Feels Like the First Time

March 20, 2017
Adair fails to convince with her second Destiny Bay contemporary (after Last Kiss of Summer), set in tiny Destiny Bay, Wash., which can’t decide whether its central couple are friends becoming lovers or have always been meant for each other. Ali Marshal, an artist working with salvaged metal, is on the cusp of her big break, with a piece featured in Architectural Digest, when her social-climbing, limelight-stealing sister Bridget comes back home and announces her engagement to a wealthy Seattle developer. Ali sets out to comfort Bridget’s ex-husband, former pro hockey player Bradley Hawk, and they impulsively start a fake romance. But both Ali and Hawk, whose career-ending injury also ended his marriage, quickly start to feel like the romance might be real. Readers will struggle to believe in the speed with which Ali’s family, including Bridget, and the gossipy townspeople come to accept and cheer on the ex-sibling-in-law couple. Adair is better at capturing the competing demands on Ali (of career, childhood divorce issues, and caring for her diabetic father) than she is at making Ali and Bradley’s confession of long-held crushes match their earlier behavior. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary.

Ali Marshal has always had a secret crush on her sister's ex-husband, Bradley Hawk. Narrator Helen Wick captures Ali's feelings as she attempts to hide them from Hawk. Life gets more complicated when Ali's sister, Bridget, blows back into town to celebrate her new engagement. Ali tells a little lie, and she and Hawk end up in a fake romance. Wick does a good job distinguishing between the two sisters, giving Ali a light, pleasant tone and Bridget a more strident one. Characterizing the girls' father in an affable voice, Wick ensures the listener's sympathy for him and his attempts maintain peace between his daughters. Wick keeps the pacing moving, allowing the listener to be swept up in the romance. S.B. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine