Meet Me on Love Lane

October 14, 2019
In the feel-good second installment of Bocci’s Hopeless Romantics series (after On the Corner of Love and Hate) a tepid love triangle takes a backseat to the plucky heroine as she learns to love herself. At age 10, Charlotte Bishop was torn from Hope Lake, Pa., by her parents’ bitter divorce. Two decades later, she moves back to the quaint town her mother despised. Her father and grandmother, Gigi, welcome her with open arms, as does her childhood friend, Henry, now a high school teacher, and the town’s handsome new doctor, Max. As Charlotte rediscovers her home town, she begins a relationship with Max, but their dates are frequently interrupted by medical emergencies, and she can’t deny the pull she feels toward Henry, though she remembers very little of their early connection. The love interests feel oddly flat, but the idyllic setting is vividly rendered and Charlotte’s personal growth as she builds a home for herself is handled with compassion. Readers will enjoy this sweet, fluffy tale that sits squarely at the intersection of romance and women’s fiction. Agent: Kimberly Brower, Brower Literary & Management

November 15, 2019
Bocci's latest (after On the Corner of Love and Hate, 2019) brings readers back to Hope Lake, Pennsylvania, with a sweet exploration of what it means to come home again. Hope Lake is the last place Charlotte Bishop wants to be. Having moved to New York City 20 years prior following her contentious divorce, Charlotte's mother made it clear that Hope Lake was ruinous. New York City has not been kind to Charlotte, though, and she returns to Hope Lake as a last resort. Hoping to regroup and get her life back on track, Charlotte is adamant that her stay in Hope Lake is temporary. But when offered a dream job opportunity, plus the attentions of a handsome childhood friend, Charlotte wonders if she really can come home again. With a relatable heroine, witty dialogue, and an idyllic setting, Meet Me On Love Lane is a contemporary romance that is essentially a Hallmark movie on paper. While it's perfect as a standalone, readers will enjoy visiting Hope Lake time and time again.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)