To Get to the Other Side

Two bleeding hearts work through doubts and trust issues in Ohlert’s adorable debut. After animal-loving Chicagoan Trixie Ward rescues a chicken from traffic, she and her new pet have one week to find an apartment with an animal-friendly landlord. An ad for a room in “urban lumberjack” Barret “Bear” Ross’s apartment seems promising. There’s just one problem: Bear’s meddling sisters placed the ad without his knowledge to help with his financial woes. A grump with a heart of gold, Bear can’t turn Trixie or her “feather baby” away, but he also struggles to ignore his intense attraction to the bubbly beauty whom he suspects uses her ever-present smiles to mask deep pain. From a young age, Trixie’s parents taught her to hide her emotions, a lesson reinforced when her college roommate betrayed her, and she’s been closed off ever since. Bear, who was bullied as a child for his love of plants, has just as many walls. They’re both reluctant to start anything and potentially implode their living situation—but as their walls crumble, love blooms. Breezy humor leavens the themes of self-acceptance and trust as the pair work through their issues. This good-natured love story is sure to please. Agent: Emmy Nordstrom Higdon, Westwood Creative Artists. (Dec.)