Published by Berkely on September 2, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
My new next-door neighbor seems to have everything figured out. Small town golden boy? Check. Single dad extraordinaire? Check. Hot baker forearms? I didn’t notice them, I swear.
I, on the other hand, don’t–at all–have anything figured out.
Trust me, I didn’t think taking over my mom’s dream bed and breakfast in Copper Run Vermont was going to be easy. It should be a good place to heal after my divorce. But apparently my scones belong in the garbage with my small talk skills. As pointed out by none other than Cliff.
Cliff is inescapable. He knows exactly what people need–always. His charm, the way he wears flannel, and even his pastries, make not wanting to be friends with Cliff and his daughters pretty hard.
Friends? I can make friends. That’s safe.
Except I’m leaving in three months to pass the inn off to my little sister and get the promotion in Seattle I’ve been working towards.
So ask me why I’m thinking about kissing my hot neighbor.
Following her unexpected divorce and her mother's death, Michelle offers to mind the B&B until her sister graduates. As a successful business woman, she was used to doing things on her own, but the town of Copper Run had other ideas. Slowly, the townspeople sneak their way into her life and her heart, and have Michelle rethinking her future.
I will start by saying I am one of those people who is leery of contemporary books with high page counts (this is over 500 pages), but I have to admit, I found I had no problem settling into and really enjoying this story. From the beginning, I found myself very sympathetic towards Michelle. She had been blindsided by her husband, lost her mother who she had a complicated relationship with, and was now trying her hand at hospitality which was not her strength. But she never gave up. I appreciated that and cheered her on, and really, really wanted her to take the help she was offered. Slowly, Michelle opened up and allowed new people into her life. The whole experience was very life changing for her, and I loved watching her evolve.
Cliff was one of those people who accompanied Michelle on her personal journey. He was loved by all in town and he loved them all back. The friendship he struck up with Michelle was a special one, and it was a pleasure seeing it slowly grow and blossom into more. These were two wounded people, and I feel like they helped each other heal a bit. Be prepared for a super slow burn (I already told you - over 500 pages), but I am sure you will adore watching these two dance around their attraction for each other.
There were lots of other things I enjoyed, such as the town itself, all the holiday celebrations, Cliff's girls, and the dog - Rocket. Rocket had quite an interesting relationship with Michelle, and their "conversations" cracked me up. I think there are readers out there who will also love taking that trip back to the late 90s. I was in my mid-20s, so I ate up all the throwback references. I will say that Olivia exercised great restraint there and didn't go nuts with said references, but added just the right amount to make me feel the nostalgia and make me smile.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed my visit to Copper Run. It was a place where Michelle regrouped, healed, fell in love, and redefined her future which turned out to be a rather lovely one.
Published by Berkley on September 23, 2205
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
A bed-and-breakfast for the brokenhearted might hold the key to another chance at love in this achingly hopeful debut romance.
Louisa Walsh emerged from a tumultuous childhood with a degree in counseling, a wealthy boyfriend, and her sunny outlook on life mostly intact. But that optimism is tested when she’s dumped and left unable to afford rent on their gorgeous house in the mountains of Colorado. Even with her life in disarray, Lou knows losing the one stable place she’s ever called home is not an option.
Her plan: ask her reclusive landlord, Henry Rhodes, to let her stay for free in exchange for renting out the house’s many rooms as a bed-and-breakfast. She’s shocked when he agrees to her terms, and even more surprised to discover Henry is a handsome thirtysomething veterinarian with silver at his temples and sadness in his eyes. One who does not take it well when Lou starts marketing her B and B as a retreat for the recently heartbroken.
But as the Comeback Inn opens its doors to its weary, hopeful guests, Lou and Henry find themselves dancing around both their undeniable connection and the closely held secrets that threaten to topple this fragile new start. A chance at love, here, could be too close to home…or it could be exactly where their hearts finally heal.
When her longtime boyfriend leaves her for another woman, Louisa refuses to give up their shared home which has given her the roots she was always seeking. Unable to pay the rent, she comes up with an idea to run the house as the Comeback Inn, a bed and breakfast for the brokenhearted. The inn may have been created as a safe place for others, it became a place where Lou could heal, figure out her future, and maybe, find love.
I am BIG fan of O'Clover's young adult books and was eager to read her adult debut. This book reminded me of the many reasons why I enjoy O'Clover's work. It was sweet and warm with emotional depth and filled with well drawn characters who I grew to care for. The story was also infused with lots of humor to balance the heavier topics involving death of a loved one and parental addiction and abandonment.
Here are a few of my favorite things about The Heartbreak Hotel:
- The Heartbreak Hotel - I love the concept of a place where you can go and heal which isn't an institution. Sometimes you need that soft, safe space, but you don't necessarily need a facility. That was the purpose of the Heartbreak Hotel, but it turned into so much more. It served as a place to connect with others, and this lovely and supportive community was born from their shared heartbreak.
- Louisa's nephew, Quinn, was a delight every time he was on page. Loved the levity he gave to every scene he was in.
- Henry, oh how I adored him. It's always the quiet ones that embed themselves in my heart. He was described as a grump, but he had a heart of gold that was revealed through his actions. He was gentle and kind and nursing a tremendous loss himself. I shed tears for Henry, but I also shed the happy ones for him as he opened his heart and began to heal a bit. It's a wound that would never close completely, but he was taking steps to ease some of that weight while keeping that person in his heart.
- Mei and Louisa had a fierce friendship, and it was beautiful the way they were there for each other. Mei was definitely a hide-the-body-with type friend, and it was obvious how she loved Louisa with all her heart.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed my visit to the Heartbreak Hotel. This lovely story of friendship, family, love, connection, grief and healing was moving and tugged at my heartstrings.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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