For these two small-town best friends, sharing a kiss might be the worst mistake of their lives—or the best thing that's ever happened to them.
Between helping at her family’s inn and teaching painting, Elizabeth Wu has put her dream of being an artist on the back burner. But her plan to launch an arts festival will boost the local Blue Cedar Falls arts scene and give her a showcase for her own work. If only she can get the town council on board. At least she can rely on her dependable best friend Graham to support her. Except lately, he hasn’t been acting like his old self, and she has no idea why.
Graham Lewis has been secretly in love with Elizabeth forever, but it’s past time that he faces the cold, hard truth: vivacious, amazing Elizabeth will never see him as anything but a platonic pal. He’s going to help her get the festival off the ground, but after that he needs to forget his one-sided crush. Until one impulsive kiss changes everything. Can they really rebuild their entire relationship—and the festival—from the ground up? Or will it all come crashing down?
PJ's Thoughts:
Jeannie Chin brings her Blue Cedar Falls series to a conclusion with the story of youngest Wu sister, Elizabeth and her best friend, Graham Lewis. I've been looking forward to this one and am happy to say it did not disappoint.
I've enjoyed all three books in this series. I love how Chin balances the romantic journeys of the three sisters with the evolving relationships within the Wu family as well as those within their small community. She brings the citizens of the community - and the Wu family unit - together, helping each sister find her place in a realistic way without sugar-coating the challenges faced by these Chinese-American women in a small North Carolina mountain town. I especially enjoyed the dynamic among the sisters and how it changes over the course of the series.
Of the three sisters, Elizabeth probably has the most growing to do. I found her journey to be realistic and relatable, especially as it pertains to her place within the Wu family. It's easy to be pigeon-holed into the family position we're given at a young age and, to be fair, she hasn't done a lot up to this point to convince her family that she's no longer the flighty irresponsible baby of the group. But she has plans. It was so enjoyable to watch her overcome her vulnerabilities, claiming the self-confidence, leadership, and pride in herself that only Graham had recognized. And Elizabeth isn't the only one who evolved during this book.
I loved Graham's journey, how he put himself out there by claiming his future, finally stepping out from beneath his father's expectations, and moving forward with firm steps to find the happiness he deserves, even if that means relinquishing his dreams of a happily ever after with Elizabeth. These two. The push and pull between them, the confusion, anger, yearning, and whoa, the chemistry when they finally step out of the friend zone. Chin gives them time, and no easy answers, in their progression from friendship to romance to happily ever after. I loved it.
Readers could enjoy this book on its own but because of the overlapping characters and storylines, this is a series I recommend reading in order. The three books are: The Inn on Sweetbriar Lane (June and Clay), Return to Cherry Blossom Way (May and Han) and The House on Mulberry Street (Elizabeth and Graham). There's also a novella, Only Home with You (Han's sister, Zoe and his best friend, Devin).
