Publishers Weekly
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Toon (Seven Summers) breaks hearts with this poignant tale of love, loss, and second chances. Ellie Knapley and Ash Berkeley first meet in Lisbon, where they’re each separately mourning their late best friends, and instantly feel a soulmate-level connection. After spending three steamy and hopelessly romantic days together, they make plans to meet up again in Madrid—only for Ash not to show up. Six years of no contact later, they’re thrown back together under unexpected circumstances as Ellie, now a gardener for a British noble family, learns that Ash was never who she thought he was. Toon makes their reunion emotionally fraught as she skillfully fills in the blanks about why Ash abandoned Ellie all those years ago. The narrative works because their connection feels intense and palpable despite the compressed timeline of their initial affair. Enhancing the drama are some despicable villains, including Ash’s father and Ellie’s mother, and abundant miscommunication. Readers who like their romances on the angsty side are sure to connect with this. (Apr.)

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Her counselor warned Ellie not to fall into the easy companionship of a fling on her solo Interrailing adventure; she's still mourning her best friend and shouldn't make rash decisions. But meeting Ash in Lisbon doesn't feel rash, it just feels right. Three whirlwind, perfect days with him empower Ellie to stand up to her controlling parents and continue traveling with Ash, but when he never shows up at their designated spot, it crushes not just her heart but her will to follow her dreams as a gardener. She returns to England to join her parents' furniture business as expected. Years later, she finally stiffens her spine and starts from scratch as a gardener at an extravagant manor house . . . Ash's manor house. Now reconnected, the two find that the passion is easily reignited, but the obstacles are significant. They must navigate current entanglements, disparate familial expectations, deep wounds, and class differences. Toon's most recent second-chance romance is a winner, with intriguing frames, complex family conflict, and a modern look at British class conflict.