I loved this book! It made me laugh, tear up, clutch my heart in sympathetic pain and longing, and swoon. Plus, it is VERY Canadian, which I love. Messaging Megan about different Canadian isms was fun after I saw the glossary at the start of the book, and we had already bonded over our mutual love for maple cookies (as well as Nellie's!). Second chance romances always surprise me by how much I love them and I'm not sure why because it has clearly become a pattern. The immediate attraction, waiting to act on it, okay now we're like an avocado first time they fell in love was sweet and intense and lovely, until it wasn't, for a very good reason unbeknownst by Nellie. Twelve years later when she sees Teddy again where he works at Bennett's dog sanctuary, it's shocking, briefly spicy, and then tense until they agree to go on a working road trip together. Nellie is a Librarian (go team!) and has always wanted to take mobile library to remote Northern Ontario, and now she gets to, while Teddy is meeting with another sanctuary near there to see if they can help them out. They finally fight things out and get almost all the truth out there, and learn how to be friends again, at least until they can't deny that their chemistry and feelings are still there after all this time. It was great to see Bennett and Marley again, there were new excellent side characters (Wiener dog named Kevin and a boy who wants to be a taxidermist--don't worry, they're friends), and even though there are some tough topics dealt with (read the CW) they are done with understanding, experience, truthfulness, and tenderness. I am so thankful that Megan gave me this ARC, because she's been teasing the story so well and I have been jonesing to meet Nellie and Teddy since I got a glimpse of a potential something between them at the end of book one. Also, she fancasted Michiel Huisman as Teddy, which is never a bad idea, and made the image of him in my head as I read even better. The book comes out July 23/24 but you can read book one, An Unexpected Path, now on KU to get ready!

2025 reread: This book is special to me and I love it so much. On paper it has all the makings to be a fave for me: Nellie is a tattooed librarian, there are important story elements around health conditions and grief, it's second chance (my ever growing new favorite trope), they use cute nicknames, and they spend time in the remote Ontario wilderness with a cast of small town characters and a wiener dog named Kevin. Their love is so apparent even when they're hurt and working through things. I really like the first book, and I'm curious to see whether Foster and Sophie will usurp these two for top spot; regardless, this book will always hold a special place in my heart. You can tell because I spread out reading it over multiple days to enjoy it longer when I could have easily finished it in one.