The Space Between Us by B.K. Stubblefield

The cottage has a history of changing lives.
Laurel just never expected to become a part of its legend.

A booking error at a beachfront cottage.
A reluctant roommate situation between strangers.
A chance at something neither Laurel nor Jack was looking for.

“It’s not you, it’s geography” seemed like a reasonable excuse when opportunity called him across an ocean.
Despite her shattered heart, Laurel makes the decision to end things with cold logic.
Statistics don’t lie—even when every part of her wishes they would.

But what happens when fate—or a matchmaking aunt with an agenda—brings them back to where it all began?
Same cottage.
Same magnetic pull.
Same impossible choice.

Some mistakes deserve a second chance.
Others need to be repeated before the lesson finally sinks in.
With his flight leaving in mere hours, Laurel has precious little time to decide:
Is the safety of silence worth the price of never knowing what could have been?

My Review

Laurel is a workaholic, finally taking a much-needed week off to go relax at a beach house. I love her bestie’s comical orders and the mature adult convo in the story, also the summertime vibes. The sassy, sarcastic comments, and of course, the funny humor make it a relaxing read to start the summer. 

I was a little confused, but I guess it is a road trip, not a flight. Either way, I’m more excited for the destination. Pelican Bay, Florida, sounds dreamy for a restful break from city life. 

Her luck isn’t great; she arrives, but a double booking puts her in a bind, and she gets offered a secluded beach cottage that the owner normally uses for her nephew. What could go wrong?  Yes, this story is predictable, but I like the comforting factor of it as well; it is an easy, relaxing summer read.

The nephew isn’t as smart as the aunt thinks, and she is scatterbrained or plotting. But despite the circumstances, he is understanding of the space invasions and the forced proximity. I don’t love that we don’t have the character’s name till halfway through the chapter he is speaking in. They seem to get along despite their predicament. Jack is very thoughtful, but I haven’t gotten a good read on his character yet. They are practically strangers still. 

Well, they won’t be stranger for long, having to share a bathroom when they are both used to living alone. This book has some unexpected comedic situations.  I love that Laurel loves books, and the quaint little bookstore sounds dreamy. I don’t know about space as the title suggests, each day that passes, these strangers grow closer and form accidental encounters to vacation memories and yummy abs for breakfast. This story is very dreamy. 

Is it cliche for the storm to help erupt the steamy factor in this story, I mean, they were getting there with the forced proximity and ease of natural accompaniment, or is it the cottage at work? Whatever it is, the book gets steamy. 

Their insta-love gets cut short by work intruding on their dreamy beachy cottage, but I love that real life comes into the storyline as well. This becomes more than just a summer fling. Before the trip ended, I would have loved a foray through the small town book store with description, it’s kinda sad we skipped that, felt like the author really skipped something intricate there for the reader. 

After the beach, back to real life, and a weekend meet up, we do get some sleepless in Seattle vibes. I don’t blame her for not loving the longer distance and being scared of the longer distance, even if it is meant to be; the relationship is so new, and the ocean apart would be a challenge for everyone. Laurel is very pragmatic. Of course, her decisions do bring the emotional wreck out in me, which I’m thankful for. I mean, for a great romance, it is nice to feel what the characters are. 

This book takes us back where it began back to the Florida cottages, looking for a rest and relaxing from work for Laurel, and this time, closure from Jack.  But of course, the cottage or the aunt is playing matchmaker once again, and Jack is at the cottage as well. It can’t be that easy for Laurel to run away. This book is so emotional that it has me crying while reading. I love it.  

The epilogue of this book wraps up beautifully and is very mature. I love how the author keeps the story moving with the careers, travel, and romance as central themes in the story, and yes, I wish there were some random side stops, but it was a beautiful read.  The story overall is very well written, a great summer read with a wonderful career-focused midlife character, mild steamy factor, and a lovely strangers-to-lovers beach contemporary romance.  

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you would like to read The Space Between Us by B.K. Stubblefield, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

If you like this book, you may enjoy books with these tags and categories: Beach, Midlife, and Forced Proximity.