TAKE ME HOME

A last-minute road trip leads to a resurgence of long-denied feelings for two rivals.

When Hazel Elliot decides she’s done with something—a class, a friendship, a romantic attachment—she shuts the door on it forever. The trouble is that this week, she’s been summoned back to her hometown for her father’s wintertime wedding, and that means returning to a place she hasn’t set foot in since leaving for college—and now she’s working on a Ph.D. It turns out she’s not the only one heading toward Lockett Prairie, Texas. Ash Campbell, her high school boyfriend’s former best friend—who’s now a barista at her favorite coffee shop when he isn’t studying for his architecture degree and battling her for the best chair in the place—suddenly finds himself in need of a ride. With his car in the shop and no way to get home this close to Christmas, he’s forced to rely on the girl he’s harbored a secret crush on for years. Setting off on a long road trip isn’t something these frenemies envisioned for themselves, especially when bad weather sends them off the road for the night—and into the only bed left at a local B&B. The more time they spend together, though, the more difficult it becomes to deny the fact that their healthy rivalry is rooted in a visceral attraction, and once they’re both home in Lockett Prairie, Hazel realizes that Ash is the one person she can call on to rescue her from spending time with her dad’s new family. Sweeney’s romance debut is a phenomenal achievement, with a perfect blend of humor and angst. While most of the book is devoted to growing its main couple’s dynamic, Sweeney gives equal weight to the familial relationships that define them and explores the meaning of truly growing up emotionally. Sometimes, the scariest thing anyone can do is fall in love, and although there are some bumps and stalls along the way, Hazel and Ash’s journey to choosing each other makes for a lovely ride.

A heartwarming contemporary romance that will keep readers hooked until the last page.