I enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were well developed and had a natural chemistry. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

This story unfolds like a soft tide—quiet, patient, and deeply human. It is a novel that listens more than it speaks, tracing grief, healing, and second chances with a tender, unhurried hand. The journey is less about miles traveled and more about the small, luminous shifts that happen inside a wounded heart when connection is allowed to bloom. The characters feel lived-in and real, their chemistry effortless, their growth gentle but meaningful. There’s a comforting warmth to the writing, a sense that even after loss, life still offers unexpected doorways to hope. I finished the book feeling soothed, reflective, and quietly optimistic, and I’m very much looking forward to reading more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

From their initial encounter at an airport, to the life changing impact they will experience as a result of it, Alexa and Louella end up travelling a unique path together.

This is a close look at women's lives, through the experiences of two women in particular - one recovering from a terrible ordeal, the other struggling to meet unreasonable social expectations.

The result is a beautiful story that will touch the emotions of many readers, especially those who enjoy women's fiction.

Really good book enjoyed the storyline.

In December 1998, a snowbound delay at JFK changes two women's lives forever.

Louella, an American entrepreneur escaping the emotional wreckage of a narcissistic marriage, and Alexa, a Portuguese painter trapped in a glittering aristocratic cage, begin talking over a shared love of books, art, and the freedom they crave.

two woman who find something in each other which is exactly what they both need at the time. its balanced, strengthened and open. two woman who are strangers and then suddenly almost fated to be the friend the other needs to walk into their life right then. they aren't the same, in their lives they aren't dealing with the same thing. but their is no judgements with each other and certainly non from me as a reader. i wanted to scoop them both up more than once.
its such a touching and emotionally honest story. almost like me as a reader was a third stranger meeting them both. there is something more raw and honest that can come from that. the boldness and openness to just tell the other person exactly where they are felt so profound and all the more touching in this book.
when you find someone who truly wants to be there, meet you where you are right this minute, you dont see your past in their reflection to you. its fresh, new, they are here right now for you. and this little moments of healing and change are like sparkles in your heart. they dont do all the work and its balanced right back for them. this is what this book felt like. two woman, who just instantly felt and had each other backs.
there is a comfort to this book. like Melynda new what we needed as much as her characters.