Sam and Peter have been in love with each other since they were kids. Peter has had a tough road in life and feels unworthy of Sam's love. Does that make it okay for him to run? When Peter becomes an accomplished play-write in New York, he is asked to return to Pasadena to stage a production to help save the Playhouse. The inevitable meeting of Sam and Peter at the fundraising gala does not go well. When they have to work together on the play, there are a lot of fireworks. Will they have a second chance to see if their love works?

I enjoyed the characters of Sam and Peter, although they both put themselves through a lot of angst that they could have done without. They travel in the privileged circle in Pasadena, so money is no object. The play being rehearsed, appears to be the life story of Peter, Sam and Grady, three best friends from childhood, but how will it end. The author writes openly about alcoholism and the desire for the best of everything driving someone to suicide and its aftermath on those around them. The scenes are quite detailed and at times I did skim some of them, but overall, this is a nice beginning to the Love Story series. If you like a second chance romance with some flawed characters, you should enjoy this one.

I'm actually a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I gave up on this book. I stopped halfway through once I realized I still had another half to get through. I couldn't relate to the characters. I was irritated that Sam had all of the chances to say her mind, but every time Peter tried to talk (even if he couldn't find the right words), she cut him off. It was a bit frustrating. I started to skim and realized I wasn't missing out on much, so I decided to just stop. I feel bad because I know that people really enjoyed this book. This series even has plenty of other installments, but it just wasn't something I could get into unfortunately.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really, really liked this book. It was everything you would expect from a romantic novel: sweet and funny, but also heartbreaking in all the right moments. While there wasn't a lot of depth to the story, I was looking for a feel-good novel, and this delivered fully. There was just the right amount of drama and comedy (although I didn't really have that many "laughing-out-loud-by-myself" moments, I did smile through most of it), and the story was believable enough, with a very good ending. I was left feeling warm and fuzzy (and yes, some tears were involved), which is exactly what I look for in a romantic novel. I also liked the fact that Sam and Peter's back story is mostly told through the character's personal memories, when these are triggered by scenes in the play which they are trying to set up.

Overall, this was a really pleasant read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a light read, a great romance and fairly memorable characters.