For Quinn Collins, buying the flower shop in downtown Harbor Pointe fulfills a childhood dream, but also gives her the chance to stick it to her mom, who owned the store before skipping town twenty years ago and never looking back. Completing much-needed renovations, however, while also competing for a prestigious flower competition with her mother as the head judge, soon has Quinn in over her … head. Not that she’d ever ask for help.
Luckily, she may not need to. Quinn’s father and his meddling friends find the perfect solution in notorious Olympic skier Grady Benson, who had only planned on passing through the old-fashioned lakeside town. But when a heated confrontation leads to property damage, helping Quinn as a community-service sentence seems like the quickest way out–and the best way to avoid more negative press.
Quinn finds Grady reckless and entitled; he thinks she’s uptight and too regimented. Yet as the two begin to hammer and saw, Quinn sees glimpses of the vulnerability behind the bravado, and Grady learns from her passion and determination, qualities he seems to have lost along the way. But when a well-intentioned omission has devastating consequences, Grady finds himself cast out of town–and Quinn’s life–possibly forever. Forced to face the hurt holding her back, Quinn must finally let go or risk missing out on the adventure of a lifetime.
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If you love a good contemporary romance, this whole series is definitely one to check out! <3
First of all, can I gush over the cover? Gorgeous! I love small-town settings, and Courtney Walsh captures the charm of living in the sweet city of Harbor Pointe. More than a romance, this novel boasts characters with real flaws, and digs to the heart of abandonment while showing that God’s grace abounds.
A sweet romance between an uptight small-town florist and a bad-boy professional skier. My goodness, how I cared about these characters! A winner!
I ADORE Courtney Walsh’s novels. She is such a wonderful storyteller. I really, really loved Just Look Up, so I was totally eager to read this sequel. And, boy, does Courtney Walsh deliver with Just Let Go. This book is excellent, and I am definitely adding it to my re-read pile.
One of my very favorite story lines in novels is when the heroine, at first, is NOT impressed by the hero. I like the friction between the two characters, and I love the journey they take to friendship and eventual romance. In Just Let Go, Quinn is definitely not impressed by Grady. In fact, I was not impressed with Grady. He rubbed me the wrong way. But, he really did grow on me. Once I got past his arrogant, tough-guy, cocky persona, I could see his really BIG heart and a ton of pain. Grady’s transformation throughout the story is one of my most favorite aspects. I found it incredibly realistic. He wants to change SO much, but then finds himself falling back into old patterns. He feels guilty and embarrassed by his old patterns, and runs away from people. Some time passes — enough for him to see both sides of a situation — and he knows he needs to apologize for his errors. He apologizes, and then tries again to be the better man. It can be a vicious cycle if these are the only steps we take to “fixing” ourselves. Many times we want to fix ourselves, but we leave out the most important thing — GOD! I can only speak for myself, but I have been there…just like Grady. I’ve been so sure I had changed and grown as a person, only to fall back into old patterns of behavior the second things got stressful or chaotic. I would go back to lashing out. When I finally calmed down, guilt would set in and I would feel so stupid. I apologized to those I had failed, and then swore to do better next time. But until I recognized that I needed God to be successful, the pattern never changed, similar to what Grady experiences in Just Let Go.
The best part to Grady’s transformation, and my most favorite message in this book, is that real change can only happen if we LET GO and LET GOD. There is a moment in the text where Grady admits he has to “let go of any delusion that he was in control.” I absolutely love the word “delusion.” It perfectly describes all humans who think for one second that they have any control over the events in their lives. Grady goes on to explain how he is choosing to let go and is handing it all to God. He even whisper-prays, “You take control.” I admit that I teared up a little at this point. We humans love to believe that we are the ones in control — that we make the plans. Then, we’re shocked when things don’t go our way. It’s a strange kind of arrogance. But, once we realize that God is the Boss and He is in control of all of our steps in this life, we are set free from this delusion; and, life seems to be a little less out of control. God really is a great manager — we just need to let Him do His job and get out of the way.
Reading Just Let Go was a total blessing for me. There’s about 100 things I could talk about in regards to Quinn, who I am pretty sure is my fictional soul sister. Reading Quinn’s character was like staring into a mirror. I won’t say anything about Quinn and her personal struggles because I don’t want to accidentally give anything away, but she is my most favorite character in this book. She is an exceptionally well-written character.
Just Let Go is excellent on many levels. It’s a really engaging story that’s so fast paced, but it’s more than that. I feel like I went on a journey with these characters. As they were going through stuff, I was forced to look at myself and make changes too. I adore books that allow me to interact and wrestle with the subject material, and then come out of the experience a little better and a little wiser. This book is wonderful, and I highly recommend it. I’m going to stop gushing now so you can run to your nearest bookstore and purchase a copy of this fantastic book!
I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author through NetGalley via Celebrate Lit. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I enjoyed this book as much as I did Just Look Up and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
It is so well written that I felt like I was right there in Harbor Pointe.
I Love the small town and close-knit family setting where everyone is there to lend a helping hand and accept you for who you are.
The cover is perfect for this story because the main character owns a flower shop. This story is about redemption, forgiveness, and starting over, of learning to work for your dreams and learning when to let go for both Quinn (the florist) and Grady (the skier).
Surprisingly this was my first book by author Courtney Walsh but it won’t be my last. Just Let Go is a charming read that got better as the book progressed. By the final few chapters I couldn’t put it down or turn the pages fast enough.
The characters were well developed and enjoyable to get to know. Walsh’s description of small town Harbor Pointe made me want to live there. Or at least go visit. I loved it!
There were a few threads to follow which kept the story moving fairly quickly. I appreciated how the characters had to come to grips with their struggles and allow God to work in their lives. However at no time did anything come across as preachy. It just flowed naturally.
If you enjoy clean, charming stories of small town life with romance thrown in then you’ll enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
Can anyone say “Michigan Winter” and get excited?!! Not for me that’s for sure, and I live here. It may not be the most appropriate time to make your vacation plans to the beautiful shoreline of Lake Michigan, it certainly is the right time for ski season. For Olympian Grady Benson, nothing else has ever come before skiing in his life. Not since childhood. His reckless drive to win at all costs and his fearless lifestyle has led him to the top, only to find he has come crashing down in recent months. Figuring he’ll take a solo time out and drive from Vermont to Colorado for the next stages of his play for the US Ski team – he happens upon the lakeside town of Harbor Pointe.
There’s always going to be those fictional towns that you will fall in love with at first sight, and having spent many hours in gorgeous towns along the Lake Michigan shoreline, it was so easy to imagine Harbor Pointe and to quickly claim it as a favourite. In this close knit town, even if you’re not family – you’re family.
I loved the first book in this series ‘Just Look Up’. Everything about the characters, the overall message and especially the location made that my top choice pick for contemporary fiction in 2017. Imagine my excitement when I heard that Courtney was releasing another story set here, I’ve been anticipating it as long as I have known about it. That can, occasionally cause a kind of anticlimax scenario, for the reader, and certainly lots of pressure on the author to deliver. I can safely say that I loved every single page of this book, I could not put it down. Again, we find ourselves pulled into a deeply complex plot revolving around two people, total polar opposites flung together by some may say fate… or more truer, by God.
Dealing with the fallout of Grady’s actions that have led to an extended stay in the quaint small town he just wants to be rid of, local florist Quinn Collins wants absolutely nothing to do with him. Selfish, entitled celebrity that she supposes him to be, she knows he will be gone the minute he can swindle some kind of deal to enable his release from the crushing sentence imposed on him by the intimidating Judge. Fancy lawyers, limitless financial resources – and the Internet is full of his wild womanizing ways, she just wants to see the back of him. Doesn’t want his help with the Carnival, Expo and certainly not in her shop. What she wants and what she ultimately gets are two very different things, and this story will amuse, entertain and at the same time pull at your heartstrings and take you to a tender place, because emotionally connecting with Grady & Quinn comes naturally and easily.
Just like the story in which we became encompassed in the lives of Ryan & Lane, who return in ‘Just Let Go’, the characters both old and new, enrich the story and will bring Harbor Pointe to an even deeper place in your heart.
So well written, perfect pacing, unhurried beautiful story of finding long lasting healing in letting go of hurts so entrenched in the soul, it seems that nothing will remove them. So very difficult to find that peace, but as we know so well, when God is on your side, in your heart and in our thoughts – anything is possible.
Even in Winter, Harbor Pointe is one of my favourites. The cover is so beautiful and encompasses everything about the final scene. This story is not to be missed. Releasing in the summer, this would be my pick for that beach bag, on a warm Lake Michigan day by the lake.
Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for the complimentary ARC. This is my honest review.
So enjoyed this novel by Courtney Walsh! Unfortunately I started with this one and not #1! My bad on not catching the series at the library where I work to identify the series!
The characters were relatable, the story easy to follow and I didn’t want to put it down – I had to know: would they end up together? Great Biblical truths on how God heals and wants control in our lives and how freeing that is. Can’t wait to go back to number 1 and grab #3!
A friend gave me this book a while ago and I just now got around to reading it. I am so glad I did!! Wow. Walsh is so talented. I had a hard time putting the book down. I could relate to both Quinn and Grady. They’re super realistic and they’re struggles are so real!! This is the first book I’ve read by this author but it definitely won’t be my last. I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I started but I didn’t feel lost at any time. I highly recommend this to fans of contemporary fiction.
Great story.
Courtney Walsh never disappoints! She has a way of painting her towns so well that you wish they were real so you could pack a bag and go for a visit!!
The characters are so relatable to real life. In every book I’ve read of hers, I’ve found something similar to myself or a lesson to be learned from their growth throughout the story.
I would highly recommend any Courtney Walsh book!
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
great author
Another Courtney Walsh book I couldn’t put down!
Grady Benson is a big-name big-ego Olympic skier who has landed in the small tourist town of Harbor Pointe, Michigan … and finds himself staying longer than planned after an unfortunate run-in with the law. Now he’s stuck in town paying his debt to society with various do-good community service projects when he should be on the slopes, qualifying for the next Olympics.
Quinn Collins is the small-town girl who’s never gone anywhere, and tells herself she doesn’t want to. What she wants is to win Best Design at the upcoming Michigan Floral Expo, in the hope that a win will enable her to reconnect with her mother—the mother who deserted her family years ago.
I have to say that I didn’t like either character at the beginning of the book. Grady was too full of himself, and I didn’t understand Quinn’s obsession with reconnecting with a mother who abandoned her husband and two small daughters. First, has she never heard of Facebook? Second, many parents have days when they want to abandon their families (or is that just me?). It’s a test of character that we don’t.
Both characters changes and grow as the novel progresses, but it was Grady’s change that most impressed me. By the end of the story I was half in love with him myself, and he’d almost converted me to skiing (I like the concept, but I can no longer deal with the cold). Anyway, Grady’s redemption was definitely the high point of the story.
Just Let Go follows Just Look Up in the Harbor Pointe series, but can easily be read as a standalone (and I preferred Just Look Up). Thanks to Tyndale House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
I love that the characters in this story are honestly and realistically flawed, undergoing a journey of transformation, redemption, and healing. Quinn’s love for floral design isn’t the only thing motivating her to buy the flower shop and enter the competition. Her unresolved issues with the mother who abandoned her are very much a part of proving herself and hoping to be good enough for her mother to reconnect. I wondered why Quinn didn’t just search her mother out, but what she really is looking for is to be wanted.
Grady is kind of a mess, and it took looking beyond his outer rebellious persona to see the trauma, rejection, guilt, and shame that he hides so well. I appreciated the author’s style of revealing the deeper layers of each character little by little; it kept me engrossed and curious and continually connecting. Quinn and Grady’s interactions are surface level at first, with assumptions made on each side. As they slowly get to know each other better, learn what motivates them, and witness kindness and thoughtfulness, their feeling deepen and their attraction builds on a stronger foundation. They still struggle with letting go and resist the support they have to offer each other at times, but the rocky moments of working things out brought greater value to their relationship. I loved the overall theme of hope and faith that things can get better when we let go and trust God to carry us. There is a strong supporting cast of family and community members that make Harbor Pointe home and I can’t wait to read another story set in this tight-knit small town!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
This is my second Courtney Walsh book and I’ve yet to not fall in love with her writing, her characters, and I’m still in love with Harbor Pointe. This time we meet Quinn, daughter of the sheriff and a runaway florist. Steadfast, goal driven, with little use for risk taking she’s the new owner of the local floral shop; bringing back into the family. With one goal in mind, winning the state floral competition and gaining the attention of her mother who disappeared 20 years ago. We also meet Grady, Olympic skier and current world champion in Alpine skiing. Hotheaded, very driven, and with quite a chip on his shoulder and a recent string of failures that has the world doubting him. A fight in the local diner brings them together but they both have to let go of their own past hurts in order to see a future, with or without each other.
‘When will you ever stop seeing everyone through that lens, Quinn?’
‘What lens?’ She could feel herself bristling.
Carly turned toward her. ‘That lens of brokenness.’
Go Carly (that would be Quinn’s sister by the way)! Quinn, like so many of us, has stagnated her life in that moment she can’t control, can’t understand, and wants to take back so desperately that she’s built her life around it. The moment her mom was gone. Grady had a similar situation. His entire skiing career was built on a moment he can’t take back, a moment that changed his life (and the life of his family) forever. We all have that one (or sometimes multiple) life defining moment that shades the way we view the world from that moment forward. Our own personal lens of brokenness. I read this book last week when I was home on Jammication. I had full intentions of doing so many things. All the things, if you will. I didn’t do many of the things. I spent the week beginning to finally try to come to turns with my own standstill moment. (I’ll post about that separately in the coming weeks.) I did a lot of reading (something I’d fallen away from in my brokenness). I did a lot of Netflixing. I did a lot of thinking and writing and crying and living. As Jammication is coming to an end as I write this I had to take a moment and just let it go. A tiny bit. Not all of it. I’ve not completed this particular journey. There’s more to do to get to that. I’m not hanging out in a book after all where it has to be figured out in 300ish (give or take) pages.
‘Grady was used to doing things a certain way. I felt like shaking that up a little might knock some sense into his head. We only fond out what we’re really made of when our backs are up against the wall, you know.’
She looked away.
‘Sometimes our biggest setbacks turn out to be our greatest blessings.’ Judge gave her shoulder a slight squeeze.
I’m not here yet, but perhaps you are. It’s like the rainbow after a storm. That moment when you realize that the crack on your lens is becoming invisible, it was repaired with care. You would think, reading this review, that all I took away from this book was a focus on past hurts, personal drama, and brokenness. Perhaps a moment of healing or two. That’s not it though. I took away from this book memorable people that I would love to visit in a fictional town that I would move to if it were in a more temperate climate. I found that sometimes the idea opposites attract is true because sometimes the things that make someone an obvious opposite is really based in the same reality. Just a different way to express it. Hurt. Fear. Self-doubt. Even love. I realized that good things can sometimes bloom from scars. And I realized that I definitely need to read more Courtney Walsh.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Tyndale House Publishers. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
‘Sometimes, Quinn, we have to get out of our comfort zone in order to see what else God has for us.’
Courtney Walsh takes us back to the small town of Harbor Pointe, Michigan, for this second book in the same named series. Quinn Collins has bought the flower shop her mother once owned. The mother who walked out of her life 20 years ago and never looked back. Quinn is busy renovating and preparing for a prestigious flower competition that has as one of the judges her mother. She absolutely needs her mother to notice her. But she needs help.
In walks Grady Benson, Olympic skier whose fight in the town diner lands him doing community service, which he hates. Then he gets to help Quinn in her shop, which she hates. She thinks he is completely reckless and entitled; he thinks she’s the most uptight person ever. But there are glimpses of vulnerability in both; both have had hard things happen in their life and they have erected a façade for others to see.
This book was so much fun to read. Courtney Walsh’s books just seem to grab the reader from the first page and never want to let go. Great emotional depth here, great characterizations. I loved this little town. I enjoyed it immensely. Recommended.
I love reading books from this author because she takes everyday struggles and shows us how to grow from them. It was not easy for Quinn growing up without a mother. She longs to be wanted but sometimes puts a wall up for protection. The little girl in her yearns for her mother’s approval and I think she wanted to hear her mother say how sorry she was for abandoning her. Quinn is very easy to relate to. I always wanted to be wanted by my parents as well. That dream of hearing them say they loved me never happened. The rejection caused me not to trust and relationships were non existent. Quinn shuts herself away from everyone and hasn’t learned how to enjoy life. Will she ever learn how to have fun?
Grady is bigger than life as a very skilled and famous skier. He is well known but finds himself in the small town where Quinn lives. His fall from grace in the skiing world is hard on him. I loved how the judge made Grady stay in town and not be lenient on him as he breaks the law. I found it very intriguing when Grady and Quinn met each other. It is very obvious that Quinn doesn’t like Grady and is not impressed with his star status. There are times when Quinn is pretty unfriendly towards Grady. They both have chips on their shoulders and it was fun to read how they each dealt with it. How many times have we judged someone and wouldn’t let them have a second chance? Have you ever been judged before?
Quinn is really hard on Grady at times and I was a bit angry at her. The funny thing is , I am a lot like her. I have pushed people away, built a wall around my heart and felt unloved. Grady seems to deal with rejection as well. Will his father ever forgive him? Can Grady forgive himself for something he feels responsible for? The story is a wonderful look at forgiveness, letting go, swallowing our pride and allowing God to heal our wounds.
“Sometimes we have to get out of our comfort zone in order to see what else God has for us.”
“Sometimes our biggest setbacks turn out to be our greatest blessings.”
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Just let Go
It was the first time I had heard the name Quinn for a girl and at first I got confused and was also one named Lane. So I had keep reminding myself for the first few chapters of some of the ones that were female. Grady is an professional skier and was passing thru a tourist town in Michigan but while in a restaurant gets in a fight and then gets sentenced to do community service by the judge there. I really enjoyed Grady Benson especially when he helped Jaden the nephew of Quinn. Loved how close Quinn’s family was but was minus their mother that left when they were young. Quinn always had a hard time dealing with her mother being gone. Quinn just brought the flower shop and has memories with her mother there. Both Grady and Quinn had past issues to get over. I enjoyed the book. I received an complementary copy of the book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit. I was not required an positive review and this is my honest opinion.
The small lakeside town of Harbor Pointe, Michigan was not a place down-on-his-luck champion skier Grady Benson would ever want to spend much time. No, it did not have the luxuries and entertainment Grady had become accustomed to in his celebrity lifestyle. Needless to say, he was not at all happy about his enforced community service for several weeks – not when he needed to hit the slopes hard to be assured of a place on the next Olympic team. On the other hand, Quinn Collins had never left Harbor Pointe and did not intend to ever do so. She was so straight-laced that her friends swore they could set their clocks by her routine. She was NOT at all happy to have the full-of-himself Grady assigned to her team for the annual winter festival. I bet most readers can guess what happens between this totally mismatched pair. Of course they can but it is so much fun to follow along their sometimes amusing but always interesting road to the romantic conclusion of their story.
As always, Walsh’s characters are realistic and well-rounded. Both Grady and Quinn have backgrounds that contributed to their fears and outlook on life. I loved how even though they each seemed to rub each other the wrong way, their relationship helped open their eyes to some deep internal truths that helped to start their healing and eventually led to forgiveness and restoration for them both. The spiritual content of the story was strong and could easily be an encouragement to many readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed Just Let Go as well as several other of this author’s books. It was fun to catch up with characters from Just Look Up also. I am certainly looking forward to the next installment of this excellent series.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.