Do you know what’s better than the reunion of two long-lost lovers? The reunion of a long-lost mother and son. A Little Ray of Sunshine is the story of an adopted child walking back into his birth mother’s life, and all the joy and pain that come along with that act.

Harlow Smith gave up her son Matthew for adoption when she was nineteen years old, unbeknownst to her entire family. Knowing that she wasn’t prepared to give him the life she wanted for him (although her large and loving family would surely have rallied around her) Harlow found a kind couple longing for the challenge of a child, and relinquished her maternal rights. That brave act, still a secret eighteen years later, has been the defining moment of Harlow’s adult life and something which is never far from her mind.

And then, miraculously, Matthew walks back into Harlow’s life. And a delightful chaos ensues.

While the main ‘spoiler’ for this book is right there in the description (and is in the blurb), I find myself tempted not to say too much about all the characters and their development, because I enjoyed unpacking them for myself so much. Kristan Higgins has a deft hand at writing ensemble casts, and everyone in this story is characteristically well drawn, from Harlow to her adorable grandfather to her snooty cousin Cynthia. And even more impressive, they all manage to have their own arcs and grow in different directions rather than just existing to support the central drama of Harlow and her son finding each other. So if this is all you need to know to pick up the book, please grab it and be on your way!

But if you opened this page up expecting a full review of the book, I suppose I can oblige ;)

As we soon learn, Matthew is almost eighteen, has been using his Gen-Z internet sleuthing abilities to research his birth parents in secret, and convinced his family to book their annual summer vacation out on Cape Cod this year. Not realizing that Harlow moved home to the Cape to run her family’s bookshop years ago, they are caught fully off guard when she appears. While Harlow and Matthew are overjoyed at the meeting, Matthew’s parents Sanjay and Monica (particularly Monica) are somewhat worried about what this means for their own relationship with Matthew. All soon agree that the Patel family will stay on the Cape for the summer as planned, giving Matthew the chance to get to know Harlow and her family under the watchful eyes of his parents.

Harlow’s family, naturally, is taken completely aback by the revelation of her adopted son, and not everyone is thrilled about it. Her parents are hurt that she didn’t tell them, one of her sisters is upset that she no longer has the eldest grandchild, and her cousin Cynthia disapproves of all the fuss. Her grandfather, brother, and other sister are more reasonable, but still share the invasive and overwhelming energy of a large, loving family. Harlow at first battles with her family to get them to back off, and then slowly includes them in her son’s life. It’s a lot of fun to watch, as Higgins gets the chaotic family energy and capricious teenage moodiness exactly right.

Evaluating a work of women’s fiction like this is always a little different than evaluating a romance novel, I find, because the expectations are not as clear cut. There is not the same clear definition of a happy ending, nor the same distinction between which characters should grow and progress through the story versus which should support. In this case, all the characters show great development – especially Harlow, as she is able to lay the past to rest and move forward into a new relationship and new chapter of life.

What I liked best, however, was the bittersweet ending. With a seasoned author’s understanding of the world (and ability to research difficult subjects), Higgins doesn’t try to let the characters have their cake and eat it, too. The hard part about adoptions – even stories that turn out as nicely as this one – is that there will always be another family you’re missing, even as the love you feel is multiplied for two sets of parents. Matthew, Harlow, and the Patel family all reckon with this in a way that is beautiful and satisfying even if it has painful moments. So all I can say is – bring the tissues when you pick up this must-read book of the summer.