Sarah Adler’s debut is such a delight. It’s not just a road trip romance between grumpy, handsome writer Hollis and sunshiny former child star Millicent, but also the queer romance (flashing back to 1944) between Millie’s late neighbor Rose Nash and the Army nurse, Elsie, she fell in love with only to lose her, first to Elsie’s urging her to marry the boy back home, and then to Elsie’s supposed death in the Korean War. Millie is on a mission to bring Mrs. Nash’s ashes to Elsie before it’s too late. It’s her way to reunite them in the best way she knows how and prove that love can last a lifetime. Unfortunately, cancelled flights are only the first of many mishaps that she and her nasty ex’s frenemy encounter when they run into each other at the airport and then choose to drive from DC to Florida together.

Along the way, downright rude Hollis shows glimpses of the softie underneath as he responds to Millie’s unique brand of weirdness, charm, and optimism. They both have their share of baggage, but it doesn’t bog the story down thanks to a heaping serving of witty banter and ridiculously silly encounters with everything from suicidal deer to dozens of paint-by-number Jesus’s. If you’re looking for a feel good, steamy romance, I highly recommend checking this one out.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Millie is on a mission- reunite her late elderly friend's ashes with the friend's lost love. At the airport, she runs into Hollis, a man she knew from her ex's writing cohort. When all flights are canceled, Millie and Hollis end up on a road trip to Key West (which is one of my favorite romance tropes). Interspersed throughout is the story of Rose, the late friend, and the nurse she fell in love with during World War II. I was impressed with this debut and can't wait to read more by Adler soon!

Mrs. Nash’s Ashes is a charming, heartwarming read filled with quirky characters and a delightful mix of humor and emotion. The unlikely road trip between the sunshiney, determined Millicent and the grumpy, cynical Hollis makes for a fun and engaging romance. Their banter is sharp, their chemistry crackles, and the deeper themes of love, loss, and honoring the past add emotional depth. If you love a feel-good story with a perfect balance of wit and warmth, this one’s sweet!

I love a good road trip romance. You get forced proximity, you often get only one bed, and in this case you get enemies to lovers. Millie is taking her titular elderly friend's ashes to the woman's first love in Florida. When her flight gets cancelled, she ends up sharing a car with Hollis, someone she knew through her ex and who definitely does not like her.

My favorite segment of this book was the forced stop at the B&B where a broccoli festival is happening in town. A very fun road trip.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Millicent is determined to deliver her former boss's ashes to her long-lost first love. She runs into Hollis, her ex's frenemy, at the airport, where flights are cancelled. Then the road trip, grump/sunshine, forced proximity, quirk-heavy story begins. I had a difficult time with the current story; wish there had been more of Mrs Nash's story.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available for me.

Enjoyable road romp romance.

What a great debut romance novel, though it wasn't love at first sight for the book and me. It took a little while to warm up to Sarah Adler's "Mrs. Nash's Ashes" -- I found Millie to be irritating and Hollis to be too big of a jerk at first, even for the enemies-to-lovers trope. But once Millie settled down and Hollis softened up a bit, the story began to click right along, and I found myself rooting for the couple all the way.

I have a copy of "Happy Medium" sitting on my bookshelf, and I can't wait to start it. I hope it's just as good as Adler's debut.


My sincerest appreciation to Sarah Adler, Berkley, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All thoughts and opinions included herein are my own.

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations . I would definitely recommend to others.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkely Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Millicent is a former child star and current historian. Her elderly BFF passed away and Millicent tracked down Mrs. Nash's ex girlfriend in Key West. She makes it her mission to go see Elsie. There is one travel snafu after another and she makes the trip with an acquaintance Hollis. Two love stories are told. I adored Millicent and her endless enthusiasm and positive attitude.

This book is two love stories in one: a witty and sweet road trip romance in the present and a thoughtful queer romance in the past.

I loved every aspect of this book. The adventure, the romance, the chaos. It's such a great mixture of everything.

I loved how Adler’s tone is playful yet powerful, light yet moving, and with her every sentence, she slays the reader’s heart into pieces. A stunning book indeed!

liked the premise of this one, but the romance was a bit offputting. him calling her "kid" and just treating her like a silly child was not creating good vibes. the flashbacks were interesting, but it overall felt disjointed.

I love anything about former child stars and I ended up listening to the audio version of this book, which was read by Mara Wilson, a fun meta textual element to it. While I loved the premise, I struggled with the romance and the disconnect between the historical story and the contemporary plot line. I felt like the main characters were really mean to each other in a way that wasn't a fun enemies-to-lovers style, it was unpleasant and cruel.

I first started reading the ebook then switched to the audio for convenience. I enjoyed both formats and that the narrator did a good job. This story was dual timeline and of course I ended up enjoying one more than the other but I won’t say which! The romance in this story was top notch. Yes, it is a bit insta-love which I hate but it fits the story. The main characters only had so much time together so falling quickly and hard for one another made sense. The banter between the two was chefs kiss, it made me laugh and smile. While this book was cute and funny, it was filled with emotion due to Millicent dealing with grief over the loss of her friend. I love how the author dealt with this topic and I found I could relate to Millicent a lot throughout the story. Overall, this one was well written, the pacing was on point, and it was full of charm. I’d highly recommend both the audiobook or regular version.

This is a book that should get more recognition. It is a thoroughly entertaining book, who doesn’t love a good road trip and a fiesty older woman! ?! I am definitely here for it. I fell in love with the characters and the story.

This was such a heartwarming story and I really enjoyed it. The characters were so likable and the separate storylines were great. I loved the road trip vibes and the forced proximity of the two main characters, it made for a fun romance read! There was some good steam and the relationship had a solid progression.

I laughed aloud during many points while reading and other parts made me emotional as Millie works through her grief. Such a great story about friendship and love, highly recommend!

Thank you Berkley Publishing and Penguin Random House Audio for access to this book #berkley #berkleypartner #prhainfluencer

A silly and sweet romance that reminds us timing is everything. I love the fleshed out characters and parallel storylines.

You need to read this book. I laughed and I cried and I loved Millicent. She was determined on her quest to find Mrs. Nash’s long ago love. I loved the story in the story of Mrs. Nash and Elsie.

I was expecting a sweet rom com and this is so much more. Poignant and heartfelt in addition to the romance I loved. Grumpy and sunshine, opposites attract and just the perfect two characters to spend time with and root for their connection. It reminded me of a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie if only they were more inclusive. Millie and Hollis falling in love, the epic forbidden love of Rosie and Elsie, the moral of how short life really is and acceptance.

And how could I fall in love with a character that has died before the book started? I loved discovering Rosie and Millie’s relationship. And at the beginning, Millie has such strong feelings of dislike based on her perception of Hollis, it was fun to watch her discover the guy behind “the jerk”.

I don’t often read books again, but I could definitely see myself reading this one again. While I talk about everything else, the road trip romance too was sweet, fun and so entertaining to read.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. I think the cutesy premise was a positive, but it started slowly for me with the whole side trip after the car accident …broccoli festival, etc. Then suddenly parts of it just moved way too fast and Hollis and Millie were in a full-blown relationship. I just don’t think four days is realistic. I didn’t enjoy the story of Rose and Elsie that much either it; just wasn’t my thing. I didn’t think it was realistic that Millie could keep calling the care center and checking on someone she wasn’t related to.
I also felt that if we were going to go back in time, it’s more common to go back every other chapter. I felt like we were just sprinkled here and there with Elsie and Rose’s story.

I might try this author again in the future, but this wasn’t a fav!

Thanks to Net Galley for this advanced reader copy