Middleton (author of The Certainty of Chance) spices this dual-timeline teen and second-chance romance with heaps of Scottish character and a deeply compassionate approach to challenges in physical and mental health. 

Middleton does a lovely job blending romance beats with the vividly realized setting, enticing readers with memorable local dialect and charming traditions like the annual Christmas ‘Ba game, all captured in brisk, buoyant prose that lights up the characters’ inner lives: “He strolled past the window, framing the sunset’s sherbet glow, and picked up the stuffed Loch Ness Monster from Evie’s desk.” She also rousingly dramatizes teen life for an adult audience, with aspects like the coveting of magazine centerfolds, group meetups at local events, rapid-fire changes in social dynamics, and lack of adult supervision all hitting a nostalgic sweet spot. Evie’s Crohn’s diagnosis is treated realistically in terms of teen embarrassment and implications for her social life, and nicely balanced with Nick’s secrecy about his own panic attacks.

Takeaway: Buoyant second-chance romance with Scottish flavor.

~ Publishers Weekly Booklife (EDITOR'S PICK)

“…the dual timeline narrative moves with purpose, rejecting ornamental scenes for rich moments that shed light on inner conflicts and the dynamics between the main characters. The couple’s young romance crackles with breathless wonderment and is shaped by tenderness, and their journey to reconciliation in adulthood leads to a well-deserved happily ever after that showcases the power of forgiveness.

Mental health struggles are depicted with realism and empathy; Nick’s experiences with panic attacks are portrayed without judgment; and Evie’s health issues are not written as examples of her weaknesses but rather demonstrate her inner strength and self-compassion.

Romance fans will fall hard over heels for this layered, second-chance love story that delivers frank emotional vulnerability, optimistic triumph, and all the feelings genre readers relish.”

~ BlueInk Review (STARRED REVIEW)

"In Middleton’s novel, an old romance is rekindled when two ex-lovers face their past… The story is told through Evie’s and Nick’s third-person perspectives in different chapters and takes place in two different timelines. The earlier narrative unfolds mostly over teenage summers; Evie is 13 the first time she meets 16-year-old Nick and 18 when they break up.

Middleton shows a real knack for creating realistic and deeply developed characters. Secondary players, such as Evie’s childhood friends Sunita Kumari and Fiona Groundwater, are vibrant, stable parts of her life, but are well developed in their own right. Nick’s private struggles with panic attacks, career mishaps, and a complicated relationship with his mother ground him as a character and make him sympathetic, as well. When the pair are reunited in the present day, it’s clear they both still have feelings for each other, and readers will want to what happened between them more than a decade ago—and hope to see them back together again.

An often charming tale of youth, forgiveness, and second chances."

~ Kirkus Reviews