Tess hasn’t experienced many kindnesses in her eighteen years. When her boyfriend abandons her at a small-town gas station, it’s just one more crappy event to add to the pile. Without a car, money, or cell phone, her options are limited, and calling her parents isn’t one of them. So when the family that owns the business throws her a lifeline, she grabs hold. Because even the worst situations can have a silver lining, and this one is a town called Jasper Creek, a diner everyone calls Earl’s, and a young mechanic named Colten Reed.
Rayna York’s standalone novel gives readers the small-town romance they crave with enough feels to make the heart sing. It’s the perfect feel-good, summer romance.
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Tess is already regretting jumping in the car with her boyfriend to head to Disney World. She already wishes the trip was over, and that she didn’t have to spend any more time with him. But, it seems, her wish comes true in the most infuriating way.
When they stop at a gas station, so Tess can use the bathroom, she doesn’t expect to find herself stranded, her boyfriend having driven off with her car, and all her belongings, such as her phone and purse, in it. It is just her luck that her boyfriend also filled up the car’s tank with fuel before driving off and not paying, so not only is Tess stranded, but she is stranded with a debt to pay and no way to pay it.
Luckily for her, the family running the gas station/diner/mechanics shop are the kindest people Tess has ever come across in her life. Even though she already owes them money, they feed her, and make sure she is okay. And, when it becomes apparent Tess’s boyfriend will not be returning, they set her up with a job, and a place to stay for the time being.
After growing up with a family that provided Tess’s every materialistic need, rather than her emotional ones, watching the interactions between the family she finds herself with is strange. Twyla runs the diner, Earl cooks, and yet, the married couple clearly love each other, a far cry from the relationship between Tess’s parents. Their children: Colton, the mechanic, and Josie, the twelve-year-old genius, who is more than happy to help out. The relationship between all of them is so easy, so loving, and they are welcoming and accommodating, something Tess doesn’t think she really deserves, considering how much she has already inconvenienced them.
And yet, the more time she spends with them, working in the diner to pay her way, the more Tess feels at home. She feels more at home among these near strangers than she does in her own home. It helps, of course, that Colton is incredibly attractive. Tess and Colton’s relationship is an incredibly slow burn. Tess knows immediately that she is attracted to him, but he seems to be holding back. A fear of falling too deep into what can only be a short-term relationship keeps them apart. Tess is supposed to be leaving at the end of summer to go to university, but in the meantime, she longs for a relationship with Colton that doesn’t seem to be about to happen.
I loved every singly member of the family Tess finds herself with. Twyla and Earl take Tess in like a daughter, quickly looking past the fact that she started working for them to pay back a debt, and making sure she is comfortable, fed, and happy. Josie is a chatterbox, and incredibly loveable. She is a massive help to her mother, especially, and there is no better person to help Tess feel at home. And then there’s Colton. Despite his welcoming and easy-going nature, he is closed off, and definitely holds back from letting Tess properly get to know him. He knows she is only passing through his life, and he knows that if he lets himself get attached, it will only hurt that much more when she goes. Regardless, spending time with her is something he clearly enjoys, and the more he introduces her to the town, the more Tess starts questioning whether she really wants to go to university, or if she wants to stay.
Of course, this book is not without it’s drama, and there was one event in particular that had me physically holding my breath for fear of what might happen. The characters felt so real, and I felt like I was there with them, which amplified the dramatic moments ten-fold. In the same way, I grew incredibly attached to the characters.
It is not an exaggeration to say that I read this book in a day. Every spare moment, I picked the book back up, and it was difficult to put it down when I had to do things. The whole atmosphere this book created was addicting, and I felt the loss when it was over. I will definitely be reading this book again, and looking up more books by this author to get lost in.
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