Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Two co-workers with seemingly nothing in common find themselves bonding over Wordle. Emily Evans has never known what she wants to do with her life. She’d like to find her dream job, something that will pay the bills and allow her to follow her greatest passion—but she doesn’t seem to know what that passion is. In the meantime, she’s making ends meet by working as a receptionist at an auto repair shop, considering a move to the big city while stuck in her small town on Prince Edward Island. The only bright spot in her day is playing theNew York Times’ Wordle, on which she currently holds a streak of more than 300 days. Hoping to make it a full year without a single miss, she reaches a point of desperation one day when she finds herself stuck on the answer with only a single guess left. Asking her stoic, introverted coworker John Smith for help is a last resort, and she’s surprised to discover that someone she thought she didn’t have anything in common with is also a regular Wordle player. As Emily bonds with John over their shared hobby, she gradually gets to know the man she previously wrote off as standoffish and apathetic, while he starts to rethink his preconceived notions about her in return. James’ debut is a sweet small-town romance that revolves around Emily’s journey of self-discovery and personal improvement. Given that the book is told solely from Emily’s first-person perspective, it’s she who gains the most depth, with John an intermittent and inscrutable presence at first, before slowly becoming more dimensional over time. Strong supporting characters, including some elderly neighbors Emily befriends and cares for, add tenderness to the narrative. At the core of the book, however, lies Emily’s efforts to better understand herself and what she truly wants. Wordplay and romance collide in this charming debut. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.