Say You'll Be There

This was a cute, second chance romance that follows Emma, a Toronto photographer who, after a broken heart, decides that relationships and love just aren't for her. When she reluctantly participates in a speed dating event at her local pub, she is reconnected with none other than Jake Griffin, her first love and high school crush ... and the man who broke her heart when he ghosted her.

Through dual timelines of present day and Emma and Jake's high school days, readers get to see the beginning of their sweet friends-to-lovers romance as Denson slowly reveals what went wrong between the pair to rupture their relationship. 

I loved all the wonderful bits of Canadiana and Toronto locations that I recognized and how poignant some of the scenes were as we witness the reasons for their heartbreak and their feelings of vulnerability when it comes to love. I found I connected more to the current storyline and was surprised at how much of the book was centred on their teenage years, giving it more of a teen vibe than I was anticipating.

This story is all about high school crushes, broken hearts, miscommunication and second chances at love and healing. It's also got one of my favourite tropes (friends to lovers!) and a perfect blend of spiciness for good measure. Look for it in stores February 17, 2026!

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the authors for the complimentary digital copy of this book that was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Mia Denson

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Canadian

Type and Source: ebook from author

Publisher: Mia Denson

First Published: February 17, 2026

Read: Jan 21-24, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: Imagine bumping into your first love at speed-dating, a decade after he ghosted you.

Photographer Emma Anderson isn’t looking for love. She doesn’t date seriously, keeps men at arm’s length, and definitely doesn’t do vulnerability—not after the way things ended with her first love, Jake Griffin, in high school. The fallout was cyberbullying that forced her to switch schools, and radio silence from the boy who had once been her best friend. Since then, Emma’s buried the past so deeply that no one, not even her closest friends—or Emma herself—knows the full story.

So when she reluctantly goes speed-dating, she doesn’t expect to see Jake sitting across from her. And she definitely doesn’t expect to agree when her best friend suggests a good old-fashioned sexorcism to get over him once and for all.

As Emma and Jake fall back into each other’s lives, Emma is forced to face the past she’s spent years avoiding—and risk her heart on the one person who already broke it.