Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Lee makes a splash with her humorous and quirky rom-com debut. New mother Hannah Tate readily admits that she's "never been, shall we say, competent at adulting, but motherhood has taken to a whole new level of chaos." Still, she vows to give her son, Bowie, a more stable childhood than the financially precarious one she had. When, within the span of 24 hours, she loses her publicist job for refusing to work during maternity leave and her baby's father breaks up with her, she has no choice but to move back in with her mother and stepfather in scenic Blue Ridge, Ga. Lee mines the folksy and complex family dynamic for both tension and humor as Hannah sets out to renovate her parents' cabin into a five-star Airbnb. The building was once used as a nightmarish taxidermy shop, so she has her work cut out for her. Enter River, her hunky and bohemian new neighbor who lends his carpentry skills to the project. Sparks soon fly, but Hannah worries River might not be reliable enough to provide for her and Bowie. When her ex changes his mind and begs her to come home, which man will she choose? Hannah is an endearingly messy character with a heart of gold. Readers will find it easy to cheer her on from heartache to happiness. (Feb.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT A thirtysomething new mom gets a second chance at love in Lee's debut novel. Hannah is stuck in a toxic job and permanently perfumed in spit-up from her darling baby boy, Bowie. After finding an engagement ring in her boyfriend's closet, she's thrilled at the prospect of having the perfect family she dreamed of growing up. Her dreams are dashed when she comes home from date night with a breakup instead of a diamond. Reeling from the split and a sudden employment termination, she heads to the mountains of rural Georgia, where her mother and stepfather give her the opportunity to redesign a rental property. Their hot neighbor River is an off-the-grid, treehouse-dwelling carpenter who works alongside Hannah to build her dream rental and help her heal from heartbreak. Over the course of the autumn, Hannah redefines family, purpose, and love. Her foray into new motherhood is handled with candor and care, and the secondary characters are vibrant and fully developed as part of her village of support. VERDICT This is the perfect balm for millennial new mothers learning to navigate love and life after having a baby. Recommended for fans of small-town romance and relationship fiction.--Shanel Slater
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Nursing a broken heart, a newly single Atlanta mother moves to the Georgia mountains, where she befriends her sexy yogi neighbor. Ten weeks into motherhood, Hannah Tate can't help but feel like one milk-filled, showerless hot mess. It doesn't help that Killian Abbott, her musician boyfriend, is out playing gigs while she's busy deciphering which type of newborn baby fluid is congealed in her hair. When she finds an engagement ring hidden in Killian's boot, she thinks he's finally willing to settle down…but then, instead of proposing, he dumps her. No amount of "conscious co-parenting" can convince Hannah to stick around, and since she's also just been fired from her heinous disaster communications job while on maternity leave, she decides to leave the big city behind in search of a better, less messy existence. Hannah 2.0 takes shape in the middle of the Georgia mountains, with a promise to renovate her mom and stepdad's dilapidated Airbnb. Soon enough, her new normal is taxidermized animals, snake sightings, and gun-toting, baby-holding neighbors. Not all her neighbors are Wild West material, though: There's also the "emotional vagabond" River Aronson, who lives in an epic treehouse and does yoga shirtless. When River agrees to help reno the Airbnb in exchange for Sunday night dinners at the Tate cabin, Hannah can't help but imagine her chiseled neighbor as part of the family, but first she has to decide if she's ready to let another man into her and baby Bowie's lives. Lee's romance is witty and heartwarming, a refreshing take on family dynamics and loving yourself first. Hannah, though a self-proclaimed mess, is a strong mother intent on creating stability for her son and finding success in her personal life, and readers will easily root for her victories in love, life, and motherhood. Babies, bears, and B & Bs reign in Lee's cozy rom-com. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
