Review by Booklist Review
Mona is thrilled to have a chance to write about international travel after covering local fairs for her job at a magazine. But a proposed trip to Iceland includes photographer Ben, her first love who broke her heart 14 years ago. Ben was close with her brothers and family, but after they slept together on Mona's seventeenth birthday, he broke it off with her and disappeared from their lives. Now, as they travel among the majestic sites of Iceland, they draw close again. Mona learns about family struggles that kept them apart. Ben is ready for another chance with the woman he never forgot. At each of the beautifully described Icelandic stops on their itinerary, Mona grows from the physical challenges of the terrain. They each hid some reasons for their presence on the trip, and sorting their past plus present conflicts adds layers to a satisfying romance. Oliver pens a moving second chance romance against the vivid backdrop of Iceland.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Ben, 17-year-old Mona's first boyfriend, broke her heart when he ghosted her, leaving with no explanation. Mona slowly picked herself up and continued her life, eventually landing a great job at a travel magazine. For now, she only writes fluff pieces, but her ultimate dream is to be one of the select few journalists who travel the world and write about more exciting things than small-town fairs and festivals. One day it finally happens--Mona is offered the chance to travel to Iceland for work. The only catch? Ben is her contract photographer. Mona is determined to show as much respect for Ben as he did for her in the past (i.e., none), but they still have to work together. As they travel across Iceland, Mona begins to thaw. All the things she loved about teenage Ben are still there. Can she forget the past and forge a future with her first love? VERDICT This contemporary romance is engaging, well-written, and realistic. With well-developed characters who have immediate, almost tangible chemistry and a well-described atmospheric setting whose details pulls readers into the landscape of Iceland, Oliver's debut is unputdownable.--Heather Miller Cover
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A travel journalist takes a work trip to Iceland with the photographer who broke her heart years ago. Mona Miller is a people-pleaser by nature. Her reputation as a team player has served her well so far, even though she feels like she's been running in place at the travel magazine where she works. When she's called into her boss's office, her first instinct is to expect a pink slip, but instead she's offered the opportunity of a lifetime--a trip to Iceland to write the cover story for an upcoming issue. It's not only a fun change of pace from the local gigs she's been landing; it's also an assignment that could set her up for a promotion. The only catch is that the photographer assigned to accompany her is an absolutely unwelcome blast from her past. Benjamin Carter is a rising star behind the lens, but he was also Mona's childhood best friend, the person with whom she once shared all her secrets and a whole lot of firsts before he inexplicably broke her heart 14 years ago. Mona doesn't want to rock the boat, though, so she decides to grin and bear it for the sake of professionalism. The next 10 days could make or break this opportunity for Mona, but the more time they spend together, the more likely it is that Ben could also break her heart all over again. Oliver's debut is a stunning achievement, full of unresolved emotion and angst that results in feelings simmering to the surface, as well as proof that the embers of true love can never fully die down. Mona's frequent reflection on her history with Ben is seamlessly interwoven with the present-day timeline, for which the Icelandic setting serves as the perfect backdrop, with vivid, descriptive imagery and intense, open-air experiences that push Mona beyond her physical limits while likely inspiring more than a little wanderlust in the reader. An exceptional romance debut that doubles as a love letter to Iceland. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
