Ashley Schumacher

Wonderfully, perfectly adorable. I laughed, I got misty eyed, I swooned. This was such a surprise!

Imagine traveling most of the year to Renaissance Festivals selling goods and chatting with all the locals you know from year to year. That is Madeline's life. But this last year has been tough, her mother passed and it's been an almost year of firsts - all the firsts without her mom. Finally, they are at the final RenFest her mom got to go to before she passed and Maddie is ready to just be quiet at this one - reflect, do her coping mechanisms and get through this final first. But as soon as she arrives, so does an odd Bard.

This story was so many things. Maddie's struggle to find her new "normal" was just heartbreaking but also inspiring. It was easy to imagine what she was going through and feel her pain. Arthur was the perfect serenading bard. His adventures and sweetness was just a perfect mix of hilarious and chaotic. You really can't help but love him. There were so many laugh out loud moments but also heartfelt special moments, it was easy to completely forget you were reading a book instead of spending a fun hour with friends. I loved this one, every moment of it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.… (more)