What if the one person you can’t bear to be with is also the one person you can’t bear to be without? Jamie McClintock is a free-spirited artist and single mother who has at last found peace and freedom sharing a farmhouse with an elderly man and his young grandson. But when the old man dies suddenly, her idyllic country life comes to a halt, as the old man’s estranged son, Nate, returns to claim the house and his child. Jamie can’t stand Nate’s sick, arrogant, salesman-like approach to parenthood, and Nate is irritated by her laid-back, earth-mother view of life, not to mention her fondness for artsy knitted vests. This is definitely not love at first sight. But as they try to work out the logistics of raising their two little boys—reluctantly enduring everything from games of hide-and-seek with Daddy’s BlackBerry to breakfast of headless teddy bear pancakes—their lives become hopelessly intertwined. It’s not until they’ve gone their separate ways that they both realize that sometimes love sneaks through the door you were sure you’d slammed long ago, and that rescue from the past can come from unlikeliest places.
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"I really liked this book. It kept my attention. You kept thinking one thing would happen and than something else would happen so you have to keep reading to see how it ends up. It does have language but i just read over those words. If offended by swearing dont read otherwise it is a good book! "
— Verneita (5 out of 5 stars)
" I thought this book was a fun summer read. It seemed like it was going to be really predictable (and it was) but it still was entertaining and romantic. "
— Debbie, 2/11/2014" A light, fun, quick read. The references to CT were nice. "
— Valerie, 2/8/2014" I think I would give this 3.5 stars. The basic story line is pretty predictable: boy and girl find each other and fall in love. However, the way the story weaves and develops was not overly predictable and it seemed pretty realistic. I ended up liking it more than I thought it would. I liked that the female main character was a pretty strong character. Overall I liked it. I would probably read something else by this author. "
— Marjanne, 2/7/2014" Enjoyable, light read. The twists and turns of the primary relationship became annoying by the end, like a sit-com, and the immaturity of the characters became grating. But basically a well-written story and fun to read. "
— Karen, 2/1/2014" This was entertaining, but sort of a romance novel with some literary pretensions. "
— Sue, 1/31/2014" This was a great read. It was the perfect combination of drama and humor and captures the essence of childhood. The ending was perfect as well. Loved it. I couldn't give it 5 stars because of the bad language, but other than that it was great. "
— Heather, 1/27/2014" Other than the irrelevant title, this was an OK book. I liked the character development and thought the author did a good job with the two little boy characters. However, the story was highly implausible in parts and predictable at the end. This is probably not a book that I would recommend, but it was alright. "
— Kim, 1/1/2014" I don't think I have ever felt more neutral about a book in my entire life. I have no feelings about this book whatsoever, which means it wasn't good enough to evoke admiration, and it wasn't bad enough to provoke disdain. "
— Melanie, 12/18/2013" this book was fun and what a different story line, creating a love affair out of seemingly suspicious circumstances. "
— Becky, 12/15/2013" This was a quick read and pretty predictable - more or less a love story. If you just want something to read that won't make you think much - this is a good one. "
— Barbara, 12/14/2013" This book was one of our library's "Reader's Choice" books. It had a lot of bad language and only a "ho-hum" storyline. "
— Linda, 12/11/2013" I picked this up based on the cover and the title. The characters and story drew me in from the very beginning. I'll definitely look for more by this author "
— Julie, 11/24/2013" It was a sweet story, but a little boring and predictable. "
— Rachel, 11/14/2013" If you could take out the language in this book I'd give it 5 stars. Wonderful characters. I loved the 5 year old boys. "
— Chris, 10/22/2013" Really liked it. The kids often made me laugh out loud. "
— Allison, 10/16/2013" Meh, didn't hold my interest. No specific complaints. I thought the characters were pretty good (if mildly cliched) and it seemed like the story could be going somewhere, but I just didn't get into it, and had too many other books to read. "
— Danielle, 9/27/2013" The plot in this book is overdone, but the characters are very dynamic and the dialogue is excellent. I especially liked the relationship between Arley and Christopher. "
— Megan, 5/2/2013" Mush book, read it in an afternoon. Good summer afternoon story. "
— Ailsa, 1/22/2013" A fun, quirky and easy read! I liked the characters immediately and was glad for the happy ending! "
— Cori, 10/29/2012" loved loved loved this book. sympathetic with the single parent struggles, liked the storylines. empathetic characters. good good. "
— Anita, 10/4/2012" I didn't really like this book for several reasons. A very slow read, not very interesting and I couldn't stand how the characters acted in the book. Decided to finish it just to see how it ended. "
— Sarah, 5/4/2012" An intensely flawed man, an independently strong yet non-confident woman pulled together by forces outside their control. Shelton's writing is smooth and forward focused; the only item lacking was a touch of intrigue. Great summer read. "
— Jenny, 4/6/2012" Great romance. Believable characters, very enjoyable. "
— Jan, 3/18/2012" Despite it's strange title, it was a good read. "
— Donna, 3/15/2012" I have read all of Sandi's books, and this was my favorite. I didn't want to leave these characters -- I want to know how they make out -- will they be able to make it all work? Very enjoyable read! "
— Michele, 9/1/2011" It was very predictable, but still a good read. I did enjoy it, but there were no surprises and not as much detail as could have been included I think. "
— Anissa, 2/14/2011" Read this book for reader's choice. The title was very intriguing, and I remember liking the book, but now it has been a week since I have read it, I can't really remember the details, so it must not have been that memorable. "
— Alisa, 1/24/2011" Title and cover are a little misleading - this is another wonderful human story from Sandi Kahn Shelton "
— Judy, 1/11/2011" An intensely flawed man, an independently strong yet non-confident woman pulled together by forces outside their control. Shelton's writing is smooth and forward focused; the only item lacking was a touch of intrigue. Great summer read. "
— Jenny, 1/6/2011" It was very predictable, but still a good read. I did enjoy it, but there were no surprises and not as much detail as could have been included I think. "
— Anissa, 11/21/2010" A light, fun, quick read. The references to CT were nice. "
— Valerie, 10/5/2010" This was a quick read and pretty predictable - more or less a love story. If you just want something to read that won't make you think much - this is a good one. "
— Barbara, 8/22/2010" This was a great read. It was the perfect combination of drama and humor and captures the essence of childhood. The ending was perfect as well. Loved it. I couldn't give it 5 stars because of the bad language, but other than that it was great. "
— Heather, 5/4/2010" Was surprisingly good.. great story "
— Jo, 11/17/2009" Meh, didn't hold my interest. No specific complaints. I thought the characters were pretty good (if mildly cliched) and it seemed like the story could be going somewhere, but I just didn't get into it, and had too many other books to read. "
— Danielle, 10/21/2009" It was a sweet story, but a little boring and predictable. "
— Rachel, 10/9/2009Myra Platt is an actor, director, adapter, composer, and cofounding artistic director of the Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle. She’s been instrumental in producing over thirty-five world-premiere stage adaptations over sixteen years. Her acting credits include Howard’s End, The Dying Gaul, The Awakening, and The Cider House Rules, Part One and Two. Her audio recordings include Every Woman Has a Story and Cathedral.