Mistakes We Never Made

Brown, star of the 2019 season of The Bachelorette and author of the bestselling memoir God Bless This Mess, teams up with Larrabee for a perfectly delightful summer romance. Type A Emma Townsend has a habit of stage-directing her best friends’ lives, a by-product of having to step into adult roles after her father deserted her family when she was eight. She’s determined to see her bestie Sybil’s destination wedding in Malibu go off without a hitch—but she’s thrown off guard by the appearance of her high school debate partner, Finn Hughes. After Finn stood her up for prom, Emma swore never to get involved with him again, only to encounter him twice more over the years: once at another wedding, and once over a “magical night” on a rooftop in New York City. Both meetings ended in disaster and solidified Emma’s hate for Finn. When Sybil turns runaway bride, however, it’s down to Emma and Finn to track her down, a task that turns into a raucous, misadventure-filled road trip to Las Vegas. Could the timing finally be right for this star-crossed duo? Readers will fall hard for Emma and Finn, as well as the charming supporting characters, especially flighty Sybil. A subplot about Emma reckoning with her father adds emotional heft. Swoony, sunny, and thoroughly satisfying, this is the ideal beach read. (May)