‘JUST LET GO’: Romantic Drama About Letting Go of the Past

STORY: Quinn Collins isn’t ready to let go of the past. She’s nowhere near ready in fact. For years now she’s been holding onto the past, and uses her frustration and hurt to fuel her future. Raised by her father in the aftermath of her mother walking out on them, Quinn has just bought the flower shop her mother once owed. Determined to recapture a piece of the childhood that remembers her mother, the one thing Quinn is not prepared for is Grady.

A champion skier on his way to an Olympic comeback, Grady Benson has no plans to stay in the hidden small town of Harbor Pointe. But when he causes damage to a small diner, this is exactly what happens. Sentenced to community service, part of his punishment involves working to help ready Quinn’s shop for its grand opening. A match Quinn is less than enthused by. Meanwhile, Grady feels a pull towards Quinn, a girl unlike anyone he’s ever met…

Just Let Go by Courtney Walsh | Book Review

Despite loving the contemporary genre wholeheartedly, I feel like my list of auto-buy authors in this genre is still small. Talented authors like Denise Hunter, Melissa Tagg, and Becky Wade feature on this list. Also, one of my more recent discoveries is Courtney Walsh. Her novel, Change of Heart swept me up into its story and wouldn’t let go. Now her latest release, Just Let Go has done the same. Only in contrast to the message the title has for its characters, in this case, the fact that this novel won’t let its reader go, is a good thing.

The premise of the story is a simple one – girl-next-door meets cute guy, sparks fly – but as each truly good contemporary novelist does, there is more beneath the surface. So many readers think the contemporary genre is just a bit of “fluff.” In some cases, yes they are (and don’t mistake me, there is nothing wrong with this, and I adore these types of reads), but the best kind of contemporary novels also dig into their premise. Such is the case within these pages. There’s a great deal going on.

Whether it be the emotionally scarred past of both its protagonists or the secrets another has protected for many years, there’s plenty of emotions. Grady and Quinn make compelling character portraits, and feel like two people who may be a little lost, but are also easy to “get.” There’s Grady’s feelings of inadequacy, and Quinn’s pent up emotional trauma, many of us will relate to one or both of them in some sense. After all, who among us isn’t a little lost sometimes?

On a lighter note, can I just say, I also adore these character names! They’re so unique, and if you’ve been reading this website for a while, you’ll know, I’m a big fan of unique names. Speaking of these two, the love story doesn’t feel quite as fleshed out as I’d have imagined. (But full disclosure, while reading this, this book did have the misfortune of the dreaded “distracted reader” syndrome. Nothing the story did, it was just… life.)

Just Let Go is a beautiful portrait of family life, messiness and all, and for that, I admire it. It’s a story with a purpose, and reminds us sometimes, we do need to let go. Sometimes this may look like letting go of a beloved hobby. Other times it might mean saying goodbye to a relationship that’s no longer healthy. Or perhaps, sometimes it’s having a good, cleansing cry. Whatever life throws at us differs from day to day, year to year, but one thing is constant, learning what and when to let go will always be freeing. Just Let Go teaches this to its readers over and over again, and in the end, it’s all about embracing joy. ♥

ABOUT the BOOK

(Disclosure: this post does contain affiliate links; if you buy anything through these links, I may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. Read the disclosure page for details.)

Author: Courtney Walsh
Publisher: Tyndale House
Publication Date: 2018
Series: Harbor Pointe – Book 2
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary Adult Fiction, Inspirational Fiction
Source: Publisher Provided – thank you, Tyndale
Shop the Book: Amazon | Goodreads
FIND the REVIEW ELSEWHERE: Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: ★★★★★

Sincere thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC copy of this book; all opinions are my own.