“Because he knew, we both knew, that our friendship had always held the capacity for more. The air hummed thicker between us. It startled us with intermittent and unpredictable sparks. This wasn’t the one-way charge of seeing somebody attractive; the charge was striking in both directions.”
― Stephanie Perkins, Overdue

The cover of Overdue by Stephanie Perkins caught my eye from across the library – gorgeous wildflowers with a due date envelope on it screamed bookish romance. Upon starting this read, I knew I was right. This is a grumpy x sunshine, slow-burn romance about finding your way while looking for new beginnings. Ingrid Dahl is a cheery, happy librarian in the mountain town of Ridgetop, North Carolina. Dating her college boyfriend, Cory, for the last eleven years, the two are content with how life is going. When Ingrid’s sister announces her engagement, their peace shatters. The two find themselves on a one-month break where they plan to spend that month dating other people with the understanding that after that month ends, they will restart their relationship and then get married! Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?!

Well, Ingrid isn’t sure how she will survive this month break, but she knows that she wants to spend this time with one specific person: Macon Nowakowski. Macon is the grumpy coworker who has sat next to her at the library for years (and who she has a secret crush on). Determined to win Macon over, she sets her plan in action. An awkward moment occurs, sending Ingrid spiraling. What was she thinking? How could Macon ever like her? What about Cory? This month break has the power to change Ingrid’s entire life forever, not just her relationship.

Overdue by Stephanie Perkins was a beautiful love story of two librarians: she is sunshine and happiness, while he’s grumpy and closed off. This book could have been predictable, but the author instead decides to break the book into separate months, highlighting how each character matures. While this is a love story, the author doesn’t just focus on romantic love. She brings in family, friends, and others to show how love can change. The characters were also incredibly mature while dealing with real life issues (they actually TALKED to each other to solve their problems). Solid four star read.

This title is also available in large print.