The love square

Penny Bridge has never trusted in love. People leave her, reaching back to when her mother died from cancer when Penny and her sister were very young. Penny is now a cancer survivor herself and finds it hard to think about the future. The story begins with her having to leave town and her wonderful new boyfriend, Francesco, and her beloved café to help run her uncle's pub while he recovers from a heart attack. She and Francesco are off-and-on while she is away, and she meets two more men in her new domicile. When Francesco joins her as a chef at the pub, she is suddenly juggling dates with three different guys while working at a job she does not enjoy. It all comes to a head in a painful scene, and Penny is forced to think about what it is she really wants. Williams' protagonist is multilayered and appealing, as are the vivid supporting characters in this funny yet serious story of survival, recovery, romantic complications, difficult choices, and love.

Williams (Our Stop) spins a touching rom-com about difficult romantic choices. Unlucky in love Penny Bridge, owner of a popular café in bougie North London, has been single for the past five years. But that changes when Francesco Cipolla, one of London's most famous pastry chefs, walks into her café and the pair quickly hit it off. They begin dating and their relationship convinces Penny that love is possible--but then her beloved uncle has a heart attack, and Penny leaves both London and Francesco behind to take over her uncle's gastro pub in the countryside. A perceived betrayal by Francesco before she leaves sours her feelings for him, making her receptive to the advances of Thomas, a former schoolmate she reconnects with, and Priyesh, the pub's prim wine merchant. But as both men vie for her affections, Penny and Francesco tentatively start communicating again--and his surprise announcement that he's coming to visit forces Penny to make a difficult decision. The complicated relationships will win over fans of love triangle tropes, and the unconventional dynamics of Penny's close-knit family create plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. This is sure to please. (Feb.)