Quick Synopsis – When thirty-year-old post-double-mastectomy BRCA 1 carrier and reluctant thrill-seeker Alison Mullally arrives at her ex-boyfriend Sam’s funeral to find that no one knows he dumped her, she agrees to play the grieving girlfriend for the sake of the family and pack up Sam’s apartment with his prickly best friend, Adam Berg. After all, it’ll only take four weekends. Of course, throughout the packing of Sam’s stuff, Allison and Adam start to warm up to each other….in more ways than one.

Song This Reminds Me Of – All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

Publication Date – Aug. 6, 2024

Content Notes – Allison is a BRCA 1 Carrier and as such decided to have a preventative double mastectomy. There are various discussions about her diagnosis and treatment options. This is book also has a lot about the death of a loved one and grieving.

Spicy Rating – 🌶️

Overall Rating – ⭐⭐⭐ out of 5. (Really like 2.75, but I rounded up)

Review – This book is like reading a Hallmark movie that knows it’s a Hallmark movie, but there is no camp. Allison loves Christmas and Hallmark movies; she constantly references both. You’d think she’d be more self-aware that she’s basically living in one (honestly, a self-aware character in a Hallmark movie would make a great horror film). I liked this book because it was like a fun rom-com, something you could read on a beach and giggle with. However, it was hard to tell what the tone of the book was. There was so much plot for a romance novel. Also, this is a closed-door romance, no spice if that’s your thing.

Allison’s ex-boyfriend, travel influencer Sam, dies in a car accident at the end of October. When she attends the funeral, she discovers no one knows they broke up even though it’s been 6 weeks. In order to help the grieving family, she agrees to help pack up his condo with the help of his grump friend Adam. As they clean the condo, Allison and Adam get closer, you can see where the story is heading from here.

A big part of the story is Allison’s super conscious of her breasts because of her reconstruction surgery. I thought this was thoughtfully done, and it was nice to see a person take charge of their future like that. She makes a very hard choice and has to deal with the after effects. I loved this storyline and how she coped with the loss of part of her body. However, I thought this, coupled with the loss of an ex and forced proximity with a hot new dude, was kind of a lot.

There were pacing and plot issues for me, but if you’re looking for a quick beach read, this is a cute story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC, all opinions are my own.