Beatriz Williams is an auto read author for me and this loved up to the hype I have created. This is a compulsive read that I did not want to end. This may be my new go to recommendation for a beach day read.

This is one of the best love stories I’ve read in a long time. It has a strong beginning and doesn’t let go until the end.

In 2019, Mallory Dunne was a single mom raising her 10-year-old son, Sam -- alone. He went to a New Hampshire camp and ate a poisonous mushroom. He was rushed to the ER in critical condition. Mallory’s sister, Paige, who tried to calm her down during the admissions process told the hospital clerk that Sam’s father was out of the picture. Monk had no idea he had a son which made me wonder why.

That’s not the first time something tragic had happened in the family. Mallory’s grandmother, Hannah, was living in Cairo, Egypt with her older husband, Alistair Ainsworth in 1951. It was after WWII when people had died from the Nazis, bombs, weather storms and germs. And now in Cairo for her husband’s health, she had to watch out for snakes. Yet, she was fortunate. The hotel manager, Lucien Beck, was at the right time and place and saved her life from a cobra bite. This would make her more than grateful and then she asked him for one more favor.

The two alternating parts with different timetables merged towards the end. The author made this book interesting with the popularity of getting DNA results. It not only provided them with the family history for medical reasons but all sorts of connections which was depicted in the chapters. There was a lot going on with the historical aspect.

But what I loved the most was the emotional appeal of the romance drama between Mallory and Monk. It made this an engaged, hard-to-put-down book which was highly visual with the author’s words. It was full of surprises that kept me -- and most likely will keep others -- up all night long reading.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of June 25, 2024.

4.5⭐️ One of those rare books that you can’t stop reading yet never want to end.
A longtime fan of the author--undeniably one of her best.
Surprised at her first foray into a contemporary storyline--was uncertain at first but then she hit her stride and there was no turning back.
Multiple disparate storylines yet all seamlessly woven together, each one completely captivating.
However, not a fan of the title--IMO sells the book's substance a bit short

With great thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for this e-ARC!