The Second You’re Single

There’s just something about second chance romance that makes me swoon…Sora likes her life just like it is. In comfortable stasis. Does she have a neighbor she thinks plots the demise of her rescue dog? Yes. Does her mom nag her incessantly about her weight and her lack of a significant other? Yes. Is her sister a Bridezilla who thinks her day will be ruined if Sora shows up dateless? Yes.But her life is manageable and she’s content.So she decides to very publicly Go Solo and talk about why it’s both fulfilling and freeing. And then the boy who had a crush on her before she was the Sora she’s become, shows back up in her life. And Jack’s nothing like she remembered. He’s got all the bearded, ax-wielding lumberjack vibes that make her legs weak and her pulse flutter. Her inner monologue is shouting that she “needs to climb him like a tree and ride him like a tire swing.”And he bakes. This is an adorable love story about nice, pining guys who finally get their chance to show the woman of their dreams how she deserves to be treated. It’s a story about realizing that you are worthy of an HEA - no matter when it happens. That cleansing your life of junk means setting clear boundaries with everyone - even family. That taking chances sometimes means embracing people and things that are safe and might seem boring on the outside, but are full of revelation and discovery and kisses that change your world.Some of my favorite quotes:I glance around at the fancy cream-filled chocolates in big red heart-shaped boxes and wonder if they have an “I Hate Valentine’s Day” assortment. Flavors? Bitter Lemon. Dark Chocolate of Despair. Forever Single Strawberry. Never Getting In My Bed Buttercream?“The things some of us like—romances and rom-coms and fizzy pink champagne are stupid and silly, but the things some guys like, like loud action movies, sports, and beer are important. Nobody is paying millions of dollars for a fifteen-second ad for a rom-com Christmas movie on cable. But they should.”“We go on juice cleanses to clear our body of junk food, but what about junk men? Our souls need a cleanse. We need to get all those toxic men out of our lives by fasting. At the end of thirty days, we’ll be able to see them for what they are: entitled, privileged jerks who are messing with our lives because we let them.” I take a deep breath. “And we’re not going to let them anymore.”