This was a great small town second chance romance. I absolutely love when the heroine knows her worth and this story was just that. It’s got a fantastic cast of characters and I loved the genuine slow burn feeling of the romance.

Aww this book is a gooden. Not just romance. But an all of the emotions read. This has to be one of my favourite types. Where yes it's a romance novel. But at it's core it's so much more than that too. Because it's shows all the other things that make up who we are ansld how we love, how we live. Family. Friends. What's happened to us and what happens to us.
Deborah is heartbroken. In probably one of the worst ways I've read in a long while. Her partner has cheated. With her best friend. And revealed it publicly. There is only one option to save her heart and that is leaving. And so she packs her and her daughter off back to her hometown. There's a few sticky memories there too. Not least the relationship she has with her father.
Then there is Hayden. Who's got his own heartbreak having lost his wife.


Devorah Campbell sits in the nail salon when her life changes forever. Her BFF Ester posts a video about having fallen in love with her best friend's husband. That would be Chad Campbell, and after this public humiliation, Devy packs her bags and daughter Maren, 9, and moves back to hometown Oyster Bay in Rhode Island, to reconnect with brother Colt and father Father Tremaine "Crow" Crowley, who is the local sheriff.
Then there is Hayden. Who's suffered his own share of heartbreak. He's home too. And it's clear when they meet that the fling they jad.as youngsters has turned into a mature and very real connection.
And so our story carries on. With both these two,the side characters...and a dog!
It's alot more than a romance. But shows the ability of anything being possible when love is behind it.

Hope Floats, But BETTER!

It’s been a long time since a book made me cry, but this one did. Devorah’s world crumbles when she discovers her husband is cheating—with her best friend, of all people. The way she finds out, combined with their total lack of remorse, made me furious. Heartbroken, Devorah returns to her hometown with her daughter, where she crosses paths with Hayden—her brother’s best friend and her first love. Hayden, a recent widower, is also trying to rebuild his life. As they lean on each other for support, old feelings resurface.

Beyond their connection, the story is rich with small-town charm (think Sweet Home Alabama vibes), Devorah’s journey of healing—not just from romantic heartbreak but from the pain of lost friendships and a strained relationship with her father. As Devorah and Hayden’s lives intertwine, their children become close, and Hayden’s family fills the void for Devorah’s daughter in so many ways. This story hit me on a personal level. Having had a complicated relationship with my own father when he was alive, and my father-in-law stepped into that role for me.

Watching Devorah’s father, Crow, try to be the dad he never was really hit me emotionally. This book is a slow burn, but it’s not just about romance. It’s about family, healing, and finding new beginnings where you least expect them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for providing an advanced reader’s copy 🤎

The Art of Starting Over by Heidi McLaughlin tells Devorah and Hayden's story.
I couldn't believe I ever read a book by this author that I didn't love, but here it is.
I just couldn't connect with the characters in this sweet second chance romance. They're kind of shallow, yes I dare to say the story is predictable and the pace is slow.
All in all an ok read, 3,5 stars.

Devorah Campbell sits in the nail salon when her life changes forever. Her BFF Ester posts a video about having fallen in love with her best friend's husband. That would be Chad Campbell, and after this public humiliation, Devy packs her bags and daughter Maren, 9, and moves back to hometown Oyster Bay in Rhode Island, to reconnect with brother Colt and father Father Tremaine "Crow" Crowley, who is the local sheriff.

Hayden McKenna lost his wife Sofia last year in a car accident. He moves back to small-town Oyster Bay with son Connor, also 9, for new beginnings. He used to be in some sort of relationship with Devy when they were teenagers but they never made it official. Now he suddenly stands in front of her again. Can he avoid past mistakes and declare his feelings once and for all?

This is a sweet story about forgiveness, healing and second chances, with blended families and an adorable dog called Cordelia, but it's also predictable, cliché-filled (the men go fishing, the women shopping) and not very memorable. Chad and Ester are caricature villains but everyone else is almost too nice. Still, a nice if not taxing small-town read. The Crafty Cathys were fun.

3.25 stars

Sometimes writing a review is extremely challenging. This is not one of those times. The challenge this time is to not gush too much or give away some of the amazing plot. How do I get across how entertaining this story is? How do I express what a great escape it was? I tell you that I will be reading this story again and again. I tell you that I will buy the audiobook and listen to it. The story is a great reminder that things can go wrong, that hope maybe difficult to believe, but you can find or make your own happily ever after.

The Art of Starting Over is an very emotional read. I am still at risk of a book coma. At times my heart was breaking. I couldn't stop thinking about Maren. What she went through just felt so real. The teacher in me wanted to take her aside and just let her vent. Thankfully the author created a support group that I would like to adopt. It was the unexpected protectors that took the book to the next level.

The characters have stayed with me. The residents of the small town of Oyster bay are a hoot for the most of part. Their drama kept me entertained for hours. The Crafty Cathys (what some would call busy bodies) are an eclectic group. They helped make Devorah's escape back to the smally town of Oyster Bay a little bit easier. After what she has been through she needs all the help she can get. She needs a second chance at a new beginning.

Not all second chances deal with a couple that lost their way. Devorah does get a second chance with Hayden, her sort of high school boy friend. More importantly, at least to me, was Devorah's second chance with her dad. Grab the tissues, the struggle will eat at your heart. At the end of the story, I was reminded it anything is possible. You just have to open up your heart.

I absolutely love a second chance and a brother's best friend, and this delivered both beautifully. We have Devorah who has just explained the utmost disrespect by her husband Chad and her supposed best friend Ester. And yes, Chad it an absolute Chad in this story. He is despicable and unforgivable. So with her head geld high Devy and her daughter Maron return to her small home town of Oyster Bay.

Coming home is bittersweet for Devy. She feels unwelcome by her father, Crow, whom she has had a tumultuous relationship with since losing her mother as a child and, like all small towns, people talk. Devy can't escape Chad.

After losing his wife Sophia to a horrible accident, Hayden returns home to Oyster Bay with his son Conor to get help raising him. What he doesn't expect is to see Devy, his best friends sister, and the girl he lost so many years ago.

With beautiful flashbacks and a meddling town, these two learn to live back home as adults who just needed a break. Things are never easy, but with a bit of luck and their children, these two find solace in one another.

A beautiful reconnecting of hearts after loss and learning to trust themselves again. Heidi delivers a story that captivated me from the start. I laughed and cried and was rooting for these two broken souls to learn the art of starting over.