J.T. was a problem teenager who grew into a strong man but when he returns to the small town where he spent his adolescence, he is still disliked by everyone, until he meets Lydia and they expose their past and make a future together. J.T. Delaney was a kid who got in a lot of trouble as a kid and his final accusation, burning down a theme park that was the small town's primary source of income forced him to leave town. Now he has returned to Comeback Cove, Ontario and while facing his teenage demons, runs into Lydia Brewster. All he wants to do is pack up his mother's home, who is now a widow and ill, but the town seems to be against him from the moment he returns.
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Lydia Brewster is a successful business manager who is raising three children alone after becoming a widow at too young of an age. Tired of being the youngest widow in town and yet being lumped in with the senior citizens who share her marital status, she finds herself attracted to J.T. Choosing to act on that attraction, the two soon find themselves involved in a physical relationship that develops emotions on both parts despite their best efforts.
However, all is not right with the world, because her children are having their own problems. For instance, her deceased husband who was their father is regarded as a saint by most of the people in their town, but she and her children remember his temper and bad choices. Her oldest daughter wants nothing more than to stay with her aunt and never come home, her teenage son wants to rebel against everything to the point that he breaks the law and her youngest is being taught by a woman who still maintains an obsessively romantic view of the man.
Even though J.T. did many wrong things while on the wrong side of the tracks as a teenager, the reader is shown that he did not do what he was accused of with the theme park and that he was not alone at the time. In fact, Glenn, Lydia's deceased husband was there as well, but nobody wanted to remember that.
Lydia only wanted a fling, but finds herself in love and J.T. doesn't want to love a woman who is in the town that hates him, but can't help it. As the novel progresses, they are both verbally attacked by concerned town members, but they continue to be together. She also explains to her children and then shows them by example that she is able to love again and J.T. finds things to bond with her kids over.
You also see her oldest son changing the way he is living, because he sees that J.T. is still dealing with the fallout from mistakes he made 25 years ago. At the same time, her youngest son experiences a change in his educational plan because Lydia recognizes he should not be taught by someone who only sees him as Glenn's son and not a person in his own right.
Finally, J.T. addresses much of the town about his sins and stresses that while he made mistakes, they were not malicious. There was no way of being sure whether or not he burn the theme park or someone else did. As J.T. and Lydia spent more time together, their relationship solidifies and they admit to being in love. As the novel ends, they are forming a family, her children are becoming closer to him and they agree to stay in the small town that is now more accepting of him. That also allows his ill mother to stay where she wants to, as she fears that by leaving her home, she will lose her memories of her deceased husband.
Best part of story, including ending:
I loved that an underlying theme seemed to be forgiveness. Forgiving yourself, forgiving your loved ones and managing to go on despite emotional and societal challenges. Very well-written and detailed, as all of the author's books seem to be.
Best scene in story:
I loved a scene that featured Lydia at the Town Hall meeting where it is obvious that she is a normal woman with a good female friend and that although Lydia moved to the small town because her husband was from there, she was not as in awe of the small town political figures as others were.
Opinion about the main character:
I loved that even though J.T. made mistakes as a teenager, they made him stronger as an adult. He became angry, but it didn't impact the way he interacted with the teen and for a long time, he accepted the responsibility for a crime he didn't think he committed.
