Milan is a queen among mere mortals. It is no surprise that this is another excellent addition to her catalogue.
Plot: Kai is a fraudster, just like his dad, but he’s added a few rules about how to best defraud people to the ones he was taught. And he’s about to engage in the most ambitious fraud of his life. Unfortunately, it requires going back to the village he grew up in, where every single person has been hurt by his father’s cons. Fortunately, one of the villages’ beloved women needs a man to be allowed to attend old timey CPR classes and he fits that description, so maybe the few months he must spend in the village won’t be quite so painful. Naomi meanwhile, is a sensible girl that knows that nobody ever lost their head over someone as clumsy and plain as her, so there is absolutely no risk of attachment, even if they have to fake an engagement for several months. Shenanigans ensue.
So Narfa called this book “fluff with substance” which feels bang on, but I don’t think is sufficiently clear if you haven’t read the book.
This story has a lot of core elements of a fluff book – charming small town full of funny, sweet characters, a sense that the world outside this small town is disconnected from the broader world and its many harms, and a central love story between two people who are open, honest, and kind to one another. It does not include a cute animal, which is a missed opportunity but I am willing to forgive it.
None of these elements are, however, entirely uncomplicated. The history of the town cannot be divorced from the broader world and its many harms, indeed the core of the story is about redemption for someone who came into this peaceful enclave and took advantage of its trusting, lovely people. And these people are not simply victims. As is often the case, hurt begets hurt, and Milan isn’t willing to let you forget that, even in this fluffy seaside town. Even our protagonists, who are so honest with each other, have a lot to learn about the difference between an opinion and a fact, and the ways in which the daylight between those two things can make all the difference.
So I guess I define “fluff with substance” as a very gentle, but deep meditation on what family means, what honesty and accountability mean, what it means to love, and to forgive, and to have patience and generosity for the differences of others, even when those differences directly and seemingly arbitrarily conflict with what you want. It does not let anyone off easy for harm they’ve caused but it also creates a lot more room to move past that harm as a community than we usually see in the real world. For my part, it has left me with a lot to think about.