Guest post written by author Juliette Fay
Juliette Fay is the award-winning, bestselling author of six previous novels, including Shelter Me, a Massachusetts Book Award finalist and Indie Next pick, and The Tumbling Turner Sisters, a USA Today bestseller. A graduate of Boston College and Harvard University, she lives in Massachusetts with her family. Her new release The Half of It is out April 11th.
If the number of people who reconnect with old flames on social media is any indication, the world loves a good reunion story. Being with someone who knew us when can feel nostalgic and exciting all at once.
In actuality, it can be a little more complicated than that, can’t it? Maybe the spark really did die all those years ago. Maybe that other person has developed in ways that aren’t so appealing. (Did he always chew like that? And what’s with the constant self-referencing?) Maybe one or both of you isn’t in the position (emotionally or legally) to romantically reunite. Ahem.
Literary reunions for the save! You don’t have to do it—you can READ about it. These reunions have a far greater chance of working out, and zero chance of getting you in trouble. Bonus!
Writing about romantic repairings can be a thrill, too, as I found with my latest novel, The Half of It (HarperCollins, April 11, 2023). Helen Spencer’s life has been veering off course since she was a teenager, a domino effect of regret that began after a romantic night in the woods with Cal Crosby. Now 40 years later, Cal wants to talk about what happened. He has no idea of the can of worms he’s about to open. In fact, he doesn’t know the half of it.
Here are some other highly satisfying second-chance romance reads to scratch that itch.
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
Romance screenwriter Nora knows how it goes: boy gets girl, etc. But when she writes a screenplay based on her failed marriage, and it’s turned into a movie filmed at her own house, things start to go … off script. Especially when emotionally messy leading man, Leo, plays the part of Nora’s disastrous ex-husband. Things go badly and then very well and then badly again until Leo leaves. Will their paths ever cross again so they can sort out their misunderstandings?
The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali
In 1953 in Tehran, teenage Roya finds comfort and friendship in her local stationary shop. Here she meets the wonderful, idealistic Bahman and they decide to marry. But when a coup is staged and violence erupts, Bahman goes missing. Terrified, Roya is forced to go on without him, moving to the United States and marrying another man. Sixty years later, they meet once again, and Roya finally learns what happened.
One Day in December by Josie Silver
Laurie sees a man through the window of a packed bus, and they have a strangely powerful moment of connection. Then the bus pulls away, and she never sees him again … until a year later when her best friend Sarah turns up at a party with her new beau, Jack, the man from the bus stop. Across ten years, Laurie and Jack try to avoid one another, even moving away. But fate has a way of … well, you know. (BTW, the hilarious ongoing banter between Laurie and her best friend, Sarah, was my favorite part of the story.)
The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah
In hopes of passing an elite wine test, sommelier Kate travels to her family’s ancestral vineyard in France to study, hoping to avoid Jean-Luc, her long-ago fiancé. While helping her cousin declutter, Kate discovers evidence that a great aunt they’d never heard of was part of the French Resistance. Chapters alternate between the real story of this great aunt, and Kate’s current day attempts to solve the mysteries of the past, study for her test, and deal with her feelings for Jean-Luc…
The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan
When their famous writer father dies suddenly, the three Sweeney sisters are pulled back to their childhood home in Connecticut to sort out the estate. There’s far more than old books to sort out, however, when they are joined by a previously unknown sister whose biological connection has been recently revealed by DNA testing. The second-chance romance part is a smaller, but still quite satisfying aspect of the story, as one of the sisters is forced to face an old boyfriend who may or may not be interested in another sister.
All Together Now by Matthew Norman
Four childhood friends reunite on Fenwick Island, Delaware, at the behest of one of them, a billionaire who is secretly in ill health. Old feelings—romantic and otherwise—are deliciously stirred as the unusual plans their friend has laid out for them are revealed. Fans of the Beatles (of which I’m one) will particularly like this witty and moving story.
I’ll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa de los Santos
Just before her wedding, Clare meets an elderly woman named Edith. Their brief conversation results in Clare calling off her wedding and inheriting Edith’s lovely cottage several weeks later. The house contains mysteries, and the story alternates between Edith’s secret activities in the 1950s and Clare’s search for answers. Clare is a running character from the author’s previous books (which I also loved), and her quest throws her into the path of a man from her past.
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Judd’s father dies just as his wife’s infidelity with his boss is revealed. Things only seem to get worse when he learns that his non-religious father’s dying wish is that his wife and four children sit shiva for a week together. Old grudges are re-ignited as are old flames in this hilarious family comedy-drama. The movie is great, too!
The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis
Tae is very close to her single-parent mom, April. But talkative April is strangely silent about Tae’s father. While trying to sort out what actually happened to him without April’s help, Tae’s also trying to hold onto financial stability. She holds a disastrous fundraiser for a new client, an adventure company for athletes with disabilities and wounded warriors. This brings her face to face with her former friend and one-time flame, a marine named Riggs.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
I saved the mother of all second-chance romance stories for last. It’s my personal favorite of Jane Austen’s novels, though I really love them all. At twenty-six, Anne is considered a spinster, and is at the beck and call of her hoity toity family. Seven years before, she was persuaded to call off her engagement to Frederick because he wasn’t of a high enough rank. As the family deals with the effects of their profligate overspending and has to move to a small seaside town, Anne is forced to awkwardly attend social gatherings with Frederick. He is now a wealthy and respected sea captain, and as such is suddenly considered too good for Anne. But are the embers of their love still warm? (Favorite line: “You pierce my soul!”)
