Review: In a Jam by Kate Canterbary
Rating: 5/5 PoP: 59%
Shay Zucconi’s life has just taken her to a place she almost forgot, but the only place she came close to feeling at home. Noah Barden’s life did not exactly go as planned as either but he is making the best of it. When Shay comes back to town, he is willing to do whatever she needs to see the love he still harbors for her. That includes a marriage of convenience to help Shay keep her step-grandmother’s farm.
This is a big book but oh my gosh, I wanted it all. I appreciated all the details that created this dynamic story. There is world building and relationships that make you want to find your own Friendship. Both, Shay and Noah, deal with ripple effects of past traumatic events. One of those is Noah’s niece, Gennie. This girl captured my heart. I could relate to trying to contain and understand this wild little being that is trying to find her own place in the world. Gennie had experienced some life changing events and is coping fairly well considering. Her potty mouth just cracked me up because my children are the same way. There are worse problems to have.
I loved how we got to see Shay’s support system from Boston in action rather than just a passing sentence or two about them. And we got to see all the work and people that Noah has helping him create an empire out of an old farm town. A venture that the whole town is benefiting from. Noah is a bit grumpy with good reason and that never stops him from doing what is most beneficial for those around him. Shay was not what anyone really expected of her and had to do a bit of self discovery throughout the book. It was great to see her transformation and accept that she might have to do things that scare her.
The way that Kate interweaves all the details of Shay and Noah’s life is just that push that takes this book to an exceptional level. Seriously there is so much I love about this book that I could write so much more but just do yourself a favor and read it. It is a low angst, friends to lovers, marriage of convenience that will make you smile and laugh.