I’m not sure what this book’s genre would be…probably contemporary romance. I’ll go with that for another great one by Shari L. Tapscott called Just the Essentials.

This book is about Kinsley who is an author searching for a publisher. Her family sends her to help clean-up a cabin they own in the mountains of Colorado. She goes up there, finding the cabin more rundown than anyone thought, but luckily Jack is there to save her from chipmunks and leaky roofs. Oh, and she’s coming off of a three-year relationship and the ex decides to show up at a nearby resort with the new girlfriend. It gets pretty chaotic. In the best way.

Kinsley is a character that had to grow on me a bit. For being in her early twenties, she was just kinda immature. She had never really been without close contact with her family. That being said, it was great to watch her grow and become more independent. Of course, she also learns to appreciate the outdoors more, even going on a week-long trail ride. (To say I loved this aspect of the story is a BIG understatement). In the end, she learns to be more confident and secure in her abilities to do the whole adult thing.

Jack is pretty great too. I love how he’s a huge tease (with a great reason to be–a reason he openly shares with Kinsley) and seems to know more about Kinsley than she does herself. Oh, and he has that vulnerable side….ahhh.

Tapscott always does an awesome job with unique characters. She also manages to surprise me every, single time she takes a standard plot point and twists it. For example, ditzy new girlfriend? Check. No, wait. She’s actually not so ditzy. Girl gets into a huge mess and the hero comes? No. She has to manage on her own for awhile. Big, happy reunion after said mess is solved? Yes! And…no. I mean, the formulas are ones I’ve seen, but the execution gets me every time. And I like it. And the real, live ending? I was on the edge of my seat, practically yelling at these characters. So, yeah, I was a little into it.

Obviously, I would recommend this book. It is clean, so even though the character’s are older, it would still be a great fit for the YA crowd. There were a lot of great lessons learned while still a being a really, really fun story. Happy reading, my friends!!