Thank you to Alexa Gregory, Sarina Bowen, Jenn Gaffney and the rest of the World of True North team for the advance reader copy of Footnote, the ninth story in the Busy Bean series.
Read all my World of True North reviews here.
“A moving second-chance romance where hope can turn history into a footnote.
Sasha Covey needs a rewrite. Or a really big eraser. Her past doesn’t belong in the life she’s trying to rebuild. Her future—and her recovery—depend on a fresh start. Moving to Colebury seems like the perfect test until Penley Brooks waltzes into the Busy Bean. The handsome veterinarian is just as charming as when she fell for him a decade ago. Memories come flooding back, and their connection is as potent as ever.
Trouble is, Sasha has good reason to keep her distance. Her recovery is still new, and the single dad has wounds of his own. After years of being an afterthought, Penley’s goals are finally within reach. As much as she aches to reconnect, Sasha won’t stand in the way of his dreams.
Somehow, that all melts away whenever she’s with Penley. Together, dreaming is a little easier.
But dreams don’t always survive in the real world. Not when the past comes knocking.
Footnote is a standalone small-town romance set in the World of True North.“
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: Our female protagonist is Sasha. She had such an interesting back story that explores themes that may trigger readers. Please be cautious if you find it difficult to read depictions of neglectful parents and/or eating disorders specifically bulimia. Sasha is recovering not just from being raised by an extremely neglectful mother but also from an eating disorder. Our male protagonist is Penley. He works at the local vet/animal rescue. Pen is a divorcee trying to raise his son, Henry, with an ex-wife who is incredibly controlling of their son’s time. He has always had a crush on Sasha. They met as teens when Pen’s dad and Sasha’s mom dated. They kissed and then Sasha and her mom moved away. So now they have the perfect second chance.
- Setting: The story is set in Colebury, Vermont. Sasha works at the Busy Bean cafe. She is only temporary in Colebury, which is been such a common trope in not only this series but throughout the World of True North books. We spent some time at the cafe but most of the book was set at Pen’s house in the woods. I loved the cozy setting.
- Pacing: The pacing was pretty good overall. In the later chunk, the pacing was a bit off for me. I do not want to spoil things too much but I think Pen should have clued in to what was going on a lot faster than he did.
- Romance: This was quite an interesting second-chance romance. Sasha and Pen are both bringing very different types of baggage into their relationship. And they are nowhere near the same people they crushed on in their teens. They have had their struggles and are still going through some things. I loved how the romance started as sneaking around so that they could be hot and heavy with each other. Then it morphed into another one of those romances where falling for the child of my new significant other is key. Overall, this book deals with some pretty heavy topics and does so in a pretty considerate and thoughtful way.
Footnote receives four out of five stars.
You can pick up the story here.
Thank you again to Sarina, Jenn and the rest of the World of True North team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
