ARC Review: "Where Loyalty Lies" by Elle Christopher ★★★★★

ARC Review: Where Loyalty Lies by Elle Christopher

More than a mere small-town romance, this exquisite debut is a raw, heartfelt tale about finding deserved love and profound inner strength.

I tried to get the words out, but I couldn’t find them. How could I? How do you thank someone for this? I’d been given flowers. Apologies. Promises. But never this. Never plans. Never permanence. Never the kind of love that was built like a house—measured, crafted, and meant to last. How do you tell someone that this—this quiet, deliberate care—is the most loved you’ve ever felt in your entire life?
Sam must have seen it in my eyes, because his grip on my hand tightened, like he was reminding me that I didn’t have to find the words—not with him.

[Contains some spoilers]

PLOT SUMMARY
28-year-old editorial director Emerson “Emmy” Sinclair has been a dutiful wife to the selfish Brad. She never wanted to marry him, but her parents believed it would offer her a life of security, wealth and status. When she is laid off from her job, she decides she might as well divorce as he doesn’t understand how much working means to her but every time she brings it up, she's unsuccessful. So she does what she should have done years ago: she leaves. To everyone’s dismay and frustration.

Settling in her late grandmother’s cabin in Tunbridge, Georgia, Emmy decides to pursue her dreams of being a writer. Brad and her parents constantly tell her to stop being silly and come home, but she refuses. What’s worse, her older sister Bethany comes to town to spread rumours and cause trouble. The only comfort she gets is coffee with her neighbour Ute and from 41-year-old kind and grounded Sam Sterling, owner of the town’s marina who assists her when a tree falls in the road in a storm. More to him than meets the eye, Sam is the only one who doesn’t judge her and is supportive every step of the way, showing her the finer things in life.

But Emmy does not deem herself worthy of Sam or of getting good things happening to her. When obstacles keep coming, from family drama to Brad denying the divorce (and concocting lies) to even problems closer to the heart, Emmy discovers that some things in life are truly worth fighting for.

OVERALL OPINIONS
Where to even begin with this masterpiece? I cannot believe this is a debut! This was such a wonderful and very touching story that will have you hoping you find someone who looks at and looks after you the way Sam Sterling does with Emmy Sinclair.

There have been only a handful of books that have made me cry and this one really did it for me (and if you make it to page 314, you yourself will see why)!

Elle Christopher’s writing is truly stunning. She masterfully weaves together vivid descriptions, witty banter, and deeply developed characters. But what elevates her work is the powerful, poignant message at its heart: that you deserve the world and should never settle for anything less, because the right person will ensure you get it.
When I read the opening lines alone, I knew this was going to be a good read:

I wore the life they gave me like a diamond collar. Beautiful. Restrictive. Designed to impress—tight enough to silence. Because expectations are the heaviest cages. You don’t see the bars until you try to leave.

And to give you an idea of what I mean by her dazzling descriptions, just look at how she describes this:

The night was unseasonably warm—low fifties, crisp but bearable, the kind of cold that made you breathe deeper instead of shiver. The sky stretched deep indigo, scattered with stars. The bonfire crackled at the heart of the marina, flames twisting upward, sending embers drifting like fireflies set loose. Laughter and music rolled over the water, the glow flickering across the lake’s surface—like the shimmer of a struck match, brief and electric, alive for just a moment before vanishing into the night.”

Indeed, Christopher really captured the essence of a person when they leave a toxic relationship and enter a healthy one. You often make yourself small or stay silent to avoid confrontations, lose a lot of confidence and find yourself trying to earn love at every opportunity. Worse, there is this feeling of dread and inevitability that good things are not, cannot be permanent, a constant waiting for the other shoe to drop even when someone genuinely cares for you. All because of the narcissists in this world like Brad are shallow and insecure enough to put others down. This was all explored exceptionally well! As someone who has been through such a journey myself (albeit a while back and thankfully in not such a drastic manner), Emmy really resonates with me and I am sure a lot of people will feel the same way.

The relationship between Sam and Emmy is so wholesome with their chemistry, banter and bond over their hardships. I love them FBOW (if you know, you know – okay, for those who don’t know it’s “for better or worse” but go find out why).

You never look away from me—even when I’m at my worst. Especially then. That’s what undoes me. You don’t try to fix me. You don’t fill the silence. You just reach for my hand like it’s the most natural thing in the world and say, I’m here. And I believe you. Every time.
You’ve taught me what strength really is—not perfection, not pretending—but heart. Stillness. Loyalty. You’ve made me want to fight for myself the way you fight for me. You’ve become a quiet constant in the middle of my chaos. A hand on my back. A voice in the dark. A place to land when everything else feels sharp. Because of you, starting over doesn’t feel like failure anymore. It feels like freedom.
You make the hard days bearable. The quiet ones feel sacred. And the messy ones almost beautiful.

I could talk about this story all day apparently haha but I must cease here. I’m sure we shall see more amazing things from Elle Christopher and if you’re still here don’t read me; read this book!

<< Positives >>
🠚 Utter tear-jerker!
🠚 Stunning writing
🠚 Inspirational protagonist in Emmy
🠚 Accurate capture of coming out of a toxic relationship and going into a healthy one, the difficulties behind it.
🠚 Sam and Emmy. Enough said.
🠚 The depth of characters
🠚 The rawness of this story, how there are good and bad days.
🠚 Ute was such a lovely secondary character and it was beautiful the way she validates Emmy’s feelings. It’s so sweet that she becomes another mother to Emmy.
🠚 The small-town community and found family
🠚 Exploration of toxic families and relationships handled very well
🠚 Authentic portrayal of healing

<< Negatives >>
🠚 A few interactions/moments felt repetitive (like Emmy being upset by something and Sam finding her upset, interruptions where Sam is called away; Emmy describing things as “incredible”; Sam backing Emmy against a wall; a paragraph at the start of chapters saying all was well and then wasn’t; sentence structure of “it was not just this, it was that” or “it was not about this, it was about that”)
🠚 There was a potential to explore the actual Tunbridge community as Emmy only really interacts with Ute. Perhaps when Emmy works at the diner, there could have been more scenes where she gets talking more and more to her coworkers and we see the bond form better with them as it is hinted at on her last day there.
🠚 The explanation of why peonies are Emmy’s favourite flower (their symbolism) should have come up the first time it’s mentioned rather than the second.
🠚 The motorbike trip to see the view felt very fast. Perhaps this should have been one of the scenes where Sam opened up instead of down at the Sundancer.
🠚 Some of Sam’s surprises/peer pressure I actually didn’t like, don’t get me wrong the pie eating contest for example was funny but I would have felt so ambushed and embarrassed. It is a rom-com though and I truly love the description of her laughing whilst ducking behind stalls while pie-covered Sam scoured the place for her! Paints the perfect chaos.
🠚 Sam saying “You look beautiful like this” when Emmy is clearly exhausted and run off her feet, working on stuff. Unfortunately, that moment didn’t quite work for me. 🠚 I actually thought there would be more to Brad not allowing the divorce, though it’s fine there isn’t.
🠚 A whole family being toxic does feel a little too cliché but I admit it was done well here.

CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Emmy꒱ ˎˊ- ↳ In some ways (other than being a few years younger), I feel I’m very similar haha like the author read my mind – Elle, how did you know I’m also 5ft nothing, love Pride and Prejudice and have some editing experience myself?? On a serious note, her growth through this story was lovely to see. I was rooting for her every turn of the page!
Emmy is an inspiration to us all: she goes through so much and handles everything with grace, standing up for herself whenever she needs to because her feelings are valid.
I cannot imagine having a family where everyone is so unsupportive; it was heartbreaking how she clings to memories of her childhood –where her mother used to cut her sandwiches into hearts and her dad looked after her when she fell from her bike– especially given the stark contrast of how these people treat her now. Those little details make this story all the more realistic and devastating!
-ˋˏ ꒰ Sam꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I looked forward to every time Sam appeared. He really is “love is patient, love is kind” personified.
He is confident and cocky and loves her to the extent he opens up about himself, cooks for her but also gets her to help him make food, is a gentleman and despite wanting her badly is patient and waits, comforts her, encourages her, remembers the small things about her, takes her on surprise trips, makes things for her, gives her jewellery, there is nothing this man won’t do for her.

FAV QUOTES
• I wanted nothing that reminded me of the woman I had been trained to be—the perfect wife standing silently by his side.
• We were strangers in a penthouse built for pretending. I lived with a man who saw me as furniture. Quiet, decorative, convenient.
• I recognized her handwriting instantly—looping and steady, like the woman herself.
• I wasn’t sure what it was exactly—the kindness, the calm—but something about him stayed with me.
• I hesitated, then shrugged. “It’s a long story.” | “I like long stories,” he said simply. Something about the way he said it made me believe him.
• “I’m… trying to write a book,” I said, the words tasting strange on my tongue. I waited for the usual reaction—the slight smirk, the polite nod, the quick dismissal. Instead, Sam set his cup down and looked at me—really looked at me. | “Good,” he said simply. “The world needs more people who actually have something to say.”
• I already knew Sam was a good man, but watching him now, I couldn’t help but feel more drawn to him. There was something incredibly captivating about the way he belonged here. This wasn’t just a marina. It was a community. And he was its heart.
• “Confident, aren’t you?” | He leaned in slightly, voice dropping to something low. Smooth, dangerous. “Experienced.” My pulse tripped over itself.
• I looked up at him—just to look. Just for a second. But he was already looking at me. There was no teasing in his expression now. No smirk. Just this quiet, burning intensity that stole the air from my lungs. If he said my name right then, I think I would’ve melted.
• The lake stretched endlessly before us, its surface shimmering under the stars. It made me feel small—but not powerless. I felt connected to something vast and limitless. Unwritten. Far beyond the confining world I’d known. Like I was finally part of something bigger.
• I thought maybe he’d kiss me then. But he didn’t. And that was okay. I probably wasn’t ready for that anyway. I was just grateful for what Sam gave me tonight. Because I finally felt understood. Seen. Like I wasn’t carrying the weight of the world alone anymore.
• Every town had its shadows, but Tunbridge wore its heart on its sleeve. It wasn’t pretending to be anything. And somehow, that made me feel like maybe I didn’t have to pretend either.
• I watched him go, still holding the warm paper bag like it meant something. Because somehow, it did. That bag might as well have been a flare. Not loud, not bright—but impossible to ignore. A reminder that sometimes the smallest gestures have the deepest meaning.
• The woman who’d helped me find my voice… raised the man who made me feel seen.
• The weight of his story settled between us—dense and unspoken. The kind of silence that holds more than words ever could. My admiration for him deepened. Not just for the strength he showed—but for the courage it took to let me see what he usually kept hidden.
• The door opened before I could knock, and there he was. Standing in the soft glow of the entryway, looking at me as though he had been waiting all night just for this moment. His eyes traced over me, slow and deliberate, as if he was committing something to memory. “You look beautiful,” he said, voice low, intent. A flicker of heat rushed to my cheeks, unexpected and impossible to ignore. My breath caught for half a second. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me effortlessly.
• Then his lips touched mine—and I felt it. For the first time in my life. The fireworks. The rush. The kind of heart-stopping, all-consuming feeling I’d always been told didn’t exist. The kind of kiss that belonged in movies, in daydreams—except this was real. His lips moved against mine, gentle and deep, unraveling me, igniting something inside me that I hadn’t even realized was waiting to burn. Butterflies? No. This was a free fall, a plunge off the edge into something too powerful to fight.
• Before I could think, before I could stop myself, I launched straight into his arms. He caught me easily, arms wrapping around me, lifting me off my feet with a low, startled laugh.
• His voice was deep, rough, ruined. “I want you. Not just for tonight. I want to prove I’m not like the rest.” I stared up at him, my breath catching, my entire body burning. This man. This incredible man. I had never felt more important and desired in my life. And yet, he still wanted me to know that I mattered more than the moment. A lump rose in my throat.
• “You look beautiful covered in chaos.”
• Love isn’t loud. It doesn’t shout, or shine, or chase. Sometimes— it just shows up. Over and over. Until you finally believe it’s real. And because of you, I do. • Sam had fire in his eyes. The kind that told me this night wasn’t ending with a polite goodnight at my doorstep.
• “You remembered?” My voice broke, just slightly. | Sam’s eyes softened, his lips curving into something small and knowing. “I remember everything you tell me. Especially the things that make your eyes light up.”
• “I never thought I’d find someone who truly understood me,” he continued, his voice breaking now. “Someone who saw me—not just the man I was, or the man I could be, but the man I am. And… you see me. You get me. And you love me. That’s the greatest gift I’ll ever have.”
• No matter where life took us, I would always know where loyalty lived. Forever wasn’t something we found. It was something we became.

══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Elle Christopher and Reedsy for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

“Where Loyalty Lies” is out July 15th!