It’s All Relative

Shakespeare’s famous comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, gets a modern retelling in a lighthearted rom-com that proves ‘the course of true love’ (and the merging of families, for that matter) ‘never did run smooth.’ Fans of Jenny Proctor and Courtney Walsh will get swept away in this romance about second chances.

Helena’s a “fly by the seat of her pants” kind of girl. Amelia’s got her perfect life planned down to the minute. How will they ever get through their parents’ wedding–let alone a life as stepsisters–without ripping each other apart?

Twenty-seven-year-old Helena Crosby is over her mom Nora’s wedding–and it hasn’t even happened yet. For months, Helena’s been dreading the day she and Nora would become part of The Perfects, aka the Maddox family, led by oldest perfect daughter Amelia. Her complete opposite in every way, Amelia owns a house, runs her father’s architecture firm, and is engaged to her also perfect (and dreamy) fiancé Gage, all before the age of thirty. Helena has no idea how she’s going to fit into this family with their fancy traditions and strict timetables. Thankfully, her best friend Landon is joining the festivities as her emotional support plus one–and the perfect buffer between her and her new family.

Amelia Maddox has spent months planning the perfect wedding week for her dad Steve and his bride-to-be Nora. She’d planned for every consistency . . . except for her new free spirited stepsister’s deadly shellfish allergy, her brother’s insistence on blowing up his life, and an unexpected guest on Helena’s arm. A guest she hasn’t seen in years. A guest who held her heart years before her fiancé Gage ever did . . . her ex Landon Blake. But no matter–Amelia’s kept the Maddox family together since her mother died a few years ago. She’s not going to be thrown by Landon’s deep blue eyes and sun-bronzed forearms and the way he makes her feel all warm and cozy, like she’s come home to herself. Nope. She has duties to attend to: being the best daughter, sister, fiancée, boss, and wedding coordinator. And she’s going to bring her Eldest Daughter Energy to it all and push down those inconvenient feelings, no matter what.

Through a whirlwind week of wedding activities and a few near disasters, both Amelia and Helena realize that sometimes the blueprints for the perfect family and relationship look better on paper than in real life–and that family isn’t only made of the people you’re born with. Family is also made of the people we choose over and over again.

This heartwarming and hilarious rom-com is a low-spice, high-energy romp with sailing disasters, a rogue pet parrot, and two mismatched couples. Think 27 Dresses meets Shakespeare on the beach! Perfect for book clubs, with its themes of love, family, and second chances, the book includes discussion questions to help get the conversation started.