Just when she thought she’d gotten far enough away . . . a life-changing phone call throws an antisocial scientist back into her least favorite place—the spotlight. A hilarious and insightful new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.
After a tumultuous childhood, Christa Barnet has hidden away, both figuratively and literally. Happily studying sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Christa finds her tranquil existence thrown into chaos when her once-famous father—long thought dead after a plane crash—turns out to be alive, well, and ready to make amends. The world goes wild, fascinated by this real-life saga, pinning Christa and her family under the spotlight. As if that weren’t enough, her reunion with an old childhood friend reveals an intense physical attraction neither was expecting and both want to act on . . . if they can just keep a lid on it. When her father’s story starts to develop cracks, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationship, and—most importantly—any chance of making it back to her snails before they forget her completely.
Reading books with an uncharacteristic main character has become a new joy for me. Reading about Christa – quite antisocial, prefers to hang with snails versus people, and is thrust into the spotlight because her father faked a plane crash death is actually alive and wanting to make amends – well, there was a lot to unpack here. Christa grew up in the spotlight thanks to her father’s life – and then death – and found she preferred to stay far away from the cameras. Hiding out in the Indian Ocean, studying snails is a happy place for her, but she is back in the spotlight after her father’s miraculous story gets revealed. But how miraculous is it truly – and does Christa want to relearn a relationship with a man that very possibly ran away from her family?
I keep finding more and more fiction novels that put a lot of focus on female characters finding their own identities and what truly makes them happy in life. Yes, we have a romance angle in here like most women’s fiction/rom com novels will have, but it’s really about Christa and her life, her career, her family and her decisions. And her snails, of course. I learned a lot about snails in this book. It’s a modern read, engaging, and overall quite charming. This would make a great addition to your TBR this year.
