About The Book
Blair and Declan were inseparable growing up—best friends who knew each other better than anyone else. But when an impulsive kiss took them from friends to something more, everything changed. Just as quickly as their romance started, one moment shattered it all, leaving them with nothing but heartbreak and silence.
Now, four years later, Blair is back in their coastal hometown of Seabrook to support her mom and care for her great-aunt Lottie as her health declines. To make ends meet, Blair applies to work at a coffee shop—only to discover it’s managed by none other than Declan. The boy she loved. The boy she lost. The boy who still makes her heart race.
As Blair’s path keeps crossing with Declan’s, old wounds resurface, secrets are revealed, and sparks reignite. But could their future ever be free of their past?
Review At A Glance
⭐ Rating: 4.5/5
🔥 Spice: 0/5 (No Spice)
📚 Genre: Contemporary/Romance
🎧 Format: Audiobook
📄 Length: 10 hours and 8 minutes
📙 Read It: Buy The Book
“It was confirmation that the people in your life could only be as close to you as you let them.”
My Thoughts
As someone who’s not traditionally a fan of second-chance romances, I absolutely adored this book. We follow Blair as she returns to her coastal hometown because her great-aunt Lottie’s health is failing and she doesn’t have much time left. While there, she is forced to work with and reconnect with Declan, the boy that got away.
I will say that, based on the writing style, you can tell this is Haley Pham’s first book. However, while reading, I felt as though the way she phrases things made me think that if I were writing my very first novel, I might write in a similar way. But, you can tell she’s not yet a seasoned author based on some of her word choices and storytelling, but I’m not going to hold that against her since she is still probably finding her style as an author.
This is a dual timeline narrative, so we get to see what happened between Blair and Declan in high school and how their relationship became so strained. I really enjoyed the depiction of grief in this book because I am someone who has gone through a terrible loss in my life, and I think she did a great job of showing the different emotions that come with grief, as well as how you can change as a person while going through it, but also in some ways stay the same.
I really loved Declan’s character, and I also found Blair to be a very strong narrator and female main character. I enjoyed her inner monologue and thoughts. However, I will say she didn’t feel like the typical everyday girl. Her character to me felt very similar to Joey Potter from Dawson’s Creek, where she didn’t give off the “everyday teenage girl” persona and instead spoke and carried herself as very mature and wise for her age. I feel as though Joey may have been the inspiration for Blair’s character, although I don’t know that for sure.
I really enjoyed the plot and pacing; everything moved quickly and smoothly, and there weren’t too many slow moments. I loved the romance a lot more than I expected to. I was truly rooting for Blair and Declan, and I understood everything they went through in high school that led them to this point. I didn’t feel as though what happened between them was immature or frustrating, because it felt understandable.
Overall, there were so many moments where I was smiling and giggling, but also moments that really hit me emotionally. I’m excited to see what Haley Pham comes out with next—hopefully her next book will be a five-star read for me. I’m already starting to think she might become an auto-buy author for me.
📚 Where to Read or Buy
Amazon
Audible
Everand
Kobo
Libro.fm
Please leave a comment letting me know if you’ve read this book and your spoiler-free thoughts on it, and whether you’re a fan of second-chance romances. Before you go, as always, feel free to share this post with other readers and give it a like. If you enjoy book reviews, you can also sign up for my mailing list so you’re notified whenever I post a new one.
Until The Next Chapter.
Bunny
All book synopses are sourced from Amazon or Goodreads.
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