i was so surprised - i didn’t know this book was a thing until i saw it on netgalley! one of my favorite series (the first two books were bangers). while this one wasn’t quite as good as the others, it WAS still good (went from a 3.5 to a 4 in the last third). this one dealt a lot more with addiction, recovery, and felt more emotional overall.

#netgalley

I've really enjoyed reading the Bluebird Basin series and this latest addition is no exception. This was a great second chance romance. I think it is helpful to have read the first two books in this series so you get some of the important background of Kev and Davis. I will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series!

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

W-O-W! I knew I was going to love this and I was crying, swooning, heart eyes over it.

We met Davis and Kevin in the first Blue Bird Basin book in what seemed like a cute secondary romance. But things took a turn in book 2 when we could see them drifting apart, struggling, then Kev relapses and ends up back in rehab. It was crushing for both Kev and Davis. Now in book 3 we see their love story from their POV. You could read this as a standalone, but will get way more out of it by reading the other books in the series.

Read the content warnings provided by the author.

When Kev returns to the sober living group after rehab he’s still not talking to anyone about his past and struggling to understand why he relapsed. Davis is broken hearted and definitely not over Kev, but wants to feel better about herself and move on. Both are still 100% in love with each other, but believe they are bad for each other. Watching them figure themselves and their relationship out was so sad and beautiful.

This hero reads romance novels and he takes notes!!

Loved this book, can’t wait for the next one!

Arc provided by the publisher

I dnfed it early do to it being a third in the series and didn't know. I think netgalley needs to do a better job of showing when books are sequels.

Jess K. Hardy did it again!! She wrote a book about very flawed people that both breaks your heart and heals it, all in one story.

Davis & Kev are people you want to root for. Loudly. As individuals they're lost, but together they're found. It's perfect how Jess wrote their characters.

You feel their struggles, both separately and together, and you feel their pain. Lastly, you feel their love. Oh man, do you feel it.

I would definitely recommend this book!!!

Thanks to the author for the ARC of this book.

I knew going in it would be emotional, but I wasn’t prepared for the amount of crying I did while reading this. The angst, the pining, the groveling, the healing. Every aspect of this book is beautiful and heart warming. Davis and Kev will be on my mind for a long while. If you’ve read the first two books in Bluebird Basin you know Jess writes some of the most authentic and flawed characters and uses them to punch you right in the gut. Definitely recommend tissues while reading, preferably a full box. You’ll need them.

Review Posted to Goodreads on 4-11-2025
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7480946590

This book had all the feels! I loved it. I didn't want to put it down when life got in the way. . Plus, it has me rooting for all of the characters the entire way.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Gah!! I live this author. The third book in this series did NOT disappoint. I love that the main male character reads romance novels. As a substance abuse counselor, it is so great to see treatment, recovery, and sober living written about in a mainstream novel. People can and do recover.

I’ve read the first two books in this series and really enjoyed them and the third book is no exception. This one might actually be my favorite. I thought the story of what Kev and Davis went through and how they both worked so hard on themselves and each other was beautifully done. It was really nice to see all the other characters from the first two books make appearances as well. 4.5⭐️

This is a lovely powerful novel that deals with addiction and the power of redemption. It deals with a love story gone wrong that through the power of hard work determination and the will to fight the horrible disease of addiction you can come out on the other side of things. Possibly even fall in love again too. It’s about righting your wrongs and second chance. Beautiful sentiment

I read Wish You Were Here having read the previous two books in the Bluebird Basin series, and while I imagine this could be read as a standalone, I'd strongly recommend not doing that because the emotional impact and journey you go on with these characters is only going to be bettered by having a full understanding of their history - the 'before' times - which plays out across books 1 and 2.

All that said, I loved this. I'd been prepared to be moved, but the feels here were next level. This is a pretty profound story of love, loss, hope, redemption, forgiveness, and all the hard work that happens along the way. The central pair, Davis and Kev, are younger than the other couples in the series, and perhaps this is part of why the loss that Kev's relapse represented was so deeply felt: these are characters who haven't been through this sort of pain before, and so they're really going through it. And we're along for the ride, but it's a rewarding one, and I loved spending more time with the men of Little Timber, and 'meeting' Jen and the horses over at the ranch, where Kev starts to find confidence and to trust himself again.

Like all the Bluebird Basin books, I feel like this is a bit different from other romance books: the subject matter is weighty, and Hardy treats her characters' struggles with compassion and care. But they're grounded. While we (and Kev) come to expect a HEA in a romance book, sometimes I feel like a story I'm reading is just a spin on something I've read plenty of times before, so the eventual ending is nice, but kind of forgettable. But I've never felt that with Hardy's writing. Her characters come by their HEAs honestly - not because their struggles are super-dramatic or unbearably angsty in a gratuitous way, but because they're real.

I look forward to whatever comes next in the series!

4.5 stars

This book had some scary heavy topics but was full of hope. It was nice to see a topic addressed like this in a women’s fiction novel. Sometimes love can be scary, deep, and even tragic but still hopeful. As someone who personally dealt with someone who had an addiction not with drugs but something else in their lives I could relate to the emotions Davis felt. It is such a hard journey to regain someone’s trust and learn to love again. Although that is not the case in every scenario it’s nice to see that journey reflected in this novel.

If you're after an emotional read, this one's for you.
We learn a little about Kev and Davis in the previous two books, with Kev relapsing towards the end of the last story. Throughout this book, Kev is working on healing himself from his past trauma and battle with addiction, whilst trying to win back Davis.
Very emotional with some hard hitting topics, but wonderfully written

Después de que Kev recaíra en sus adicciones, Davis quedó devastada y decidió reconstruir su vida, pero el regreso de Kev a su pueblo reavivará viejas heridas. A lo largo de la trama, vemos cómo él lucha por recuperar su vida y ganarse el perdón de Davis. Sin embargo, la historia se centra demasiado en la recuperación de Kev, dejando a Davis en segundo plano. Aunque la relación está llena de química y tensión, la forma en que se maneja el proceso emocional de Davis es algo que faltó, ya que ella no busca ayuda profesional y se cura solo con el regreso de él. A pesar de esto, el relato es una exploración de perdón, sanación, adicción, amistad y las complicaciones de una segunda oportunidad.








Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

I'll put my hand up and admit I haven't read the first two books in the series, and while described as able to be read as a standalone I found it really difficult to get into at first as there was obviously a lot of history covered in the first two books and a large part of the backstory felt missing (again, this is only because the book is described as able to be read as a standalone).

Once I got into the book, it was raw and angsty, whilst simultaneously being filled with hope. You can feel the longing between the two MCs pouring off the page, but you can also feel the growth, forgiveness and healing.

The book was well written and definitely packed a punch. I would just recommend reading the others in the series first!

This series has never shied away from emotional intensity, and this instalment takes that to a whole new level. The first book had its fair share of angst, but it also carried a romantic, swoony undercurrent that gave the heaviness some lift. This one? It hits hard—and keeps hitting.

Davis and Kev are not your typical second-chance couple. Their love story is threaded with addiction, heartbreak, and a profound sense of loss. Davis still aches from the emotional fallout of Kev’s relapse—how he left, how she couldn’t save him, how the drugs won. When he returns to the sober living home her mother runs, there’s no warm reunion—just wary glances, tightly held emotions, and the kind of pain that doesn’t fade with time.

We met Davis in the first book, and while I missed the second, I expected to pick up on the emotional continuity. But I found myself searching for more context around her and Kev’s bond—something that could ground the depth of their connection. Their feelings are intense, no doubt, but sometimes I felt like I was meant to already know how deep the love ran, rather than experience it unfolding on the page.

Still, there’s no denying that these two are tethered by something fierce. Kev’s only just begun his recovery—just 30 days sober—and Davis is grappling with the kind of betrayal that cuts deep. There’s also an undercurrent of uncertainty: another woman may or may not have been involved, and Davis is left piecing things together, raw and reeling.

What follows is not an easy road. The emotional terrain is jagged and relentless. There are no quick fixes, no easy forgiveness, no typical romantic gestures to sweep the pain away. And honestly? At times I wondered if they were meant to be together—or if loving each other meant letting go.

But the story stays true to itself. It’s about healing, growth, and the slow, often painful journey back to trust. If you’re in the mood for a romance that doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff—one that explores what it means to choose someone again after everything—this will land exactly where it’s meant to.

For me, while I appreciated the emotional honesty and the writing itself, I found myself missing that visceral, heart-clutching swoon that makes me fall hard in romance. This one didn’t quite give me that “ride or die” feeling—it felt more like two people learning how to survive, and maybe, just maybe, finding their way back to each other.

3 stars

I received an ARC from NetGalley, and all opinions in this review are my own.

I knew this would be a complex and emotional read, and it truly was—in the best possible way.
Davis and Kev's story isn't just a love story; it's above all a story of pain, healing, redemption, and what it really means to fight for a second chance.
When life throws her off course, Davis finds herself back at her family’s lodge in Montana. There, she crosses paths again with Kev—a tormented man she once loved with all her heart, who then shattered it into pieces.
The chemistry between them is undeniable, but trust isn’t easy to rebuild, especially after Kev makes a heartbreaking mistake. Watching him face his past, take responsibility, and slowly grow into the man he wants to become? It was both heartbreaking and full of hope.
This isn’t just a romance. It’s a story about opening up to others, about forgiveness, about standing by someone without losing yourself during the darkest times. But it also has those light, funny moments that make it feel so real and full of warmth.
The characters are authentic, full of darkness but also light—just like real people. Perfectly imperfect, you can’t help but root for them all.
A raw, emotional, beautifully written story that will stay with me. Highly recommended for anyone who loves character-driven romances full of depth and feeling.

Oh my god. This book both broke my heart (repeatedly) and made it whole. It may even have made my heart even better than before. I had to read it in one long sitting because I physically could not put it down. Sigh. Big thanks to Jess K. Hardy and the publisher for the ARC.