Small Town Hearts is a book that is easy to love—it fills your heart with warm nostalgia and sweet memories of summer, friendship, and love. Babe, our lovable and refreshing protagonist, is a small-town girl who is facing that melancholy transition period in her life of post-high school graduation. As her childhood best friends, Penny and Chad, prepare for college, this summer is meant to be the perfect one to spend together, but things get thrown off the rails when a messy kiss threatens their plans. Things get even more hectic when Babe’s ex-girlfriend, Eloide, arrives back in town from college, and an artsy summer tourist named Levi decides to spend his summer in Oar’s Rest.

The small-town setting of Oar’s Rest has the same heartwarming feel of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. It’s a place where everyone is family and anywhere you walk, you’ll see a friendly face. Everything about this town speaks to the heart from the friendly strangers who make a short pass in the novel and the local restaurants with delicacies that will make your mouth water to the tight-knit community which inspires daytime boat trips and bonfires under the stars. This is the type of town I’ve always wished I could have grown up in or at least visited. Simply reading about Oar’s Rest makes it feel personal so when Babe and the rest of the characters move throughout various locations in the novel, it feels like you’re there with them.

Lillie Vale’s writing is absolutely gorgeous and beyond exceptional for a debut novel. Vale has a talent for capturing emotions—both the intense and the subtle—and catering to the five senses. You can see the glimmering reflection of the sun against the ocean, and you can smell the savory aroma of grilled seafood. You can feel the fresh summer breeze against your skin as Babe bikes through town, and you can hear the hustle and bustle and friendly chatter at the Busy Bean, the town’s local coffee shop. One moment your stomach will be longing for creamy clam chowder and hand-churned ice cream, but the next, your heart is aching over Babe’s romantic struggles and broken friendships. Even with the most enticing and descriptive scenes, Vale leaves you wondering and slightly tugs at your heart, making this book impossible to stop thinking about even after you’ve put it down.

One of the best aspects of Small Town Hearts is the variety of multi-faceted friendships we encounter. At the forefront, we have the iconic trio of Babe, Penny, and Chad. Childhood best friends but, of course, things get turned awry when Babe and Chad accidentally kiss and Penny finds out. We see the lasting impacts on Babe and Penny’s friendship and how the dedication to the friendship was unequal from the beginning. Although I sometimes got frustrated with how Babe would let Penny walk over her, it’s also very telling of Babe’s character that she never gave up on their friendship. To contrast this messy trio, we have Lucy, one of Babe’s coworkers and a sweet angel. She served as an amazing support system, and I loved her character so much.

If you know me, you know I love fluffy romances, and this book did not disappoint. First, we have Babe’s ex-girlfriend who’s re-entered the picture, but more importantly, we have our favorite summer boy, Levi Keller. He was cute. He was swoon-worthy. He was patient. AND he accepts Babe for who she is and is incredibly supportive. I know in romance we immediately like to think of grand gestures and big moments, but what made Babe and Levi’s relationship so touching was how organically it developed. We see their day-to-day conversations about random topics to introspective long-term life plans.

On top of all the fabulous writing, picture-perfect setting, and characters who I will protect, Small Town Hearts is a book that reflects on thoughtful messages like finding yourself and your passion and the necessity of higher education and whether it’s for everyone. I can’t recommend this book enough whether you’re looking for something to warm your heart or to pull you out of a slump. This book has made my favorites list, and I hope if you read it (and you definitely should) that it’ll make yours too.

This book was cute! That’s the main word that pops into my head when I think about it.

The plot line felt a little repetitive as if the main cast of characters ran in circles while trying to figure their lives out. It still held my attention enough to enjoy the light read to the end.

The characters were lovable but I never felt like we really got to know them enough to fall utterly in love. Sure, as a reader I related to some of the issues (like going to college in the fall) but not much deeper. It felt like standing at the edge of the beach, the water just reaching me. I wanted more depth.

The one thing I didn’t like is that there were toxic friendships that never really got resolved and, to me, felt ignored.

Ultimately, this was a great read while I was on a long airplane ride and I wish there was more weight, but overall enjoyable!