I received an ARC from Netgalley. This does not influence my review. Another disclaimer, I'm friends on GR with Navessa (because her reviews are great!). This also has no bearing on my review and rating.

This book was cute, sweet, and had some good humor. I really liked both main characters, I really loved the setting. It's clearly written by a feminist author, who treats both characters with respect. The plot and premise were easy to fall into, an ex professional football player grieving his brother moves to a remote location to get himself sorted. A small town artist befriends him, and there's mutual attraction but a commitment on both of their parts for different reasons to maintain a platonic relationship.

But, this book had a lot going on. I truly enjoyed sticking with the main characters, a select neighbor, Ben's parents, and their dogs (who are absolutely characters-very heavy supporting ones), but there's a point when there's too much noise. And the depth with which Ella's diverse yet successful family was treated felt like a lot of uniformity and telling how they were different (Somali adoptee who is a surgeon, Afghan adoptee who's a wonder student and probably going to PhD, etc, an Italian sister-in-law who is a psychiatrist, Jane the successful journalist from India, etc) aside from this, their approach to problems and dialogue and voices were almost identically perfect. The only person with a distinct voice was Megan, the sole introverted sibling and person to call her sister an asshole (who backpedaled and then advised in the most neutral and human of ways).

I already mentioned the dogs. There's a lot of dog minutiae. You might like it. Some of it was cute. I appreciate then being fully integrated into this book, bc dogs are a huge part of people's lives. But for me, it got a little draining. (As an aside there's a bit of repetitive tendencies here overall, along with a telling style, but just enough skirting that that I'm not calling it out--really)

Finally, I don't know Navessa's background, and it doesn't matter, but the discussion on CTE didn't need to infodump. Often, there were paragraphs that read like lifts from articles, and didn't strike me as particularly authentic ways for either character to think of medical issues. I think about if I explain pathology to my children, or immunity to my husband, or a host of other knowledge I read and learn about on the daily, I don't use "necrosis," or "IgG" even though they might be how I think of things. And paragraphs full, when I'd prefer this edited down, put into layman's terms and move on. If two researchers or surgeons discuss this, it makes total sense. But it didn't make any in this context.

So while I loved the characters, the slow burn, the setting, I wasn't particularly impressed with the way some of the story, both medical and social didn't feel organic. Because their relationship really did. But their relationships to others was fraught with perfection and read like group therapy after several years of practice.

I will also say that I think the depression episodes incredibly done, including their impact and resolution with a loved one or three equally satisfying.

I think what I'm trying to tell you here in my review that if this book had been focused and edited down it could've been spectacular. However, there was a little too much perfection, and a little too much going on to detract from the couple's connection and taking from characters that I really truly enjoyed.

Still, I'd give it a chance, if it at all appeals, and I'll continue to follow and try the author's books. ( )