"Every Chance After" by Jessica Sherry

"Every Chance After" by Jessica Sherry ★★★★★

This slowburn grumpy-meets-sunshine romance explores belonging and healing, where a pivotal event links and changes two strangers’ lives forever.

For those who love character-driven stories with a charming romance and quirky backdrop, but something authentic and profound, prepare to be utterly charmed by Every Chance After by Jessica Sherry. This is a must-read for this year! The story follows 36-year-old Grady Tripp a divorced workaholic veterinarian, who meets 25-year-old Marina “Marnie” Strange, customer service manager and store designer of Sunny’s Beach Market under interesting circumstances (a car accident he causes). Personal obstacles cause high stakes (Grady’s guilt, the age gap, Marnie’s feeling like she is a burden because of her situation now), and force them to confront their pasts and learn to heal if they ever want a future together.

The tragic start was a refreshing, impactful surprise, subverting expectations for a romantic comedy. It perfectly illustrates the idea that sometimes the most profound connections are born from the most unexpected beginnings. The combination of humour and heart in here was the Goldilocks of just right.

Jessica Sherry really captures the heart of a community, the different people to be found there, and their quirks. From the snarky supercilious Sullivans to the trustworthy tender Tripps, the characterisation is immaculate and one of the best aspects of this story. Every side character appears several times, is memorable, gets an arc and serves a purpose, with plenty of subplots within the plot. Marnie, who has struggled all her life to belong since her mother abandoned her at 15, is a deeply empathetic and likeable protagonist who touches the hearts of every single person she meets by remembering little details and helps them see the best in themselves. Aside from Marnie bridging the rift between Wade and Mack, there was a delightful subplot of Marigold, Grady’s sister, who has sensory overload and has social anxiety: Marnie instantly takes her under her wing and admires her artistic talent, making her the concept designer for the G&G, bringing Marigold more and more out of her shell.

The development of Grady and Marnie’s love story is beautiful and flawless. Their honesty policy, where they say “Truth” when they want to hear complete honesty from the other person, is a touching element. There were emotional moments, like the paper boats where they literally throw their fears to the wind, and the surprise at the restaurant. Their chemistry is superb and the slowburn was done very well.

Sherry’s imagery in this story is just as impactful, like the white wedding dress with the blood on it, symbolic of Marnie’s purity and innocence being tarnished. There is also the symbolism behind the game Marnie is making called Play Together, Stay Together that is about strengthening the family tree but it is incomplete and she doesn’t know how to fix it. This is a poignant metaphor for her own incomplete family dynamic.

But the most powerful thing was the piano, an extended personification of Marnie herself. The reprimanding she gives Grady is the foundational turning point for their characters:

“Pianos are meant to be played, Grady. Played and enjoyed and shared with people. They should spread joy, not be turned into dust collectors, mocking your pain every day. It’s right there, waiting for you, hoping you’ll take a chance and try again, and you walk on by it, selfishly ignoring a beautiful opportunity. This is why you’ll never be happy—you’re too damn busy being miserable.”

Here, Marnie reveals a surprising yet accurate description that readers realise is not just about the piano: she herself is right there waiting and Grady is not giving her a chance, much like the piano that has been gathering dust. He has been too scared to play his piano since he divorced; he’s never dated since his divorce. This is a driving force behind his determination to change for the better.

This theme of second chances is prevalent throughout this book: Marnie calls herself the Queen of Lose Causes and Second Chances as she rescues animals and thrifts old furniture and art; Grady saves Marnie, giving her a second chance in life though she loses a part of herself she will never get back; Grady messes up and wants a second chance; Marnie gets fired, giving her a second chance in finding herself; Marnie does up Wade’s G&G giving the store a second chance; Marnie giving her mother a second chance and (my favourite part) Marnie having a second chance for herself through giving her younger sister, Tilly, a normal life; Marigold and Peter have a second chance after he insulted her in high school; and Wade and Mack have a second chance after a family feud that has carried on for too long. Every one of these is covered in a different and gorgeous way.

The only thing that was missing was any sort of solution for Grady: he is the family’s go-to man about everything and that’s what keeps him away from them to a considerable extent. By the end of this story, he is still the person the family depend on and it would have been nice if the family had realised they have been asking a lot of him and they worked on a solution together – or Marnie herself decided to help with some of it to share the load. This would be a nice parallel to the fact Grady was always silently there helping her restore the G&G. It also would’ve been nice if the Play Together, Stay Together had been completed.

Despite these lost elements, Every Chance After by Jessica Sherry is incredibly moving, authentic and inspiring. It is the perfect read for fans of small-town romances, found family and second chances. Above all, it is ideal for the upcoming Summer.

Trigger Warnings: Car accident, medical trauma, parental abandonment.