Mrs. Nash's Ashes
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4.3 • 79 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2023
A Most Anticipated Summer Read by Today ∙ Barnes & Noble ∙ BookRiot ∙ GoodReads ∙ Culturess ∙ and more!
A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love.
Millicent Watts-Cohen is on a mission. When she promised her elderly best friend that she’d reunite her with the woman she fell in love with nearly eighty years ago, she never imagined that would mean traveling from D.C. to Key West with three tablespoons of Mrs. Nash’s remains in her backpack. But Millie’s determined to give her friend a symbolic happily-ever-after, before it’s (really) too late—and hopefully reassure herself of love’s lasting power in the process.
She just didn’t expect to have a living travel companion.
After a computer glitch grounds flights, Millie is forced to catch a ride with Hollis Hollenbeck, an also-stranded acquaintance from her ex’s MFA program. Hollis certainly does not believe in happily-ever-afters—symbolic or otherwise—and makes it quite clear that he can’t fathom Millie’s plan ending well for anyone.
But as they contend with peculiar bed-and-breakfasts, unusual small-town festivals, and deer with a death wish, Millie begins to suspect that her reluctant travel partner might enjoy her company more than he lets on. Because for someone who supposedly doesn’t share her views on romance, Hollis sure is becoming invested in the success of their journey. And the closer they get to their destination, the more Millie has to admit that maybe this trip isn’t just about Mrs. Nash’s love story after all—maybe it’s also about her own.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Debut author Adler combines heat and sweet in this charmingly offbeat rom-com. Former child star Millicent Watts-Cohen is determined to fulfill the dying wish of Rose Nash, her elderly landlady and dear friend. She sets out for Key West, Fla., to reunite Rose—or rather, some of her cremains—with Rose's long-lost love, Elsie Brown, who is in hospice. She hopes to deliver the ashes before Elsie dies, but a major airport computer meltdown may foil those plans. Enter an acquaintance of her jerk ex-boyfriend, writer Hollis Hollenbeck, who is also stranded at the airport en route to Florida. The pair decide to drive together, and though perpetually sunny Millicent and curmudgeon Hollis make an odd couple, they bond quickly as the trip progresses. The author adds emotional depth by toggling between the present day and WWII, when Rose and Elsie's forbidden queer romance first blossomed. Adler's well-drawn characters leap off the page, and she handles difficult topics with grace. She also shows off her comedy chops in some laugh-out-loud road trip mishaps, including the leads booking a room at a Jesus-themed bed-and-breakfast and Millicent stumbling into the role of grand marshal at a small-town broccoli festival. This delightful debut is sure to find fans.
