Wooing Cadie McCaffrey

March 18, 2019
This delightful sophomore novel from Turner (The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck) features a mash-up of rom-com clichés cleverly strung together as a last-ditch effort to save a relationship. Thirty-year-old Cadie McCaffrey meets Will Whitaker during her disastrous birthday party, a meet-cute that develops into a four-year relationship. But after four years, Will keep stalling on getting engaged. Cadie is determined to end the relationship, and Will, in his desperation, promises her a special night. She gives him one more chance, but the night goes horribly wrong when things turn physical and Will’s expectation that they’ll sleep together makes Cadie uncomfortable. While Cadie prays for guidance and believes she must cut things off, Will is determined to win back her affection. A friend suggests that he research romantic gestures by watching Cadie’s favorite movies, and so, with cues from Big Fish, Juno, and Never Been Kissed (among others), Will goes to elaborate lengths to recreate scenes from the movies, but his plan fails when Cadie realizes what he is doing. Turner digs into issues of faith and personal comfort as Will and Cadie work to know one another more deeply. Ostensibly an homage to romantic movies, Turner’s moving inspirational romance is also a powerful investigation of regret and forgiveness.

May 1, 2019
Cadie McCaffrey is sure of one thing: while she may not need a man to be happy, one is required for her to be in love. So when Will Whitaker waltzes into her office at a prominent sports network, she is pleasantly surprised that her real-life romantic comedy is about to begin. But after four years, no proposal, and Will's work on a breaking story that leads to him letting her down, the dream dissolves. But Will won't give up that easily, even if it takes reigniting their modern-day romance the old-fashioned way. Turner offers entertaining inspirational chick lit with traditional Christian values and light romance. Delightfully drawing from popular cinematic romantic comedies, she engineers a pragmatic yet endearing heroine who is navigating a complicated yet relatable relationship. The shifting narrative time line flows naturally as readers become incrementally privy to the characters' complex struggles with intimacy before marriage. Messages of forgiveness and the value of fighting for love make this a meaningful and enjoyable selection for summer reading lists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)