Book Review: Something about September
Something about September
By Julia McKay
Something about September by Julia McKay is the small-town, cozy fall second-chance romance. This novel is set in an adorable town full of friendships, community, apple orchards and autumn décor, called Bramley Hollow in Canada. If you are someone who rewatches Gimore Girls every autumn, loves small town romances and apple baked goods, and enjoys tropes like forced proximity, single dad, small town, and searching for meaning in life and career, this one is for you!
a couple is kissing under a yellow autumn tree with a basket of apples on the ground and a cute small town in the background and the title reads Something about September
It has been years since Rebecca McIntosh tutored Cort Adams, high school football star, for English class in the corner booth of her grandmother Lenore’s cozy diner.
Rebecca McIntosh, once a shy bookish teen who was slowly falling in love with Cort, is now a literature professor in Toronto. Her life in the big city is feeling less meaningful lately and she fears she is losing the joy of books by teaching and analyzing them too much.
Meeting Again…
When she returns to her hometown to clean out the old diner, once owned by her grandmother Lenore, who raised her, Rebecca realizes that she also needs to truly grieve her grandmother and discover her next path in life. That means coming to terms with who her mother was, who her father might be, and all she learned from being raised by her grandma.
She realizes she has been running away from her feelings from Cort; after they had a “moment” a year ago at her grandmother Lenore’s funeral, Rebecca isn’t sure she wants to see Cort every day. However, Cort is the only qualified contractor and historical renovation expert in town, and therefore, Rebecca has to hire him. He is a single dad now, divorced from his high school sweetheart, and he definitely has hearts in his eyes for Rebecca. They seem like they are the “one who got away” for each other. I love a renovation and how Cort and Rebecca inspired each other; their love story was also sweet and a little bit steamy.
Oh Hay…
And what is autumn without a hay maze? Rebecca is joined by her best friend Sabrina, who helps run the local orchard owned by her family, and they have lots of cute heart to hearts in the novel. Everyone is pitching in to get ready for the Autumn Gala and Sabrina and her dad are building a hay maze. However, like Rebecca, Sabrina is feeling less than inspired at work, and the brainstorm a bookstore-cafe idea they came up with years ago...but can they make it happen in reality?
My Thoughts
Overall, this novel was not too stressful and it felt like hope and possibility, like a beautiful September afternoon. It was a reliable romance with enough character development and meaningful plot and sub-plots to hold my attention, without being too corny or formulaic.
Julia McKay is the romance pen name for Marissa Stapley, author of Lucky. For her holiday books, I enjoyed The Holiday Honeymoon Switch.
Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
