THE TREEHOUSE ON DOG RIVER ROAD

An ex-Bostonian falls for her Vermont neighbor in this small-town romance.

Hannah Spencer has had it with her current life. The 28-year-old was recently laid off by her Boston finance firm and isn’t sure how else to use her economics degree. A temporary respite comes in the form of her older sister, Molly, who needs full-time care for her two young children while she and her husband, Ted, both biologists, temporarily leave their Vermont home to undertake summer research projects in Patagonia. Despite carpools and emotional support courtesy of Molly’s best friend, Lea Harris, Hannah discovers that caring for 6-year-old Nora and 4-year-old Owen is equal parts chaos and boredom. To pass the time while the kids are at day camp, Hannah decides to build her niece and nephew a treehouse in the backyard using the expertise she picked up during a post-college volunteer stint in Kenya. Soon, Hannah finds herself attracted to neighbor Nathan Wild, a handsome IT specialist who’s recently relocated to be closer to his loving, boisterous family. Nathan is intelligent, charming, and great with Nora and Owen, and his chemistry with Hannah is off the charts. But Hannah knows this summer fling can’t last forever: What about the rest of her life? Job prospects aren’t exactly flush in this corner of the universe, but can she and Nathan make it work? And will a catastrophic natural disaster change things forever? Drake writes primarily from Hannah’s perspective, with a few chapters from Nathan’s point of view. They are a sweet couple, together and apart: smart, driven, and devoted to their families and, increasingly, each other. This is a relaxing read where the stakes are realistic but not overly stressful until the final section, inspired by Tropical Storm Irene. But the writing style is a bit long-winded and formal, and the author casts Hannah’s two romantic rivals in a bad light—drunk, overly flirtatious, or clueless in general—which feels unnecessary in an otherwise positive tale.

An entertaining and cute, if somewhat verbose, love story.