Up at Butternut Lake

Allie Beckett returns to her family's cabin on Butternut Lake after ten years away. Her husband has died in Afghanistan, and she has brought their five-year-old son, Wyatt, to start over in a place she remembers fondly. She has promised Wyatt that they will be happy there.

The cabin is full of good memories, but Allie doubts her choice. Wyatt has left the only home he has known, and she cannot be sure the move was right for him.

The townspeople welcome both of them. Allie catches up with old acquaintances, among them her friend Jax, now a young mother of three with another baby on the way, and Caroline, who owns the local coffee shop. Then there is Walker Ford, a newcomer who keeps to himself until he grows fond of Wyatt, and of Allie too.

This is a small-town contemporary novel with a romantic thread, set over one slow summer by the water. The mood is warm and gentle, with grief present in the background. Allie has to face what she lost and what she left behind before she can allow herself to want anything new.