Losing people you love is hard. Aurora De La Torre knows moving back to a place that was once home isn’t going to be easy. Starting your whole life over probably isn’t supposed to be. But a small town in the mountains might be the perfect remedy for a broken heart. Checking out her landlord across the driveway just might cure it too.
3/5 stars – a cozy, very slow-burn friendship to romance full of found family and small-town charm, even if parts of the story felt a little scattered.
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Definitely slow at times, but it’s also a very slow burn and overall that worked for me. I loved the setup of the story and following Aurora as she tries to figure out her life. Some elements felt a little unnecessary – her backstory in the music industry could have been removed without changing much. The real highlights were the found family aspects, especially Aurora’s relationships with Amos, Rhodes, and Clara (and honestly, Amos + Rhodes sometimes stole the show).
At times the focus of the book jumped around a lot, which got a little frustrating – one minute Ora is working at the store, the next she’s planning a hike, and then it’s general apartment shenanigans. I actually enjoyed these lighter, everyday moments more than some of the heavier introspective sections about her past or her mom. I also appreciated that real time actually passed, allowing the characters to grow over months instead of everything happening in a matter of days.