Alison Cochrun's debut novel, The Charm Offensive, was one of my absolute favorites from last year. I’ve been eagerly waiting for her follow-up book and it was all kinds of sweet, emotional, and romantic.
Ellie can never forget the woman she met last Christmas Eve, when she was at an emotional low point. But after a magical day (and night), she gets her heart broken, and shortly thereafter, loses her job as an animator.
Almost one year later, Ellie is barely making ends meet, working in a coffee shop (it is Portland, after all), and struggling both emotionally and financially. But then Andrew, the handsome and very wealthy landlord of the coffee shop, makes her a deal: if she’ll marry him for one year, he can access his trust fund, and he’ll give her a healthy cut of the inheritance.
Seems easy, no? They agree to spend Christmas with Andrew’s family at their winter cabin. Ellie feels quickly immersed in the family and finally being cared for—until she discovers that Andrew’s sister is Jack—the woman with whom she spent that one magical day a year ago. It turns out things didn’t quite end the way Ellie believed, so Jack is utterly shocked that Ellie has reappeared in her life—and is now engaged to her brother.
The more time Ellie spends in Jack’s presence the more she longs to tell her the truth. But she needs the money, and she’s fairly convinced that it’s easier not to risk your heart for something that might not work.
This was such a charming, sweet, and emotional story, full of humor but also some serious exploration of family pressure, anxiety, and the fear of taking a risk. Another home run for Alison Cochrun!!
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