Backslide A novel

Twenty years after the painful and abrupt end of their high school romance, Nellie and Noah reunite for the first time at their mutual best friends' vow renewal in this dual-timeline story. Nellie still harbors resentment toward Noah for the way their relationship ended but doesn't want her anger to ruin her friends' perfect week. For the vow renewal taking place in California wine country, Nellie (now a magazine art director) and Noah (an orthopedic surgeon) are forced not only to spend a full week together but also to share a suite at the hotel where they're staying. Over the course of their trip, both she and Noah find that they are still attracted to each other--and maybe this time they can finally get their happily-ever-after. In a novel incorporating flashbacks, the two settings (lush Sonoma vineyards in the present, and 1990s New York City in the past) bring the story to life. Dahlia (Pick-Up) smartly utilizes the dual timelines to make Noah's and Nellie's feelings for each other, and the resulting third-act conflict, even more believable. VERDICT A well-executed second-chance enemies-to-lovers story. Recommend to fans of Emily Henry and Elissa Sussman.--Whitney Kramer

Two former high school sweethearts who haven't spoken in years reunite at their friends' wine country vow renewal. Nellie Hurwitz may be a full-grown adult now, but she hasn't forgiven or forgotten her high school boyfriend, Noah. They were inseparable, until a series of setbacks led to a major betrayal. Nellie escaped to college and left Noah behind. She's managed to avoid him in the intervening years even though their respective best friends are married, but when those best friends plan a lavish vow renewal ceremony in Sonoma--making up for their city hall elopement several years earlier--both Nellie and Noah are expected to attend. Nellie has every intention of avoiding the man who broke her heart, but that quickly proves impossible when they're forced to share a suite. Dahlia alternates between Nellie's perspective, Noah's perspective, and flashbacks to their high school years in New York City as the reader gradually learns what went down between them all those years ago. As Nellie and Noah learn to get along and maybe even rekindle their romance, they keep any burgeoning feelings a secret from their friends. But when grown-up life gets in the way, will they be able to move on together, or will they be stuck in the past forever? The California setting feels perfectly lush and romantic, and Dahlia leans into fun romance tropes while ratcheting up the angst and heartbreaks. Nellie and Noah's obstacles feel real, and the slowly revealed reasons behind their initial breakup are believably teenage while still packing a punch. A second-chance romance full of real-world angst. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.