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Synopsis
Helena Crosby is on her way to be a bridesmaid… in her mom’s wedding.
Of course she’s thrilled for her mom–the man she’s marrying is great–but this family wedding is complicated. For starters, after twenty-eight years of it just being her and her mom, navigating family dynamics isn’t exactly her strong suit, especially when she has nothing in common with said family. Take her soon-to-be stepsister, for example. They might be the same age, but Amelia is an always-put-together, successful architect whose hobby is organizing her pantry while Helena favors the messy bun and has decided meal prepping means scarfing down whatever she gets out of the vending machine while writing up lesson plans before class. And as if things weren’t challenging enough, Helena managed to develop a monster crush on Amelia’s fiancé. Now, on top of figuring out how to claim a spot in this family, she has to will herself to not be attracted to the most attractive man she’s ever met. So, yeah. This week of wedding festivities at her new family’s beach house should be super fun.
Amelia Maddox has everything under control.
Or at least she did until this whole wedding thing came up. She’s happy her dad is dating again, but getting married? So soon? It’s only been three years since her mom died, and Amelia has worked too hard to hold her family together to let it fall apart now. And then Helena shows up with him. What are the odds that the stepsister she barely knows happens to be best friends with her ex? But Landon is part of her past–which is absolutely behind her–and now she has to stay focused on the future. The bright, shiny, expertly planned future.
Of course, life has a habit of not going according to plan.
Thoughts
Shakespeare’s famous comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, gets the contemporary retelling treatment in this new romcom. With loose ties to the original play, this character-driven story is an entertaining read. The slow pace, seaside setting, and family drama make it a good summer story.