Being from Ohio, I’m always on the lookout for amazing authors from here, or books set here because it’s just so fun to support your home and this author has become a favorite. Kerry Winfrey solidly landed on my auto-buy list with WAITING FOR TOM HANKS, and I have been lucky enough to read each of her titles since then. Her newest release JUST ANOTHER LOVE SONG had me even more excited as someone who used to work in the country music industry, and LOVES a second chance romance title.
Book Title: Just Another Love Song
Author: Kerry Winfrey
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Release Date: August 2nd, 2022
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Synopsis:
Two high school sweethearts get a second chance at their perfect ending in this charming new romance by Kerry Winfrey, author of Very Sincerely Yours.
Once upon a time, Sandy Macintosh thought she would have her happily ever after with her high school sweetheart, Hank Tillman. Sandy wanted to be an artist, Hank was the only boy in town who seemed destined for bigger things, and they both had dreams to escape town together. But when Sandy’s plans fell through, she stayed in their small town in Ohio while Hank went off to Boston to follow his dreams to be a musician, with the promise to stay together. Only that plan fell through, too.
Fifteen years later, Sandy runs a successful greenhouse while helping her parents with their bed and breakfast. Everything is perfect…until Hank rolls back into town, now a famous alt-country singer with a son in tow. She’s happy with the life she’s built by herself, but seeing Hank makes her think about what might have been. There aren’t enough cliché love songs in the world to convince Sandy to give Hank another chance, but when the two of them get thrown together to help organize the town’s annual street fair, she wonders if there could be a new beginning for them or if what they had is just a tired old song of the past.
About the Author:
KERRY WINFREY is the author of the adult romantic comedies WAITING FOR TOM HANKS, NOT LIKE THE MOVIES, VERY SINCERELY YOURS, and JUST ANOTHER LOVE SONG, as well as the teen romantic comedies LOVE AND OTHER ALIEN EXPERIENCES and THINGS JOLIE NEEDS TO DO BEFORE SHE BITES IT. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her family. You can find her on Instagram @kerrywinfrey.
Website | Instagram | Goodreads
My Review:
I LOVE second-chance romance titles, and as I mentioned I’ll pick up anything Winfrey writes, so I was prepared to swoon right through this one.
Winfrey writes characters that make me want to get to know them better, and/or claim them as my own friends. Sandy’s friendships and the community seemed like a dream, and I loved how even though she thought she gave up her dreams of growing up and moving away, her success didn’t stop her from realizing there was still MORE she wanted from life. I think that was what resonated with me most in this book, the idea that things can be going well but still you can feel like something is missing no matter who or what you are.
“Life wasn’t a book with a series of mistakes and miscommunications hat led to a happily ever after – it was real life, where everything didn’t happen for a reason.”
Sandy and Hank were high school sweethearts torn apart by distance, and Winfrey gives us such a relatable main characters with moments from the past and present. I enjoyed the character arcs through the longing, the small town feels, the way they both think they’re doing what’s right for the other SWOON. How can you not love the idea of a musician pining after his love through his music, and getting to tell her it was always her?
I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I could relate to the small town, end of summer festival, they really are so common here in Ohio. From fried food to the idea of friends and neighbors coming together, the reunion and meetups of people who hadn’t seen each other in 15 years all of it left me with such nostalgic, happy thoughts and I love that everything Winfrey writes tends to leave me with those warm fuzzy feelings. Give me all the warm summer vibes, sunshine and good times at the fair, anytime!
“Yes, but fried Oreos are like a bad relationship. I can’t stay away, even though they make me feel terrible.”
Thank you to Berkley Romance for providing me a digital copy of the book to read and review, and for having me on this blog tour!
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