Patti Callahan Henry's THE IDEA OF LOVE

From Patti Callahan Henry's website:

"As we like to say in the south,

'Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story.'

Ella's life has been completely upended. She's young, beautiful, and deeply in love--until her husband dies in a tragic sailing accident while trying save her. Or so she'll have everyone believe. 

Screenwriter Hunter needs a hit, but crippling writers' block and a serious lack of motivation are getting him nowhere. He's on the look-out for a love story. It doesn't matter who it belongs to.

When Hunter and Ella meet in Watersend, South Carolina it feels like the perfect match, something close to fate. In Ella, Hunter finds the perfect love story, full of longing and sacrifice. It's the stuff of epic films. In Hunter, Ella finds possibility. It's an opportunity to live out a fantasy - the life she wishes she had because hers is too painful. And more real. Besides. what's a little white lie between strangers? But one lie leads to another, and soon Hunter and Ella find themselves caught in a web of deceit. As they try to untangle their lies and reclaim their own lives, they feel something stronger is keeping them together. And so they wonder: can two people come together for all the wrong reasons and still make it right?"

I have been a Patti Callahan Henry fan for an awfully long time.  She's an author who lives in one of the top spots of my "auto-buy" list.  Her stories remain fresh and surprising and leave me smiling.  Ms. Henry knows the south and brings it to her readers with a believable beauty and honesty, never falling into that stereotypical south that some writers expect readers to accept.  And she "gets" relationships.  Husband/wife, parent/child, best friends.  She gets them and delivers them to us with perception and clarity in heartbreaking and inspirational words that touch our hearts and stay there.

A tag line for her newest, "The Idea of Love," reads - "As we like to say in the south, 'Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story.'

When Ella and Hunter meet in the tranquil coastal town of Watersend, South Carolina, things start off with two good stories.  What happens next kept me happy, frustrated, sad, and all over the emotional map.  Just like a good story is supposed to!  In case you missed it - I loved this book to the moon and back.

Don't miss Patti Callahan Henry's "The Idea of Love."  Release date - June 23rd.

And - SURPRISE!Pre-order "The Idea of Love" and receive an exclusive short story!  How cool is that?!

Disclaimer:  an electronic arc of this book was provided by NetGalley.com.  No review was promised and the above is my unbiased opinion.