Publisher Description:
Emily Ackerman has traveled the world, her constant compass and companion a book of letters her mother left for her when she died. With no father in the picture, her mom’s advice has been her only true north. But when professional failure leads Emily back to Nantucket to renovate and sell the family cottage she inherited, she wonders if her mom left advice to cover this . . . especially when her grandmother arrives to “supervise.” And especially when her heart becomes entangled with Hollis McGuire, the boy next door–turned–baseball star who’s back on the island after a career-ending injury.

As sparks fly between her and Hollis, Emily is drawn to island life, even as she uncovers shocking secrets about the tragic accident that led to her mother’s death. With her world turned upside down, Emily must choose between allowing the voices from her past to guide her future or forging her own path forward.
https://www.amazon.com/If-Any-Reason-Courtney-Walsh-ebook/dp/B07T44D3ZX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YU6O46JYVF4U&keywords=if+for+any+reason+courtney+walsh&qid=1581117505&sprefix=If+for+any%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-1
My Review:

Want to read a sweet Christian contemporary romance with a beautiful setting, great characters, and a compelling storyline?
This is the book for you.

I loved the characters in this book, especially Emily and Jolie.  Emily is a former child TV star who has traveled the world in search of a sense of peace about the tragic death of her mother.  Almost everywhere she goes, she carries a stack of letters from her mother that she reads for guidance and comfort.  She’s reluctantly returned to Nantucket to renovate the beach house left to her by her grandfather.  She’s also trying to find her way again after her play on Broadway was a resounding failure.  But there’s still somewhat of a mystery surrounding the circumstances of her mother’s death, and Emily is seeking to find out what really happened that night.

Jolie is an eleven year old girl who is spending several weeks with her dad and grandparents on the island.  Her mom is on her honeymoon, and Jolie has never spent much time with her dad, who recently retired from Major League Baseball because of an injury.  Jolie is out-going and loves to act, so meeting Emily is helping her accept the fact that she’ll be in the island for awhile.  Emily and Jolie have much in common as neither ever really knew their fathers.  Hollis, Jolie’s father, has many regrets about neglecting his daughter and hope this is the time they can reconnect.  Emily and Hollis are old friends, and still feel the spark that was between them when they were younger.  As things become complicated for the three, mysteries are solved and hearts are on their way to being healed, but there’s still one more barrier to Emily’s heart.

I liked this book because the characters are good people, but they have their own flaws, and don’t always know what direction they are headed.  There’s an element of faith that weaves in and out of the story and gives it an uplifting direction.  It wouldn’t surprise me at all if this book’s not nominated for an award or two.  I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this one.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

About Courtney Walsh

Courtney Walsh is a novelist, artist, theatre director, and playwright. She writes small town romance and women’s fiction while juggling the performing arts studio and youth theatre she owns and runs with her husband. If For Any Reason is her eleventh novel. Her debut, A Sweethaven Summer, hit the New York Times and USA Today e-book bestseller lists and was a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category, and her contemporary romance Just Let Go won the Carol Award in 2019. 

A creative at heart, Courtney has also written two craft books and several full-length musicals. She lives in Illinois with her husband and three children and a sometimes naughty Bernedoodle named Luna.

Connect with Courtney online at her website (courtneywalshwrites.com) or on any of these social media platforms:

Facebook.com/courtneywalshwrites
Instagram.com/courtneywalsh
Twitter.com/courtney_walsh