THE ROAD TO ROSE BEND

A pregnant woman plans to make a new life for herself by returning to her hometown in the Berkshires.

Sydney Collins has a complicated relationship with Rose Bend, Massachusetts. When she was young, her sister died of cancer, and her parents' grief left Sydney feeling like an outcast in her own family. Her innocent teenage rebellions branded her the town troublemaker, and she left home at 18 vowing never to return. Now 26, she’s newly divorced and 18 weeks pregnant. Her ex-husband is the father and is pressing to reconcile, but Sydney knows she could never return to her suffocating marriage. She goes home, instinctively knowing it’s the best place to raise her child and hoping to mend fences with her emotionally distant parents. Cole Dennison has lived in Rose Bend his entire life and is the newly elected mayor. Cole’s younger sister and Sydney are best friends, and he's disturbed by the unexpected and unwelcome attraction he feels for Sydney. Two years earlier, Cole’s wife and son died during childbirth, and he can’t move past his overwhelming grief. His attraction to Sydney fills him with a complicated tangle of emotions: shame and guilt for desiring Sydney coupled with a powerful urge to protect and care for her and the unborn baby. Every time Sydney gets closer to Cole, he pulls away again, unable to let go of the past. The characters are full of angst and longing, but packing this much emotional turmoil and agony into a romance requires a commensurate amount of progress and healing. The ratio feels out of balance here, and although Simone addresses the emotional needs of all her characters, it’s hard to believe years of disappointment and anguish are so easily resolved.

Designed to be melodramatic and full of angst but veers into overwrought.