Ok, this was super cute. I did not expect to love it as much as I did. This was almost a second chance romance story except the couple were never really together to begin with. Gotta love high school cliques and drama.

Back in high school, Sam was the loner girl. The outcast who drew pictures and wore black all of the time. She didn't really have any friends and the popular kids teased her relentlessly. But there was one shinning hope back then and that came in the form of Jake Smith. Jake was one of the popular kids but for some reason, he showed an interest in Sam and her art. They formed a friendship - in secret, of course - but Sam was full on in love with Jake. But as most high school stories do, this one ended in heartbreak. Sam left Harvest Cove and never looked back - until she literally had nothing else. Now back, Jake seems determined to right the wrongs of his past, but life in a small town means things never change and Jake's group of friends are they same people they were in high school. So can these two find their way through all the drama?

I absolutely loved the small town feel of Harvest Cove. As much as I don't know if I could actually live in such a small town, I love reading about them or watching TV shows set in small towns (aka Gilmore Girls). Castle did a great job in showing how Sam felt trapped and smothered in this town but then also that smooth transition into a healing town. She had her special places to go but was also amazed by how the town had changed while she was gone.

The love story was also just the right amount of drama and angst. I really liked Jake and felt bad for him. His friends refused to grow up and move past high school. And the girl that he was in love with is back and no matter what he does or how much he tries to explain, Sam won't give him the time of day. Now I get this. High school is brutal and can leave scars. I completely understood why Sam wasn't having any of it with Jake. But being able to see Jake's side and knowing that he knew nothing of how his friends acted back then endeared him to me. He wanted to grow and he was stuck in a rut and didn't know how to move on. Until Sam came back.

There were also adorable animals. Jake was a vet so we got to meet the litter terror cat known as Loki and the excitable lovable dog known as Tucker. As a dog person, Tucker just made me melt every time he was on the page. And Loki- well, the name says it all.

I cannot wait to read the rest of this series because I just love this town and love these people.

Our apologies, this book was never reviewed; however, if a review is written in the future, we will forward a link.