[ARC Review] The True Love Bookshop by Annie Rains
For Tess Lane, owning Lakeside Books is a dream come true, but it’s the weekly book club she hosts for the women in town that Tess enjoys the most. The gatherings have been her lifeline over the past three years since her husband’s mysterious death. Tess has tried to move on, but when River Harrison shows up on her doorstep, all her lingering questions come rushing back.…
River, a former marine turned private investigator, was her husband’s best friend, and seeing him again is a reminder of everything Tess lost. At first, she tries to ignore him, but Tess comes to realize that this is her chance, once and for all, to find the answers that have troubled her for years.With the support of her friends, Tess joins River on a journey of discovery that leads them to the edges of Somerset Lake and on a road trip down the Carolina coast. Although their adventure isn’t always easy, Tess starts to find the joy in life again. But when secrets surrounding her husband’s death are finally revealed, can Tess find it in her heart to forgive the mistakes of the past … and maybe even open herself up to love again?
My Review: This fantastic, and at times somber, small-town contemporary romance was just the escape I needed.
When Tess Lane lost her husband three years ago, she turned to her bookshop, her Thursday night book club friends, and a self-help book to get her through. But then River Harrison came back into her life. River, an ex-Marine and her husband's ex-best friend, almost ruined her wedding day all those years ago. Now he appears to be back to ruin all her good memories of her husband, too. But as secrets come to light, Tess realizes that the love she needs is the one that's been right in front of her all along.Boy, did I love Tess and River. You know when the MCs nit pick and quarrel and you just know there's no one else for them? Yeah... that's these two.
The True Love Bookshop wasn't all rainbows and butterflies, however. Tess and River are still grieving the loss of Jared, and their grief manifests in different ways. And on top of the grief, Tess also spends a good portion of the story coming to terms with the fact that her perfect marriage wasn't as shiny as she once believed. This book was sometimes gritty, but always real in its portrayal of betrayal and heartache.
This story touches on so much: small town love, working through grief, found family versus biological families, infidelity, and a bit of a mystery/whodunit. And I absolutely loved that Annie Rains gave us a POC leading lady who was strong enough to withstand it all.
If you're looking for a small-town contemporary that beautifully handles the darker parts of life, definitely check out The True Love Bookshop!
A huge thank you to Forever for gifting me a galley of this wonderful book! All opinions represented in this review are my own.
Format: galley
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