The Book:
The History of Us by Jennifer Bardsley
Published July 12th 2022 by Montlake
Date read: July 10, 2022
The Characters:
Andrea
Dustin
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Andrea Wint’s life in the small town of Port Inez, Washington, is a simple one. She works, enjoys the gorgeous view from her bay window, and visits her dad at the memory-care facility. Her father is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, but Andrea brings in one coin from his valuable collection every day—little bits of precious metals that seem to bring him back to himself, even if just for a few moments.
So when Andrea’s house is burgled and the coins disappear, she’s bereft.
To track down the culprit, she turns to Dustin Karlsson, who just happens to be her former high school sweetheart. Years ago, they broke each other’s hearts, and some wounds are slow to heal. But Dustin feels indebted to the ailing Tom Wint and wants to help.
What’s more, Dustin has a personal stake in finding the perpetrator. In fact, he suspects the thief could be his own brother-in-law, a gambler and a drunk who skipped town, leaving Dustin’s sister and two young nieces behind.
As Dustin and Andrea travel the Pacific Northwest in an effort to recover the missing coins, old feelings rekindle. Maybe their happily ever after can still be minted.
The Review:
I was introduced to Jennifer Bardsley last year with her Harper Landing series, which I thought was adorable. THE HISTORY OF US takes place in the same universe, although not in Harper Landing–these characters live across the channel in Port Inez, Washington. I loved the hints to the Harper Landing series, though–the Sweet Bliss yogurt shop is mentioned, as well as the Good Catch dating app.
THE HISTORY OF US somewhat moves away from the Hallmark feel of the Harper Landing series. There’s a bit of a mystery portion to the story, which I really enjoyed. Andrea and Dustin become amateur detectives hunting down Andrea’s stolen coins, and these were my favorite scenes.
Andrea and Dustin both have complicated family lives, but they were able to come together in a way to help each other out. Both characters were very well-written with a lot of depth. I enjoyed most of the side characters, with the exception of Leanne, who was annoyingly naive and not willing to do what it took to protect her children.
This story is an easy-to-read romance and made for a great palate cleanser between some grisly thrillers! I really enjoy Bardsley’s writing and will certainly continue to read her future novels.
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