Looking for Leroy

An unlucky-in-love third grade teacher embarks on an unexpected road trip in this charming romance from Carlson (A Christmas in the Alps). Brynna Philips, dejected after running into her ex-husband and his pregnant wife, accepts her coworker Jan’s invitation to drive down the West Coast with a camper. The trip sparks déjà vu for Brynna when they visit the campground she stayed at in high school, reviving memories of the teenage fling she’d had there with a fellow camper named Leroy. When Jan finds out about Leroy, she turns their road trip into a search for his family’s vineyard. Against the odds, they find it and Brynna stumbles into a job as their office manager, only she panics and gives them a false name, as she’s embarrassed to be pursuing a flame extinguished decades ago. What Jan calls “kismet” unravels when Leroy discovers who Brynna really is and assumes she’s up to no good. Brynna must find the confidence to share her feelings and give their love a second chance. Carlson is laugh-out-loud funny as she blends cringe comedy and heartwarming tenderness in a winning mixture. This sweet romance satisfies. Agent: Sara Fortenberry, Sara Fortenberry Literary Agency. (Mar.)