Published by The Dial Press on March 3,2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
Can love draw them together... again?
After a traumatic accident threatens the foundations of their happy marriage, a young couple tries to rebuild and find their way back to each other, and themselves, in this tender, slow-burn romance by the author of Ready or Not and Promise Me Sunshine.
Roz and Vin can’t look each other in the eyes anymore, let alone share a bed. It’s been a year since they survived a traumatic car accident and their marriage hasn’t been the same. But Roz has held out hope they can fix things…until she discovers Vin signed a new lease. So she does what any soon-to-be-divorced-Brooklynite would do: sign up for figure drawing class.
Between her determined attempts to improve her skills in class every Friday and adventures with her best friend Raffi, she can almost ignore Vin’s impending move out date and his footsteps in their previously unoccupied guest room. But it would all be a lot easier if Vin wasn’t Raffi’s older brother, and she didn’t still find him incredibly, debilitatingly attractive and kind.
So kind, in fact, that he offers to let Roz draw him. What is she supposed to say? It’s probably better than her original plan of finding some random male model online, and she needs all the practice she can get. Plus, that’s sure to make a separation easier right? Focus on every detail of your estranged spouse’s body while drawing them in the nude. But after the year they have spent avoiding each other and their struggles in the aftermath of the accident, it feels good to see and be seen by one another again.
As Roz works to better herself as an artist and capture the wholeness of the person she fell in love with, will they both be able to draw upon the feelings they buried deep inside to finally heal together?
It had been a year since the accident, and though their wounds have healed, the distance between Roz and Vin has grown. When Roz discovers her husband's lease for a new apartment, she must decide if she is ready to throw the towel in or fight for her marriage.
This book a marriage-in-crisis romance that was deeply emotional. My heart ached for Vin and Roz (and Raffey, too). They experienced something horrific, and now that the physical wounds had healed, they were expected to return to regular life, but how could they when they still bore so many scars. Bastone did an incredible job helping me understand the extent of the trauma they experienced and the ripple effect it had in their lives. She also showed me the depth of their love and affection. I felt their pain and their longing to be able to connect again, and I cheered hard for Vin and Roz.
Their journey back to each other was not a straight line, but I had to give Vin some credit for all the work he was putting in. This man was fighting for his wife, but he had to tread lightly so not to scare her. And while he was working on that, he was also working on himself. I really liked Vin's storyline. It was interesting and wonderful, and I was thrilled with the way it was revealed.
Roz also had healing to do, and she stumbled upon a figure drawing class where she was able to tap into a different side of herself. Not only did she connect with her husband via her drawings, she became part of a warm and wonderful "family" who were a big part of her personal journey.
As with all Bastone's books, this one was not all sadness and tears. It was packed with humor and many laugh out loud moments. I am originally from Brooklyn, and I felt as though I was among New Yorkers as I read this tale. There was just something about their energy, the things they did, and the connections they made. It was great!
Overall: A warm, wonderful, and touching story which made me laugh and cry in equal parts as I rooted for Vin and Roz's hearts to mend while they found their way back to one another.
Published by Atria Books on April 14, 2026
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
Rating:
Goodreads
A romantic comedy of manners about a lavish wedding weekend gone very, very wrong with the slow-burn romance of Emily Henry and the fizzy humor of Sophie Kinsella.
The Bride: Beautiful, seemingly carefree Marigold, is tired of being treated like a shallow it-girl. That’s one of the many reasons she’s excited to marry Jonathan—the handsome, kind, respectable doctor of her dreams. So, when a shocking secret from her past threatens to ruin her wedding, she’ll do anything to make it disappear...even if it means tracking down a man she vowed to avoid forever.
The Maid of Honor: As the bride’s best friend, all Natalie wants is for this wedding to go off without a hitch. There’s only one problem: Natalie has secretly been in love with the groom since college. When Marigold disappears, Natalie is forced to ask whether she can keep burying her feelings for the sake of friendship...or if she’s ready to risk everything to pursue her own happy ending.
The Sister: Olivia has spent her life cleaning up Marigold’s messes. So, she’s determined to keep the wedding on track for the sake of their mother, who’s battling cancer and longs for one last perfect weekend. But when Jonathan’s best man—a prickly academic with a heart of gold—ropes her into a fake dating scheme, sparks unexpectedly fly. Will Olivia sacrifice her own happiness again, or could this fake relationship turn into the truest choice she’s ever made?
Heartwarming, hilarious, and sparklingly romantic, Save the Date will have you cheering for love in all its messy, unexpected glory.
Everyone made the trip to Sandpiper Island to celebrate the marriage of Marigold and Jonathan, but when the bride disappeared, her sister Olivia grew suspicious while her maid of honor Natalie attempted to run interference as they all wondered if Marigold would say "I do".
This was a wild wedding weekend for sure! The story began towards the end, and that introduction had me wondering which couple made the appearance at the wedding. The story is told from three different points of view, Marigold, Natalie, and Olivia, and each woman was dealing with some sort of romantic dilemma as well as a secret they were trying to keep.
I was absolutely thrilled with Olivia's pairing. He was the anti-Olivia while also being perfect for her. They had great chemistry and their banter was snappy. He was also very sweet to her, and I felt like he brought out a hidden side of Olivia. Adored these two!
I won't lie, I really enjoyed Marigold and her blast from the past. I hated her reasoning for why she left him, but I loved their whirlwind romance. I felt the strength of the magnetic field between them, and she could be her whole self with him.
Natalie's storyline was probably the most controversial of the three, but from everything I learned, these two did belong to each other. The reasoning behind some of the choices Natalie made were weak, but I was happy she was getting a second chance to have her say.
I laughed and enjoyed all the antics, but the ending! That put this one over the top for me. There was something they did which I didn't expect, but it was beautiful and meaningful, and the tears were flowing.
Overall: I had a fantastic weekend on Sandpiper Island as I eagerly waited for all three women to find their HEA in this fun and heartwarming tale.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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