An Introvert’s Guide to Life and Love offers a truly fun narrative voice.  This contemporary romance is an eminently readable slice of fiction that will make you smile your way through the winter months. It does, however, feel much more like a piece of women’s fiction than a straight-up romance novel but if you go in with that expectation, you’ll enjoy this book.

Mallory Rosen works in tech. Her remote job allows her to stay home in her Seattle apartment, and that’s just the way she likes it. But her world is rocked when her grandmother, Lottie, dies, Mallory inherits her beach house, and finds herself headed to Florida, where her grandfather still lives. The one stipulation to Mallory’s inheritance is that she must keep her grandfather company at his nearby independent living community.

Mallory’s plan is to just sell the cottage, visit with her grandfather, and leave and go back home as quickly as she can. She has no vacation time left on her contract and the possibility that her job might go back to pure office work looms over her. Unfortunately, Mallory has a hard time adjusting to life in Florida; the wifi is terrible, for one. The cottage requires repairs to be sold, which means she has to make contact with the infuriating (and handsome) property manager, Daniel. Her grandfather constantly bumbles into the frame to offer his thoughts on what’s going on, ruining her Zoom meetings. Mallory starts to worry she’ll lose this job just like she did the last, forcing her to move back in with her parents. But, as she stays, she begins to understand her grandfather and connect with Daniel. Then, suddenly, she’s told she needs to go back to Seattle immediately and go back to the office.

I loved Mallory–she isn’t perfect, but she’s a fun person to follow. Through her voice, Applebaum creates an utterly enchanting narrative that really makes the book stand out and kept this reader entertained.

The novel has several strengths in addition to Mallory. The people she encounters are enchanting, and her relationship with her grandfather adorable. Her romance with Daniel is a fine romance – classic clash of grumpy and sunshine – but it’s not as central to the narrative as it would be in a traditional love story. The book really feels more like women’s fiction. So, if you’d like a smooth and fun character study with some pleasant romantic action, this book is bound to please you – and keep you turning the pages.