises to be the grumpiest of travel partners. In reality, inner sparks are flying for both Millie and Hollis. Millie may be ready for her first casual hookup while it seems that is the only kind of romantic encounter Hollis has nowadays. Can these two opposites attract and then move on with their lives like nothing happened? Millie is sure Hollis can since that seems all he ever does, maybe on a very frequent basis, but she's not sure she's up to loving and moving on in such a way.

The attraction is instant, both Millie and Hollis are funny although Hollis can turn grumpy on a dime. What is with this guy!?! Interspersed with this story is that of Rosie and Elsie, Rosie being the the three tablespoons of ashes that Millie is carrying to their final resting spot in Key West. The romance is open door, the dialogue can be crude and vulgar but both Millie and Hollis seem to be enjoying themselves equally so what's the harm. Personally I like closed door much more than open door romance so this story leaned towards way too much information for me but I did enjoy the humor and the sweetness of the story.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

I absolutely adored this book!!
Millicent is a former child star turned Hollywood historical accuracy expert. Hollis is a writer. They had met through Millie’s jerk ex-boyfriend but a mass plane grounding puts them on a wild road trip to take Millie’s best friend/elderly roommate’s ashes to Key West. They meet an amazing cast of side characters as they go, and the reader learns a lot of interesting facts about broccoli.

This was such a lovely road trip story, and I'm a sucker for even the loosest retellings of classic comedic films like It Happened One Night (which just so happens to be one of my all-time favourites.) The tale is fully updated here, with new motivations for the main characters, but it retains the opposites-attract central love story and the antic road trip plotline, with its quirky detours and delays, here including a broccoli parade and a bolder-than-necessary deer. Adler does a fabulous job with her banter and quick-to-spark attraction between her leads. It's a classic grumpy/sunshine pairing, one that's fleshed out with grounded motivations for the characterizations, and a self-aware exploration of the trope itself. The sex is sexy but also emotional, which I loved. Every intimacy built the relationship, deftly weaving lust and love. I also appreciated the discussion of women being used to forward men's stories, when every woman is the center of her own story. Told with wit and heart, it's a road trip that'll make you laugh, and take you on a joyful journey, but one that will also invert your expectations at the perfect moments. Beautifully told, full of warmth and subtle wisdom that make the story resonate well after finishing the final page.

This was a beautiful story about grief, friendship and love. I loved the flashbacks with Mrs Nash in the war. The present day road trip was fun to read about as well. This book was wonderful!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mr. Grump and Ms. Sunshine won my heart in this romance.

Millicent, a former child star, sees everything through such innocent eyes, and finds kindness in every situation. After a terrible break-up, she moves-in with Mrs. Nash, to aid in her care. The elderly women and Millicent become fast friends. Its only during her final days that Mrs. Nash confesses to loving a women killed in the Korean War.

Millicent is determined to reunite lost loves after finding Mrs. Nash's lover survived, and is living in a nursing home in Florida. Armed with her backpack, she sets out with Mrs. Nash's Ashes to deliver one final grand gesture of love. Only the airlines have other plans and grounds ALL flights out of D.C.

Hollis, a curmudgeon, roles up with a car to save-the-day. Unbeknownst to her, Hollis has had a crush on her since finding her in a coffee shop many years ago but is friend swooped and sweep her off her feet. This same friend is the one who betrayed her trust, and has left her heartbroken.

Together, they set out on a road trip from D.C. to Miami thats fueled with laugh out loud moments. The map to their destination takes a detour when they realize their feelings. This contemporary romance was such a heartwarming delight and I will recommend to many.

I will defiantly be looking for other books under this author's pen. Thank you Berkley Publishing for the complimentary copy.

After breaking up with her long term boyfriend, Millie moves in with her elderly neighbor Mrs. Nash. They become fast friends, and Mrs Nash shares her greatest love story with Millie. Upon Mrs. Nash's death, Millie is determined to reunite her ashes with her great love.

After major flight fiascos, Millie ends up stuck with travel companion Hollis. Not only is Hollis a grump, but he also is friends with her ex.

This book was soooo funny. Seriously laugh out loud funny. Millie finds herself in some awkward situations and her no filter mouth doesn't help matters.

I enjoyed the flashbacks to Mrs Nash's youth, as you really get invested in her story, but it never takes away from Millie and Hollis. This is talented story telling

I absolutely adored this grumpy sunshine story.

Mrs. Nash’s Ashes is a fun, quick little comedy of romantic error about an ex-child star who heads to the Florida Keys to do her beloved landlady one more favor – only to find true love along the way.

Rose McIntyre Nash passed away at the age of ninety-eight, but her full life is about to collide with an active afterlife. Millicent Watts-Cohen - who had been Mrs. Nash’s caretaker, lived in her home and was her close friend – is given permission by her son to take a few tablespoons of her ashes with her when she departs on her travels. It turns out Millicent has been tasked with a very important thing – she is to take this small portion of Rose to the Florida Keys and deliver them to Elise, the love of Rose’s life.

Former child star Millicent – who portrayed time-traveling Penelope Stuart in the Disney-esque Penelope to the Past, has settled into adulthood by avoiding her past and the awkwardness it surrounds her with – such as creepy guys her own age blatantly telling her - in public - about how she provided them with their sexual awakening. Millicent, meanwhile, just hopes that the journey will help renew her belief in love. Rose’s story of falling in love with Elsie during World War II – only for them to be separated by the Korean War – has long been a romantic touchstone for Millicent. Her recent discovery that Elsie didn’t die in the war but is still alive did not reach Rose before she passed, making reuniting the lovers, however she can, a major mission for her.

But more awkwardness arrives in the form of Hollis Hollenbeck, who was in the same MA program as Millicent and whom she despised – and who despised her in return. Hollis is headed to Florida for a sex-date he hopes will break him out of his writer’s block. Millicent and Hollis got on like oil and water back then, and she doesn’t anticipate anything changing during their flight to the Keys. Unfortunately a glitch grounds their flight, so they become temporary reluctant travel buddies.

Interspersed with Millicent and Hollis’ love story is that of Elsie and Rose. While Rose and Elsie’s connection is more dramatic and told with a tear in the eye, Millicent and Hollis’ connection combines humor with flashes of drama. I’m a sucker for road trips, and between broccoli festivals and meals and walks on the beach, they unpeel their armor and manage to find middle ground. It’s a rewarding journey.

There’s a lot of heat between the two of them, even though Hollis absolutely starts the book as a shallow, sex-obsessed type who has to evolve toward opening himself to love. And hoo, the book earns that hot rating!

I liked Millicent immediately, and I really sympathized with both her need to find something real and her attempt at trying to find something important in life.

This is both a very human book with a very touching narrative and a comedy of errors. There’s a wonderful, cinematic tone to Adler’s writing that keeps the reader engaged and flipping the pages. Her style is calm and assured beyond her experience – this happens to be her first novel. Hopefully Mrs. Nash’s Ashes signals that she will write many more.

This book! What a debut! From the opening chapter I knew this was going to be the BEST read. I have to say, Hollis uses one of my favorite meet cute lines ever!

“Sure. I know I never leave my house without my wallet, keys, phone, and a dimebag of cremains.”

Mrs. Nash’s Ashes is a love story within a love story with the best roadtrip playlist and characters that are instantly likable and fun.

Hollis is grumpy and gruff, in the words of the author, “a cinnamon roll hiding under a thick layer of burnt toast.” Millie is sunshine and rainbows and quirkiness and the two of them together is the perfect combination. They’re banter had me laughing out loud and their chemistry had me swooning. Adler’s writing is the best slow burn with so much heart and I know this one is going to be a hit of the summer! I cannot wait to see what Adler writes next! I highly recommend it!

4.75 stars!

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This was such a sweet and delightful read! The first line of the synopsis immediately caught my attention, it doesn’t get much quirkier than a road trip that includes the ashes of an elderly woman. I loved the sunshine and grump thing between Millie and Hollis so much but Millie really stole the show for me. She’s such a ball of sunshine, a true romantic at heart and her sense of humor and eccentric behavior was so much fun. It made me laugh but I also loved the author’s portrayal of grief and how not everything here was wrapped up in a shiny package. Overall an uplifting and heartwarming read.

#MrsNashsAshes:⁣
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Thank you @prhaudio @berkleyromance for my copies! #PRHAudioPartner #BerkleyPartner ⁣
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“you’re inevitable, Millicent. It’s like you tied my shoelaces together the moment we met and the knot’s only getting tighter the longer I try to outrun you.”⁣
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This was another fun one that had me craving the salty sea air and a great love story. Told by our unique MC, Millicent Watts-Cohen, former child star, we go on an adventure of self discovery and closure to her dear friend. ⁣
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I really loved the flashbacks of Elsie and Rose. I loved hearing Rose’s wise words to Millicent while they were roommates. She’s truly one of a kind and a great person to write. I really enjoyed their “one car” as Millicent and Hollis were stuck on this road trip together.⁣
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I will say, the spice came out of nowhere and it became a major focal point. Now, there’s nothing wrong with that, but the beginning of the book really set the tone for the deep conversations and once the spice happened, that took a back seat.⁣
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Overall, a good summer read to really get you in the mood for summer. Highly recommend the audio as it’s such a good listen! Mrs. Nash’s Ashes is out 5/23! ⁣
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QOTD: If you could travel to anyplace in the world for one day, where would you go?

Sarah Adler’s debut novel, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, is fun, quirky and sweet. It is filled with all the good stuff: Bad break-ups, multi-generational friendships, roadtrips gone awry, and smart banter between a grumpy author and a super sunny historian.

While capturing the traditional “everything that can go wrong, will go wrong” roadtrip, Ms. Adler also gives readers a lovely, slow-build romance and a story within a story. Some might think, there’s too much crammed into this book, but Ms. Adler manages it all beautifully. Former child star, Millicent, tells her traveling companion, Hollis, the story of her beloved neighbor turned roommate, Mrs. Nash, and her long ago, taboo love affair with Elsie. I appreciated the significance of Mrs. Nash and Elsie’s story, but I was more interested in Millicent and Hollis’ story. Ms. Adler blended the perfect amount of humor, quirk, and friendliness to make the characters’ banter and budding romance believable.

Mrs. Nash’s Ashes is a delightful read that is sure to be a beach-read hit this summer.

This was an entertaining story about Millie and Hollis going on a road trip to Florida. They fall in love over the span of 4 days, which was ehh to me. Im not a huge fan of instant love. I also found myself more invested in Hollis anD Millie’s story than Elsie and Rose’s. Im also not the biggest fan of grumpy to sunshine trope. So all the tropes in this one didn’t really work over me. Overall, it was okay.

All I can say is WOW. I was not expecting everything that was in this book. It was everything! I loved the main love story between Hollis and Millie, but also the aspects of the grumpy/sunshine trope, the historical fiction, a queer love story, just to name a few things! The steam was perfect, the banter between the MC's was welcomed and funny, and the undeniable connection between Rosie and Elsie. Be still my heart!

‘Mrs. Nash’s Ashes’ by Sarah Adler was an absolute delight! It fully captured my heart, and I highly recommend it!

Grumpy / Sunshine
Road trip
Only One Bed
Yes, please! Adler penned two of my new favorite characters with Mill and Hollis. Their dynamic was pitch perfect. Though there is a strong undertone of grief, it never takes over. This is a must read for anyone who needs a reminder that love isn’t always what we expect.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advance copy of this!

I AM IN A BOOK HANGOVER STILL OVER THIS BOOK!

I had heard about this book from another author on a podcast and immediately was on my radar.
When the opportunity came to read and review, I had to take it immediately. This is likely going to be one of my top books of the year. That is how much I adored this book!

"You look like you want to punch me."
"Well, you'd probably deserve it."

Going into this story I knew that it was about a woman name Mrs. Rose Nash and her ashes but didn't know the full extent of what I was getting into. Millie had been in a relationship that ran its course but ended sour so she moved in with her elderly neighbor and to help limit her cost to rent, she agreed to be the caretaker for Mrs. Nash. During their time together, Mrs. Nash told Millie about the love of her life - a woman name Elsie whom she met while they both were nurses in the war. Mrs. Nash was under the impression that she had died after a letter was returned marking deceased but Millie found out after Mrs. Nash passed that Elsie was in fact alive. Millie then made it a quest to reunite the two loves.

Throughout the chapters was a separate story happening telling the love story between Rose & Elsie. What I appreciated about it was that it wasn't dragged out but kept short and sweet each time we went back but it was enough to still tell the story between them.

"Being with you isn't about adding some shiny trophy to my collection. It means a lot more than that to me."

I love the banter between Millie & Hollis and love that their relationship wasn't an instant one.
I am not a fan of slow burns but I did not mind it as much in this. Their relationship was gradual and I love the banter between the two. I like that they had met previously as they ran similar circles - he was friends with Millie's ex boyfriend. Hollis was such a fun character because you could tell that Millie's quirkiness and charm was really wearing on him. You knew he was eventually going to break but as any slow burn it is always just a matter of when. I was addicted to their relationship even when it was still friendly and made me want to keep reading.

My only qualm because I am a selfish reader was that I needed an epilogue to find out what happened when Millie and Hollis went back home. Bonus chapter maybe?!

I haven't had a hard time writing how I feel about a book in awhile but trust me when I say you want this on your radar for the spring and summer! I keep telling my reader friends to keep this on their radar when it comes out.

If you are a fan of:
Grumpy/Sunshine
One Bed
Forced Proximity/Road Trip
Fun Banter with some Pop culture references

Also if you are an audiobook listener, the audiobook is narrated by (child actor) Mara Wilson. Which kind of works out perfectly once you read and know what Millie's background is. I am very excited to give it a listen!

I am so excited to see what Sarah Adler writes in the future because I am an immediate fan!

I was a bit reluctant to start this book because of the cremation remains factor, but I couldn’t have been more incorrect in my hesitancy! It was funny, endearing, charming and lovely!
Did I mention perfectly done spicy romance?

Former child star Millicent (Millie) Watts-Cohen is on a mission to take a small amount (3 tablespoons to be exact) of her elderly neighbor, Rose Nash’s ashes to be reunited with her one true love of a lifetime ago. From D.C., she encounters flight cancellations, deer encounters, Broccoli festivals and lots of quirky characters along the way to Key West, FL. Perhaps the most unexpected person is she runs into is Hollis Hollenbeck, a former acquaintance and frenemie of her a**h%!e Ex, Josh.
Let the road trip and romance begin!

This debut novel was so wonderful!!
I laughed so many times, I loved Millie’s internal dialogue and her tendency to blurt out what’s on her mind. The connection of sunshine Millie and grumpy Hollis was honest and full of humor. I can’t wait for the author’s next book - I’ll be grabbing it right up!

Millicent Watts-Cohen undertakes a quest of sorts to find a woman who was important to her elderly roommate who had recently passed. She has decided on taking some ashes to Key West in an attempt to symbolically reunite the two women. When her travel plans go awry because of a major airline issue in Washington D.C., Millie ends up journeying by car with a friend of her jerk of an ex-boyfriend. Millie and Hollis Hollenbeck are opposites in personality, and life skills as well as an optimist versus a pessimist vibe.

Millie seems to be doing everything possible to get on Hollis’s nerves and as they encounter more mishaps along the way, small facts are revealed about why he has such a grumpy and sour outlook on life. Hollis is an author who is also dealing with some writer’s block issues. His reason for going to Florida is for a liaison with a woman who is a friend with benefits. Quite a bit of this journey focuses on the hookup Hollis expects to have which gets a bit tiresome when it is continually referenced.

Millie’s quirky upbeat personality, along with her determination to fulfill her mission, keep things stirred up especially since she is also a former child star who often gets recognized wherever she goes. Hollis and Millie meet some interesting rural folks along the way as well as a deer incident waylaying them once again.

Parts of this story where entertaining while others such as the Mrs. Nash’s flashbacks were less so as they felt disruptive to the flow. The bawdy elements relating to Hollis’s goals were a bit overdone as well. There are a lot of pop culture references particularly to movies which seem to be a sort guide to Millie’s life. Music plays an important part as well and serves to annoy Hollis as an added bonus for her. The eventual romance between them did not play as well for me nor did the rather dramatic ending.

Somehow, I am supposed to use my “big girl words” to tell you how much I loved this book. I’m not quite sure how to do that, honestly. All I really want to do is scream at every single one of you that you simply must read this book.

This book is “not like the other books” in the BEST WAY. It is so quirky and fun, while simultaneously ripping your heart out and making you cry! Millicent and Hollis are the poster children for grump/sunshine, pessimist/optimist, starchy/chaos, and I adore them wholeheartedly. Mrs. Nash’s Ashes is Sarah’s debut romance, but I know that she will endear herself to you immediately and you will fall in love with her writing style and characters.

Mrs. Nash’s Ashes follows two couples, in two different timelines. Elsie and Rose were a queer couple in the 40s, working on a naval base in South Florida. We get to see these beautiful, and heartbreaking, snippets of their story as Millie and Hollis make their way to Key West. These two women fell in love in a time that was so cruel to them, and Sarah will absolutely destroy your happiness!

This book is bound to become an instant favourite. It’s such a joyful read that had me laughing out loud, gross snorts of laugher, really, and smiling the entire time (when I wasn’t bawling my eyes out over queer love and heartbreak). Millicent is so freaking fun and embraces her weird in a way that is so relatable.

This was such an unexpected delight! An amazing friend told me I needed to read it and her recommendations always hit the mark. I was hooked by the story right away, but it was the references to Pee Wee's Big Adventure that really sealed the deal! LOL

Mrs. Nash's Ashes is two love stories in one - Rose and Elsie in the past and Millie and Hollis in the present. My heart broke for Rose and Elsie as their story was revealed, but it was also such a testament to lasting and enduring love. Hollis was so adorkably grumpy and Sarah Adler described him in THE BEST way - "a cinnamon roll hiding under a thick layer of burnt toast". Millie was no holds barred sunshine and I loved her optimism and quirky randomness. I was laughing so hard at their banter and that build up translated so well to the spicier moments. It's no surprise I fell madly in love with Hollis and Millie.

The narration by Mara Wilson was fantastic and I truly did not want to put this one down. The variety of voices used made it easy to distinguish between characters and the emotional moments packed quite the punch, while the sillier moments had me laughing so hard.

This book hit all the right notes for me and was the perfect mix of quirky, heartwarming, and sexy sweet. I can't wait to read more by Sarah Adler in the future!

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 5 stars

CW: death of loved one (past), grief, invasion of privacy/overstepping “fans”, manipulative and lying ex’s, parental infidelity, death of parent (past), collision with deer, war

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*