From the publisher:
A kid walks into your bookstore and… Guess what? He’s your son. The one you put up for adoption eighteen years ago. The one you never told anyone about. Surprise!
And a huge surprise it is.
It’s a huge surprise to his adoptive mother, Monica, who thought she had a close relationship with Matthew, her nearly adult son. But apparently, he felt the need to secretly arrange a vacation to Cape Cod for the summer so he could meet his birth mother…without a word to either her or his dad.
It’s also a surprise— to say the least—to Harlow, the woman who secretly placed her baby for adoption so many years ago. She’s spent the years since then building a quiet life. She runs a bookstore with her grandfather, hangs out with her four younger siblings and is more or less happily single, though she can’t help gravitating toward Grady Byrne, her old friend from high school. He’s moved back to town, three-year-old daughter in tow, no wife in the picture. But she’s always figured her life had to be child-free, so that complicates things.
When Matthew walks into Harlow’s store, she faints. Monica panics. And all their assumptions—about what being a parent really means—explode. This summer will be full of more surprises as both their families are redefined…and as both women learn that for them, there’s no limit to a mother’s love.
“An uplifting story of love and gratitude—not to mention frustration, fear, and failure—in all forms of family.” —Kirkus Reviews
Higgins returns with her signature writing style that will make readers laugh, possibly cry, and think deeply about the role of family and motherhood… [This] is a perfectly done novel. Higgins tackles what it means to be part of a family and how family can look very different from person to person. Her signature humor sprinkled into a heavy topic makes this a must-read.” —Library Journal
“Higgins returns to Cape Cod in this multigenerational story about the enduring bonds of family…Higgins deftly navigates her characters’ complex emotions, including both Harlow and Monica’s points of view throughout the book. The women’s inner lives are presented authentically, allowing the reader to understand the mixed feelings of joy, fear, love, and guilt that both women experience. Side stories and romantic subplots add depth and humor, but the emotional journey is the star of this comforting-as-a-cozy-sweater story. Hand this one to fans of Susan Wiggs and Jennifer Weiner.” —Booklist
https://amzn.to/3MU4p4V
When Harlow was a 17-year-old college freshman, she accidentally got pregnant. Her boyfriend of a few weeks was horrible to her, so she had him sign away his parental rights, she had the baby, and gave it up for adoption. She didn’t take this decision lightly; she worked with an adoption agency, viewing over a hundred videos of prospective parents, and when she saw Monica and Sanjay’s video, she just knew these were the people she wanted to raise her baby. The adoption was closed, but she allowed the agency to pass along her information if he wanted it, after he turns 18. She never told her family, and it was Rosie, her best friend, who helped get her though it.
Harlow has spent every day since thinking about her son, hoping he is healthy and happy. Higgins explores what it is like to give up a child with great sensitivity here, and neither the birth mother nor the adoptive mother are portrayed in a negative light.
Harlow is one of the owners of a family-run business, a bookstore, and she loves her job. She lives above the bookshop and shares the space with her grandfather, who she adores. He is also a part owner along with Cynthia, who is his goddaughter. Cynthia is a bit of a cold fish, but they all get along reasonably well. One day a teenager comes into the store with his father. Harlow starts feeling a bit woozy; the young man looks exactly like her brother. She passes out, and when she comes to, she realizes her son has found her.
Mathew is not quite 18 yet and never told his parents what he was up to. They live in California, where his mother, Monica, works in tech security and makes a very healthy income, and his father is an elementary school teacher with summers off. The family has rented a home on Cape Cod for the summer, but they didn’t know Mathew was seeking his birth mother when they made these plans. Monica will have to commute back to California several times over the summer to keep her job, and she is devastated when she finds out what Mathew has done without even discussing it with them.
This book explores how each family deals with the adoption and the current situation, plus a bit of romance for Harlow. It is, at times, a heartbreaking, sometimes funny, but always a heartfelt story. I especially loved how the birth mother and the adoptive mother handled everything, emotions and all. This is an engaging read and the perfect book for someone wanting a bit more substance from their beach read.
6/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
A LITTLE RAY OF SUNSHINE by Kristan Higgins. Berkley (June 6, 2023). ISBN: 978-0593547601. 512p.
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