The search for happiness turns a woman’s life upside down in a warm, quirky, and bighearted novel about the joys and chaos of finding love by the bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners.
After too many dates, thirtysomething Mimi Perkins is still single, unmoored, and longing for love. So when Ren Yardley—a handsome, divorced fellow drama teacher and single father—falls in love with her and proposes, she’s sure this is at last the good news her psychic predicted.
Soon after proposing, Ren receives the devastating news that his ex-wife has been in a debilitating car accident, prompting him to temporarily move back into his former home to care for her and his daughters. The unfailingly loyal Ren also wants to keep Mimi close, so she packs up her life in New York City and follows him to New Haven, Connecticut. There, she finds a job and unexpected community at a quirky local daycare. But as time goes by, it begins to seem that Ren and his estranged family might be slowly reuniting, and Mimi has to figure out what she’s willing to fight for and what she needs to let go of.
One thing is for sure: she would have never guessed that her psychic was right after all. Life’s twists, turns, and disasters just might lead her to unexpected happiness.
Genre: Romance
After too many dates, thirtysomething Mimi Perkins is still single, unmoored, and longing for love. So when Ren Yardley—a handsome, divorced fellow drama teacher and single father—falls in love with her and proposes, she’s sure this is at last the good news her psychic predicted.
Soon after proposing, Ren receives the devastating news that his ex-wife has been in a debilitating car accident, prompting him to temporarily move back into his former home to care for her and his daughters. The unfailingly loyal Ren also wants to keep Mimi close, so she packs up her life in New York City and follows him to New Haven, Connecticut. There, she finds a job and unexpected community at a quirky local daycare. But as time goes by, it begins to seem that Ren and his estranged family might be slowly reuniting, and Mimi has to figure out what she’s willing to fight for and what she needs to let go of.
One thing is for sure: she would have never guessed that her psychic was right after all. Life’s twists, turns, and disasters just might lead her to unexpected happiness.
Genre: Romance
Praise for this book
"An utterly delightful read, proving that sometimes fate isn't written in the stars but within the walls of one's own bruised heart. I absolutely adored this feel-good novel!" - Laura Barrow
"Mimi Perkins is whimsical, openhearted, foolishly optimistic, and an utterly hot mess in the best possible way. I absolutely adored her and this hilarious, heartfelt, wonderfully wise novel." - Marie Bostwick
"Maddie Dawson is the master of lovable messes. But unlike other fictional messes who change the core of who they are to find happiness, Mimi Perkins learns to embrace the magic of her quirky self and find her own path, just as she is. Filled with heart, humor, comfort food, and an adorable supporting cast, Let's Pretend This Will Work is a delight for anyone who has ever been told they needed to be less than exactly who they are." - Sara Goodman Confino
"I challenge you to read the first page of Let's Pretend This Will Work and not shut off your camera during Zoom meetings, cancel dinner plans, and stay up late into the night to finish it. It's that good. If you're not reading Maddie Dawson, you're not laughing, sighing, or living right." - Ann Garvin
"Let's Pretend This Will Work is a big, beautiful, heart-filling, life-affirming book about Love with a capital L. Dawson's endearing main character, Mimi, takes us on a laughter and tears adventure through all of the different kinds of love... Don't miss this one." - Kerry Anne King
"With her signature warmth, wit, and heart, Maddie Dawson offers us a story brimming with quirky, relatable characters who start out in quite a pickle and invite us to grow alongside them as they grapple with loss, search for love, and seek to embrace a big, wonderful life!" - Rachel Linden
"Full of serendipity and bursting with wisdom and humanity... I rationed the pages of this whimsical, vulnerable, and emotionally intelligent story. To read a Dawson novel is to understand yourself and others in surprising, warm, and hopeful new ways." - Rachel McMillan
"Maddie Dawson writes with so much heart and wisdom that every one of her novels hits a deep part of my soul. Let's Pretend This Will Work is no exception - I loved it." - Annabel Monaghan
"I can count on Maddie Dawson to deliver a wonderful, whimsical, full-hearted story every single time, and Let's Pretend This Will Work is my favorite so far - full of light and hope and the possibility of magic if we just believe a little bit." - Barbara O'Neal
"A quest for love with unimagined speed bumps and detours, Dawson's stellar writing turns a messy journey into something magnificent." - Patricia Sands
"I can try and be witty and throw out glowing superlatives, but the truth of the matter is Maddie Dawson is just plain brilliant. Her books are sunshine and magic, bighearted and bright, and Let's Pretend This Will Work is the shiniest star of all. Find me a reader who won't be dazzled by the pure joy of this charming story. I dare you." - Rochelle B Weinstein
"Mimi Perkins is whimsical, openhearted, foolishly optimistic, and an utterly hot mess in the best possible way. I absolutely adored her and this hilarious, heartfelt, wonderfully wise novel." - Marie Bostwick
"Maddie Dawson is the master of lovable messes. But unlike other fictional messes who change the core of who they are to find happiness, Mimi Perkins learns to embrace the magic of her quirky self and find her own path, just as she is. Filled with heart, humor, comfort food, and an adorable supporting cast, Let's Pretend This Will Work is a delight for anyone who has ever been told they needed to be less than exactly who they are." - Sara Goodman Confino
"I challenge you to read the first page of Let's Pretend This Will Work and not shut off your camera during Zoom meetings, cancel dinner plans, and stay up late into the night to finish it. It's that good. If you're not reading Maddie Dawson, you're not laughing, sighing, or living right." - Ann Garvin
"Let's Pretend This Will Work is a big, beautiful, heart-filling, life-affirming book about Love with a capital L. Dawson's endearing main character, Mimi, takes us on a laughter and tears adventure through all of the different kinds of love... Don't miss this one." - Kerry Anne King
"With her signature warmth, wit, and heart, Maddie Dawson offers us a story brimming with quirky, relatable characters who start out in quite a pickle and invite us to grow alongside them as they grapple with loss, search for love, and seek to embrace a big, wonderful life!" - Rachel Linden
"Full of serendipity and bursting with wisdom and humanity... I rationed the pages of this whimsical, vulnerable, and emotionally intelligent story. To read a Dawson novel is to understand yourself and others in surprising, warm, and hopeful new ways." - Rachel McMillan
"Maddie Dawson writes with so much heart and wisdom that every one of her novels hits a deep part of my soul. Let's Pretend This Will Work is no exception - I loved it." - Annabel Monaghan
"I can count on Maddie Dawson to deliver a wonderful, whimsical, full-hearted story every single time, and Let's Pretend This Will Work is my favorite so far - full of light and hope and the possibility of magic if we just believe a little bit." - Barbara O'Neal
"A quest for love with unimagined speed bumps and detours, Dawson's stellar writing turns a messy journey into something magnificent." - Patricia Sands
"I can try and be witty and throw out glowing superlatives, but the truth of the matter is Maddie Dawson is just plain brilliant. Her books are sunshine and magic, bighearted and bright, and Let's Pretend This Will Work is the shiniest star of all. Find me a reader who won't be dazzled by the pure joy of this charming story. I dare you." - Rochelle B Weinstein
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