Life, Love, and Other Messes

Sam Travis has built her life around words, and they’ve abandoned her. The medication that keeps her functional also silences her creativity and leaves her feeling like a fraud.

Add in her critical mother who never considered writing as “real work,” and a breakup that’s left her alienated from her friends, and Sam isn’t sure how much longer she can keep pretending everything is fine.

Lisa Sutherland is a devoted preschool teacher and the kind of neighbor who smiles while mowing the best lawn on the block.

Beneath her kindness, though, Lisa is working her way through a painful divorce.

What begins as neighborly caring grows into late-night chats, shared vulnerabilities, and a romantic connection Sam never expected.

But letting someone in means risking the parts of herself she works hardest to hide.

A tender, heartfelt romance about self-acceptance and the courage it takes to open yourself to love.