Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Length: 316 pages
Author: Audrey Bellezza & Emily Harding
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: October 28th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Jane Austen’s Persuasion meets the Big Apple in this swoon-worthy holiday romance from the authors of the “charming” (Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author) Elizabeth of East Hampton and Emma of 83rd Street.

Eight years ago, Anne Elliot broke Freddie Wentworth’s heart when she refused to give up her five-year plan for the sake of adventure. But despite big dreams, Anne, now thirty, is still living at home with hardly a plan in sight. Anne tries to be optimistic—she knows better than anyone that regret will get you nowhere—but that goes out when the window when, thanks to her father’s bad spending habits, her childhood apartment in is rented out to the very man still living in her head rent-free.

Freddie Wentworth never thought he would see Anne Elliot again after she dumped him for accepting a job overseas. He spent years trying to forget her, and he’s been mostly successful. So when a job opportunity takes him back to New York, he’s shocked to find out that Anne is not only his new neighbor, but also the former resident of his new Greenwich Village penthouse.

Nearly a decade after Anne and Freddie’s fateful romance, the only thing they still have in common is a desire to leave their relationship firmly in the past. But between a disastrous off-Broadway show and a drunken Thanksgiving dinner, nosey neighbors, and flirtatious friends, Anne and Freddie suddenly find their lives more intertwined than ever before. When old feelings start rising to the surface, they must decide whether to put their hearts on the line or walk away all over again. 

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

GREAT READ.

I have enjoyed this series 10x over. I love the Jane Austen allusions and the heated romances and all of the angst and drama in between. This was no different. The audiobook was amazing and I was glued to my headphones during all of the holiday baking.

But you know what did bug me??? Anne’s Mom. I know she was supposed to be a central roll in the conflict yet I’m not sure it was resolved enough? I spent the entire book being cranky with her and Anne’s inability to stand up for herself.

While I wish there had been a bit better communication between Freddie and Annie I gotta say the second chance romance was great. I loved the slow burn and all of the unexpected ways they kept landing in each other’s lives. These two were clearly long lost loves and I loved the reconnection.

Overall audience notes:

• Contemporary Romance
• Language: mild
• Romance: 2ish open door
• Violence: low

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