I don’t normally go to my unread pile of books for comfort, and almost never to authors I’ve not read before, but there’s a reason why Annabel Monaghan is considered to be in a class of her own when it comes to uplifting, emotionally resonant romances that leave readers beaming from ear to ear, because this gem of a book delivers pure joy from its very first page. Witty, delightful, and a refreshing take on the well-loved trope of fake dating in a small town setting, everything about this radiant novel is simply beautiful. I didn’t know I was looking for a cosy romance like this, yet there has never been a book I needed more in my life.
Dolly Brick had no other choice but to grow up too fast from the moment her mother walked away from the family when Dolly was only a child, learning early that survival meant taking care of others first. Her childhood shaped her into someone who carries the emotional weight of everyone for whom she feels responsible, never hesitating to respond to a crisis, even at the cost of her own needs and feelings. So, when her father and brother suddenly find themselves at risk of losing their family home, thirty-nine-year-old, single mum Dolly doesn’t think twice about putting her life on hold and moving back to her hometown of Whitfield, Rhode Island, to spend the summer taking care of her family, once again. This time, with a teenage son in tow.
“I’d be honored if you’d raise your expectations for me.”
As the firstborn son and heir presumptive to his family’s real estate empire, Stewart Whitfield knows a thing or two about carrying the burden of familial responsibility, having spent his entire life trying to live up to his family’s expectations of him. When one very public and humiliating breakup threatens to derail all his hopes and dreams, Stewart makes one very impulsive proposition to a perfect stranger—he asks Dolly to be his fake girlfriend for the summer, just long enough to restore his family’s confidence in him.
“I’m not a big fan of the flesh trade,” I say.
“Nothing like that,” he says.
“I’m sure what I’d require is way beyond what you’re willing to pay.” I turn and start walking.
“Give me a number,” he says, matching his steps to mine.
“Give me a contract,” I say.
Somewhere along the way, what starts as a pretend-dating, mutually beneficial arrangement between two people from two very different worlds but with a lot more in common than either of them would have ever imagined, slowly blossoms into something undeniably real for them both. Every moment spent together begins to fill the gnawing emptiness hiding inside them, carved by a lifetime of sidelining their own emotional needs in favour of others. And Dolly and Stewart begin to fall in love. But when echoes of their deepest fears and insecurities begin to resurface, choosing their own happiness becomes the ultimate test.
“You just have this way of making everything easier. Like I think I might be easier when you’re around.”
Annabel Monaghan creates layered, deeply vulnerable characters that feel real, relatable, and unforgettable all at once. I smiled, I cried, I laughed out loud, because this might be just about the most joyous, life-affirming novel I can think of right now.
“What if it became impossible? What if there was something unfixable between us and we couldn’t get past it? What if the world kept us apart?”
Like it’s nothing, like he’s agreed to go get me a glass of water, he says, “Then I’d change the world.”
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