For the Love of the Bard

Numerous dramas—Shakespearean, familial, publishing related, and more—intersect in Martin’s predictable but thoroughly enjoyable rom-com debut. It focuses on Miranda Barnes, a bestselling YA writer and co-owner of a literary agency, and her summer trip home to fictional Bard’s Rest, N.H., a town with a near-overwhelming Shakespeare obsession (which manifests partly in some punny local shop names, including the Merry Wines of Windsor and Measure for Measure Hardware). Besides hoping to beat her writers’ block, Miranda’s summer plans include volunteering as a director for the town’s centennial Shakespearean Summer Festival—but her plans are thrown into disarray: first, when she gets alarming news about her mother’s health, and second, when she runs into Adam Winters, the man who broke her heart in high school. The novel hits all the expected homecoming beats—complete with a second chance for Miranda and Adam—but the characters are charming enough that there’s fun to be had in watching them navigate the familiar story, and the Shakespearean spin adds some interest for theater lovers. The number of plot threads means several are resolved a bit too easily, but that ease helps keep focus on the larger dramas. The result is sure to win Martin some fans. Agent: Maggie Cooper, Aevitas. (June)