Even with superb writing, several irritating plot devices can derail a book for me, and that is what happened in Ms. Wiggs’ latest release. If you can go with the flow, then you might enjoy this book more than I did.

Sonnet Romano almost has the world on a string. She has a fabulous career in NYC employed by a non-profit organization that works to save children’s lives all over the world. She finally has a relationship with her success-driven, goal-oriented father General Lawrence Jeffries, and she has met a gorgeous new man, Orlando Rivera, courtesy of her father’s introduction. Still, coming back to Willow Lake for her step-sister Daisy’s wedding is a bittersweet experience. She has so much she wants to accomplish and New York is the right place for her, but vivid memories of her childhood growing up in Willow Lake pull on her heart.

After Daisy’s wedding she has some of the “always a bridesmaid, never the bride” blues so she decides to top off her Jell-O shots with some solitary champagne drinking. But that idea is curtailed by the arrival of Zach Alger, one of the groomsman and her childhood friend. She hasn’t seen him in a while, but she is astonished how gorgeous he is. He cajoles her into taking a boat ride with him, and after docking it at the boat house, they finish off the bottle and talk. Talking leads to flirting and flirting leads to some great sex. Sonnet is appalled to discover that Zach’s video camera has been on the whole time, but he quickly pulls out the SD card and tosses it in the lake. Still their night of passion doesn’t go unnoticed – the next morning they are noticed by the town gossip.

Sonnet knows immediately that she has made a mistake. She has ruined a wonderful friendship with sex. It’s not going anywhere no matter how Zach makes her feel. She has plans and it doesn’t include staying in Willow Lake. Zach tries to talk to her but finally she tells him to quit calling or texting her.

She is exuberant when she discovers she is the winner of a prestigious Hartstone Fellowship and she can’t wait to share it with her father and Orlando that night at dinner. While her news is well received, it doesn’t take long for the conversation to move on to her father’s campaign for the Senate. Orlando and her father discuss the possibility that Sonnet’s illegitimacy, her father’s only misstep, might become an issue.

Still, amid the best laid plans and all that, Sonnet discovers that her forty-five-year-old mother Nina is pregnant. But the real kicker is that she has some serious health issues. Now Sonnet is back in Willow Creek, and working with Zach. He is so supportive of her mother, but then again so is Orlando. If only she would determine who is running her love life – her heart or her head?

At first it was little things, inconsistencies, that brought me out of the story. In the very first chapter, Sonnet is astonished at Zach’s transformation and at the time I didn’t think anything of it, especially since it appears they haven’t seen much of each other since high school. However, as the story continues we are told over and over how close they are. Sonnet’s first thought after being notified of her fellowship is to call Zach – easy to do because she has his number programed in her phone. I immediately thought – this is your best friend and you don’t know how he looks? What happen to text cell phone pictures and social media?

And then, upon hearing that Sonnet and Zack had sex, two supposedly reformed male characters from previous books say something like, “You finally nailed her – awesome. And then let me guess, she wants a relationship now.” It just seemed so out of character that they would talk about a young woman that they know and like in this vein.

p>Other issues center around Nina’s and Sonnet’s reaction to her diagnosis and medical care. A pretty simple procedure is treated as a horrifying experience. Nina’s and Sonnet’s concern isn’t over the big picture but something else. Then Nina fails to do something so basic that I found myself completely disgruntled with her, thinking, doesn’t she realize what she is doing? After reading numerous passages about it, Ms. Wiggs then surprises me with a valid reason why she wasn’t able to comply. And that frustrated me too. If you have problems, shouldn’t you, your family and doctors be discussing options?

Sonnet’s illegitimacy assumes epic proportions. An accidental pregnancy at seventeen is pretty tame news to me, especially when the father does pay child support, but we are supposed to believe that it has the potential to be a ticking time bomb.

Still, the writing is solid. Ms. Wiggs excels at writing touching, tender family bonds and the book definitely incorporates that. Especially enjoyable is the subplot with a new larger-than-life character, although I questioned her history, especially her incarceration in a maximum security prison for a first offense.

Some readers are able to just accept things at face value. If you are one of those readers than you will easily enjoy this book. If you are not, then I think you will have the same issues that I did.