Lawyer Anna and actress Sera head back to their hometown because their friend Juliette has terminal ovarian cancer. Juliette is a popular local who runs the bookshop/café but Anna hasn’t been back to Ellesmere for years, not since a scandal involving her father made her feel not welcome in the town. Nor does she tend to see eye to eye with Sera but the two women are ready to put their friend’s needs to the fore for what may be their last summer with Juliette. This involves tracking down a guy called Noah, who they believe has played an important role in Juliette’s life. Rather than focussing on the day-to-day circumstances of Juliette’s illness, this novel is more about the romances involving all three women. No doubt it was a difficult balancing act but sometimes it felt like the romantic relationships had too much priority – to the detriment of building up emotion around the impending death. The flashbacks to Juliette’s time with Noah were a highlight though.
