Lewis, Lia. Eight Perfect Hours. Atria/Emily Bestler Books, 2021. ISBN 978-1982135942 336 pp. $17

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I really love the premise of star-crossed, meant to be (dare I say bershert?) lovers, or that people have been in each other’s lives all along.

When wanna-be florist Noelle and mountaineer Sam meet cute in a winter traffic jam, they connect easily and immediately–but she’s primary caretaker for her anxious mother, and he has a possible love interest and is jetting off back to the States. She’s still struggling with her best friends death 15 years ago, and the college reunion she’s returning to is bringing up all kinds of baggage… and he’s still struggling with the death of a favorite cousin in their teens.

And yet… Sam keeps popping up coincidentally, everywhere! Is it meant to be? And if so can they surmount the many odds keeping them apart?