I ended up struggling with this month’s TBR theme of “everyday heroes” more than I thought I would. At one point, I had lots of romances in my TBR with doctor and firefighter leads, definitely folks I’d call everyday heroes. However, for whatever reason, I seem to have read through most of those. In the end, I picked a novel from a couple years ago that I’d been meaning to read, and it’s one that features some likeable everyday people trying to find their way in the world. And as it happens, they find their way together.

Bend Toward the Sun by Jen Devon got lots of attention when it came out in 2022. All I knew about the book was that a number of fellow reviewers I like enjoyed it and it was billed as a big angst-fest. When I’m in the right mood, I love a meaty, angsty read, so I put this one on my giant TBR for a rainy day – or a TBR challenge review. This tale of a botanist fumbling for next steps after her Ph.D and a doctor who has gone through some trauma professionally started out well, and I found myself settling in for what I hoped would be an emotional, meaty story.

Rowan McKinnan and Harrison (Harry) Brady meet in a very cool setting. Harry’s parents are retired and they are building up their dream vineyard in rural Pennsylvania. After losing a patient, Harry has been struggling so when his parents call on him, he takes a leave from his medical practice and comes to Pennsylvania.

Rowan is struggling, too. After a nasty breakup and issues with a treacherous research assistant, she’s feeling pretty burned and not terribly trusting of the world at present. She ends up at the Brady vineyard via an invitation from one of her oldest college friends. Unlike Harry, Rowan does not have a large and loving family, but she has good friends and she soon finds herself soaking up the warmth of her surroundings at the vineyard.

On the heels of a sometimes-awkward, often lovely visit, Rowan finds herself handed a way to spend more time at the vineyard. The Bradys want to hire her as a consultant to help improve the vineyard. Since Harry is staying with his parents for a bit, this obviously throws the two of them together.

I liked that the Bradys’ vineyard wasn’t already an established powerhouse. They are having to do quite a bit of work to fix up the property and get the vines into a place where they can even begin producing wine. So, we see the characters doing a fair amount of actual, everyday work. The vineyard at the center of this book isn’t glamorous, but after a few chapters, it does start to feel homey.  For someone who did not have a secure upbringing, that warmth is especially powerful for Rowan.

There is some instant attraction in this book, but the relationship develops fairly slowly. I found that realistic for two people wounded as Harry and Rowan were.

So, with this many positives, why do I only give this book a qualified recommendation?  Well, I have to admit that my feelings on this one were conflicted at times. For starters, while this story has some very emotional moments, there were also plenty of times where I felt distanced from the characters and the action. The prose can sometimes feel a tad clunky, and that clunky dialogue sometimes made me feel a bit dispassionate about my reading.

In addition, while I mostly liked the characters and at times applauded their honesty with each other, they had some moments that really bugged me. At one point, Harry behaves basically goes off to sulk for an extended period of time, and his behavior toward Rowan just seemed horribly immature, particularly given how vulnerable and open they have been with each other before. At another point, when Harry opens up about the medical loss that caused him such anguish, he crosses the line from discussing the case to sharing HIPAA-protected information including patient names. As a lawyer, that threw me right out of the story for bit.

If I had to describe Bend Toward the Sun in a single paragraph, I’d say that it is a romantic story with characters who feel like everyday people. At its best moments, it’s sweet and deeply emotional, but the biggest drawback is that it’s somewhat uneven. If you like angst, this is still very much worth a read, and I’ll definitely be curious to see how this author’s writing develops in future.