Reasonable Adults

Reasonable Adults was an enjoyable debut that is a combination of RomCom and a journey of self-discovery that follows Kate Rigsby, a 31-year-old woman whose personal and professional lives have recently taken a beating. After she loses her job and finds herself single, she and her dog Eric head to northern Ontario for a job at an artists' retreat centre. But things don't go according to plan. Naturally.

This debut had all the right pieces - self-discovery, romance, humour, and beautiful setting. The plot took a while to get going, but soon readers are pulled into the story and its beautiful wintery Muskoka setting. I was impressed with the depth that Lefler gives her large secondary cast and while Kate is a resilient main character, she pales a bit in comparison with her rampant self-doubt stemming from her work and personal lives going spectacularly wrong as she weathers a series of unfortunate (and contrived) events. 

A sweet romance quickly springs up for romance lovers, but my favourite parts of this debut were the sprinkling of humour, the gorgeous wintery Ontario setting and the secondary characters who simply shine - including canine Eric. 

This was an entertaining debut that romance and dog loving outdoorsy readers should enjoy - especially snuggled up by a roaring fire while the snow flies outside. Despite a slow start, Lefler has proven she has writing chops and with some tweaks, I predict this is an author to watch out for.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to HarperAvenue books for my complimentary digital copy of this book which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Robin Lefler

Genre: RomCom, Canadian

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: HarperAvenue (HarperCollins)

First Published: December 13, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: A swanky new gig at a luxury artists’ retreat in Muskoka, a delightful canine companion and a chance at a clean start. It should be smooth sailing from here . . .

Everything has fallen apart for Kate Rigsby: she is freshly single—separated from an ex she never really liked—and freshly fired—from a job she never really liked, either. Somehow, she’s reached the age of thirty-one and the only things she truly cares about are her goldendoodle, Eric, her two best friends, and proving to her parents (and, if she’s honest, to herself) that she made the right choice moving to the city. Except, instead of thriving, she finds that her life has taken a nose-dive. So when a job at Treetops Creative Retreat suddenly lands in her lap, she’s thrilled. Three months at a glorified arts and crafts workshop for grown-ups that boasts five-star cuisine and a helipad, and she’ll be well paid? The perfect escape. So what if her contract spans the depths of winter? Neat! A charming life experience! She can learn to snowshoe.

But when Kate arrives at the retreat, nothing is as she imagined. She didn’t read the fine print, her targets are impossible, her boss seems committed to seeing her fail and there happens to be an extremely off-limits fellow staffer who has no business being so gorgeous.

Part self-discovery, part rom-com and part comedy of errors, Reasonable Adults is a hilarious debut about finding yourself—and maybe love—along the way. A little summer-camp romance never hurt anyone, right?