Rounded up. ( )

I will say right off the bat that this book is not about the day in the title. It is rather about getting up and living after life has dealt one a deadly blow, and also about putting one’s self out there after a bad heartbreak.

Paige decides on the spur of the moment to fly out for a vacation in a small town in North Carolina and ends up in a broken-down B&B run by Lucas who is a widower. The initial meeting goes very badly but eventually ( ( )

Enjoyable and emotional read
4 stars

I was first introduced to Ann Marie Walker with last year’s delightful Save the Date. Having enjoyed that book immensely, I was keen to get stuck into this - her newest offering.

From the description, this book sounds quite similar to Save the Date - cute, quirky, fun and romantic. It *is* all those things, but where the two diverge is that this book has extra depths and a lot more emotional content.

Our story features a rather uptight Paige, a woman who is dedicated to her job after a rather disastrous attempt at love and marriage. She likes organisation, lists, chocolate, Friends and has a good knowledge of the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. Simply - she was a woman after my own heart and I loved her. She was no cookie cutter stereotype, though, and she was a fully developed character who felt very real to me.

Lucas is the grumpy (yay!) B&B owner who is none too pleased at having a guest in his house - especially one as annoying and tempting as Paige. I felt we really got to know Lucas as a person, mostly as pertained to his own previous love life and heartbreak. And his heartbreak felt like my own. Even now, I’m finding it hard to choose the words to explain how realistically devastating parts of Lucas’s story were.

Lucas and Paige played well off each other and I truly felt that the pair were exactly what the other needed. In terms of sex, this is a ‘door remains closed’ romance, but you can still feel a satisfying chemistry and connection between our couple. There are plenty of kisses, touches, looks and gestures that build the relationship and the tension.

Ms Walker once again blew me away with the skill of her writing. It was so well crafted that I was in awe. The characters came alive for me and the island of Aurelia all but jumped off the page. Even the secondary characters worked their way into my heart - Maddie, Sophie, Sammy, the puppies, and even Stanley the avocado!

So I loved the characters, the setting, the story, the romance and the love - why didn’t I give the book 5 stars? Well, it kind of goes back to my point about Lucas above. His backstory is tragic and I admit, I absolutely sobbed my way through several passages of the book. I do usually prefer things a bit lighter, but that didn’t affect my rating. It’s just that I felt Lucas was still in love with his first wife. Would have given anything to have her back. It gave me pause in what is obviously Lucas and Paige’s own love story, although I completely understand the difficult emotions his situation must bring.

This is a story about second chances and moving on - and as a result I was left feeling upbeat and happy at the end, if a little emotionally wrung out! I very much enjoyed this story and Ms Walker’s writing style and would happily recommend this story. I’m hoping there will be more to come from this world - a story for Sophie would be awesome - so we’ll get to check in on Paige, Lucas and Maddie in the future. A very high 4 star rating from me. ( )

The cover of Happy Singles Day screams cuteness - handsome guy, energetic girl, and an adorable puppy right in the middle. While this book does have its cute moments, there are some heavier topics included as well. Lucas is a widower and single dad. Paige is a professional organizer who is closing herself off from the idea of love and marriage due to a past bad relationship. It was a fast easy read. I enjoyed it even though I prefer a little more development of the romance. Due to the timeline of the story, the romance progressed rather quickly for the complex feelings that needed to be worked through, especially on Lucas part. Overall, it was a nice cozy romance that I would recommend for friends to enjoy on a cold winter day in front of a nice warm fire.

My sincere Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Happy Singles Day and give my unbiased opinion of the book. ( )