For the story by Lauren Flynn

Published on April 8, 2026

288 pages

I read the paperback version

Back Cover

Fall in love with this small-town summer romance set in Alderbrook, Ontario.

Perfect for readers who love a small-town setting, secret-identity tension, and a golden retriever hero who's as supportive as he is attractive.

She came to a small town to write a love story, not accidentally star in one.

Audrey Quinn is a bestselling author who’s just been handed the worst assignment of her career: write a romance novel. Why? She has zero experience with love. When a looming deadline sends her spiraling, an invitation to house-sit for the summer in Alderbrook, Ontario, feels like a timely escape and the perfect place to find inspiration.

On her first day in town, she accidentally steals a coffee belonging to an attractive stranger — Mack Bennett. The easygoing bookseller is kind and funny, with an incredible smile. He’s even dreamier than the characters Audrey writes about. Still, love is the last thing she’s looking for, especially with the secrets she’s keeping and a past she’s not ready to unpack. But when he asks her out, Audrey makes a reckless decision. It’s the perfect opportunity for research. Just a few dates, strictly for the story.

Alderbrook has a way of getting under her skin, and so does Mack. As just-this-once turns into something real, Audrey finds herself falling for the town, her new friends, and the man who makes her feel braver than she’s ever been.

But Mack doesn't know that Audrey is a famous author writing under a secret name or that she’s only in town for the summer. So Audrey tries to handle the truth about her real life before it crashes into the one she’s built in Alderbrook.

And for the first time in her life, she can’t control how this story ends.

My review

I had the feeling that I was reading my own story if I was meeting Mr. Right with a few flaws. I’m not a bestselling author like Audrey, but just like her, my life outside of the book world is pretty much quiet. Before housesitting for her aunt, she was scared to take risks, and I think encountering Mack helped her to get through that fear.

I am aware that some people can find Audrey annoying with her doubts, however I admire her because she jumps even though she is anxious to do it. I love to see that in female characters. She’s my favorite. Mack is coming second. I know he can be considered as a green flag. Well, he’s not toxic, but near to the end of the novel, I disapproved what he said. At the same time, I understand why he does it.

I realized that I’m more a fan of green romance and it’s exactly what this story is about, and if you like small-town, I recommend it to you. It’s the first book I read by this author and she can create characters that readers can relate to, and you can feel the small town-wide through the pages.

Excerpts

I’ve written and published five books so far in my career. All fiction. Wild adventures with brave and outgoing leads. Heroines who face their fears and go after what they want. Worlds people can escape to. Worlds where I can create my characters to be whoever I want, who defeat the bad guys and save the day. (p.8)

“Fake it, Audrey. Swipe right on someone on Tinder and go on some dates with them. Write about those dates and get your inspiration. Break it off after what you get what you need.” (p.11)

Reading was always an escape for me, for as long as I can remember. As a shy and introverted kid, I preferred spending my time in fictional stories, filled with daring adventures and wild fantasies, rather than out in the real world. (p.14)

That relationship feels so long ago now, and since school and my parent’s death, I’ve lost contact with everyone and have spent my time at home – writing. That’s my comfort zone. I haven’t gone out with the intention of meeting anyone because I haven’t wanted to. (p.39)

My parents would be proud of me; they always tried to get me out of the house, trying something new like this, and I never did. I’ve always been more than happy to read about these kinds of things in books rather than actually go out and do them. (p.50)

I look down at my dirty Converse and think how underdressed I feel compared to him in mu high-waisted jean shorts, a stained Beatles band T-shirt, and high, messy bun- my regular updo for writing. (p.96)

Well, right now, I’m Audrey Quinn, and I’m facing my fears jumping into the unknown, hoping my feet land safely on a rock. I know that if they don’t, I’ll be alright, and that sometimes risks you take don’t always work out. (p.150)

A tiny gasp escapes as I spot the entire Anne of Green Gables collection on the shelf over in the corner (p.183)

I’m ready to be brave and step out of the comfort zone I’ve been living in my entire life. (p.229)