Effie Olsen’s Summer Special

Bilow’s sweet and summery sophomore outing (following Ruby Spencer’s Whiskey Year) delivers a tender second-chance romance. After high school, nothing was going to keep Effie Olsen in her small hometown of Alder Ilse, Maine—not even her childhood BFF, Ernie Callahan, professing his love for her on graduation night. For 16 years, Effie’s lived her dream, traveling the world as a professional chef, but when her latest job ends in disaster, she heads home to regroup. Unpleasant memories haunt her return, but at least she’s able to land a job as a sous-chef at the town’s Michelin-rated restaurant, Brown Butter. There’s just one problem: Ernie works there too. The pair quickly agree to put the past behind them and attempt to restore their friendship, but when sparks fly, Effie realizes Ernie’s feelings aren’t as unrequited as she once thought. Will flighty Effie be willing to stay put and explore their relationship? To make matters even more complicated, when trouble comes for Brown Butter, both Effie and Ernie’s jobs are at stake. Bilow slowly turns up the heat on the central romance as the protagonists try and fail to stifle their feelings. Readers will have no trouble seeing that these two belong together. (Apr.)