From Amazon:
Food writer Maggie Marrion is just getting back on her feet after a horrible year, or two, or three. With their twentieth reunion approaching, she invites four of her closest friends from college for a weekend at her beach cabin on Whidbey Island. What she doesn't expect is her best friends, artist Quinn Dayton and part-time erotica novelist, Selah Elmore, to play matchmaker. The two plot a surprise that will make the weekend, and her life, a lot more interesting.
Gil Morrow, former grunge musician turned history professor, joins them as Selah's date for the weekend. After coming face to face with the one who got away, he decides he's waited long enough to get the girl. With the support of old friends, a few wishing rocks, the world's largest burrowing clam, and a hot lumberjack thrown into the mix, Gil reminds Maggie that forty-something isn't too old for second chances.
Can we learn to love the life we have and let go of who we expected to be? What happens when the generation from The Breakfast Club and Reality Bites meets The Big Chill? Come spend a weekend with these Generation X-ers as they share laughter, tears, life's ups and downs, old stories, and new beginnings.
Refreshing like a gentle ocean breeze comes Daisy Prescott’s debut novel, Geoducks Are For Lovers. I'm a hardcore romance junkie, so I've read a lot of the falling in love and falling back in love type of story arc, but reading this is like a clean cool wave of calm over your heart that ensures that yes, maybe after you lose the one that got away, you can get them back.
The characters are all striding into their 40s full of success, families, spouses and divorces. Life's experience hasn't kept them from renewing friendships after a 20+ year absence for some.
I really enjoyed Quinn, Maggie's GBFF who's is witty and snarky and has no fear of telling Maggie how it is. He has some of the best one-liners I’ve ever read. Take for instance this moment when Maggie and her friend, Selah, are having a conversation about Selah’s latest fling, Jeremy.
“Sit, and let’s enjoy our wine. Tell me what you’ve been up to this past week. If you are good I’ll tell you about Jeremy.”
“Jeremy? New lover?”
“Perhaps. I haven’t decided yet.”
“Sounds more like you’ve decided, but haven’t fucked him yet.”
“Who hasn’t fucked who, yet?” Quinn asks as he and Gil return.
“Technically it is ‘who hasn’t fucked whom,” Selah corrects him.
“Whom schmoom, let’s get to the fucking.” Quinn sits next to Maggie at the table, leaving the chair opposite her empty for Gil.
Jo is probably the character I most identify with though; she’s a mom who’s day is filled with “keeping up with the Jones’” driving kids around town for activities, and feeling a little neglected in her relationship with her husband, Ben. But as she comments one evening to Maggie regarding her relationship with her husband,
“I’ll be honest, most of the time it’s the ember. But every now and again the fire reignites. The trick is to keep the ember alive. You can’t have a roaring fire every day.”
There’s also this little observation about real-life love:
“… I think life is better when you have love. Not a friendly neighbor, or old friends kind of love either, but a love that causes your heart to race and your toes to curl.”
Wise woman, that Jo.
Prescott writes Gil as a swoony boy, all grown up. He’s sure of what he wants from Maggie and makes no bones about it.
“I think you know I love you. Not past tense, not friendly love. Love. Love that lassoes the moon and lays it at your feet.”
There are lots of great moments in this book that will stick with you long after you’ve finished reading. I highly recommend this quick read!
**I purchased my copy of Geoducks Are For Lovers for Kindle for $2.99, and it's currently available on Amazon for $2.99 as of the date of this post**
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