Life in A Small Town!

Lifelong friends despite the economic divide between them, Gray and Ramona, along with her brother Charlie and cousin Callahan, grew up together. The two been secretly in love with one another since they were teens despite the ultimatum from Ramona’s brother for Gray to stay away from his sister!”

When Gray realizes he can’t honor their forced agreement, it causes an irreparable rift between the best friends. This story is multi-layered and deep, while at the same time manages to capture the heart of living in a small town with the colorful and often eccentric people who inhabit it.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Sweet tropey romance that's rescued by the small things, This is one of those other-side-of-the-tracks, race, class love stories where you find yourself rooting for the character, in the case Gray and Romey. Their families are literally divided by the lake, his is wealthy, hers is not. They had a secret romance but split, he headed off to do good works, and she's built a business (a bakery!) while raising her child. No spoilers from me on the twist but you know, don't you, that there will be an HEA. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast read for a lazy day,

Nice little book.. Very sweet romantic story. Return to sweetheart lake deals with two ex lovers who've not seen eachother fr years. Feelings are mixed between the two ex lovers

From the first few scenes in Return to Sweetheart Lake by Evelyn Jordan, I knew I was reading literary gold. These feelings only strengthened as I delved into her robust characterizations and unique depictions of a nuanced small town. To say, that the relationship between our two main characters, is complex is a gross understatement. Gray Norton and Romey Michaels have been connected since they were children. Sweetheart Lake is a town divided by socioeconomic status. From appearances and privilege, they should not be friends; Gray is the son of the affluent mayor and his heiress wife while Romey is the daughter of a circus performer and a janitor. However, they did not let the expectations and visions of others define their connection. Romey, Gray, Romey’s brother Charlie and her cousin Callahan made an inseparable foursome until they reached their late teens. Resentment, jealousy, secret sex, deception, and misunderstanding derail the lifelong friendships. Charlie, unable to afford the ivy league schools so easily available to Gray, goes into the military and comes back broken. Romey and Gray continue their undercover relationship until he becomes engaged! This perfect storm of mixed signals, mixed up emotions and more misunderstandings come to a head when Charlie dies from an overdose and Gray literally runs away, leaving Romey behind, reeling from her brother’s death and Gray’s absence. The book begins with Gray’s return to Sweetwater Lake after being away for two years and then carefully and humorously fills in the gaps. He has come home to reclaim his life and his love. How can he make amends for something that seems on the surface so unforgivably selfish? This story held me captive and would not release me until I had completed the journey with these characters. In fact, I am convinced that Ms. Jordan could create a story for each of the secondary characters in this book: from Carey, the mayor, to Abel, the displaced teenager, to Callahan, the lost son/cousin/brother/chief of police, to Cyrus father to Romey and Charlie and anyone who needs guidance…..rich characters all! I sincerely hope that this visit is not my last one to the little town of Sweetheart Lake.
I voluntarily read a copy of this book from Netgalley and this review is of my honest opinion.

This book was the perfect escapism from the world, it was sweet and full of passion.
At the beginning, the book didn't have much potential, the storyline was kind of cliche and some dialogues felt like they were said by teenagers not fully grown ups, but you just have to let the characters grow in you to feel invested in their story.
The characters were soooo likable, Romey was fierce, loving and independent, which was a perfect combination.
Grey was almost too good to be true, he was considerate, a good father and q really nice fella.
I honestly loved it so much.