April 15, 2024
Mejia (Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review) returns to the grungy small town of Ridley Falls, Wash., for the story of Cash Delgado, 30-something single mom and bar manager extraordinaire, who is barely holding her life together when she’s hit by a double whammy: a skeezy ex-boyfriend slinks into town with a plan to open a competing bar franchise, and she is blindsided by sudden erotic dreams about her BFF and coworker, Inez. The ensuing warmhearted wish-fulfillment of two plucky Davids facing off against a corporate Goliath—and discovering truths about themselves in the process—makes for a highly satisfying comfort read, realism be damned. Mejia develops their secondary characters with love and care, from fearless Parker, Cash’s daughter, navigating playground politics to Inez’s Granny O’Conner plotting domination in assisted living. A few too many teaching moments are contrived along the way, but even the lectures are delivered with a welcome and welcoming generosity of spirit. This is sure to win fans. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
Starred review from July 1, 2024
A single mother fights to save her small-town Washington bar while navigating confusing new feelings for her best friend. Cash Delgado is used to filling her days with two things--her job at Joyce's, the local watering hole in Ridley Falls, and her role as a single mom to her 6-year-old daughter, Parker. Between those responsibilities, who has time for dating? Besides, the last guy Cash allowed herself to hook up with wasn't worth bringing home to Parker, and since then, she's let that part of her life fall by the wayside. The only person she can really rely on is Inez O'Connor, her best friend and co-worker, who's been trying to help Cash reenter the dating scene. So what if some people, including Inez's latest girlfriend, suspect that the two women are much more than friends? Cash has never thought of Inez in that way, never thought of herself as anything but straight--until one night when an incredibly steamy dream wakes her up to some terrifying new feelings. Navigating her potential crush on Inez is the least of her problems, however. There's a big bar chain that's looking to plant their latest franchise right in Ridley Falls, and if the plan goes through, it could mean the end of Joyce's forever. Not only does Cash have to wrestle with whether she's falling in love with her best friend, but she also has to find a way to save Joyce's, even if that means calling on every other resident of Ridley Falls for help. With their latest novel, Mejia returns to the small-town setting that made Sammy Espinoza's Last Review (2023) such an immersive delight, with characters from that book making an appearance here. Cash's journey feels like more than a romance; it's the story of a woman who realizes it's not too late to make some very important discoveries about herself, whom she loves, and who she ultimately wants to be from this moment forward. A heartwarming story about community, self-discovery, and love.
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