mountains of healing

Louisa Walsh started dating a musician in college, while she was getting her counseling degree. He wrote a song about her that became a big hit, and he became a pop star. He moved them to Colorado, to a big house he rented and where Lou stayed when he was out on the road. Lou made it a home in the years that he toured and made millions. And when he broke her heart, all she could say was, “I want the house.” He agreed, but Lou soon realized she wouldn’t be able to live there on her own.

Lou came up with an idea that might let her stay in the first place she felt she could call home. She got the name of the landlord and went to his office to convince him that he should let her turn it into a bed-and-breakfast for the tourists who came to Estes Park. The landlord turned out to be a veterinarian named Henry with a big heart for animals and kind eyes. Lou spelled out her plans for the house, and he balked. But as she spoke and he understood how much she wanted to stay in the house, he relented and agreed to her plans.

As Lou starts to prepare for guests, her best friend Mei finds herself in a breakup of her own. She comes to stay with Lou for a while to get back on her feet. It’s while the two friends are helping each other recover that Lou realizes the direction she should take the B-and-B. It should be a safe place where people can recover from heartbreak. Henry isn’t a fan of the idea at first, but Lou comes to realize that he has some heavy heartbreak of his own. But he is quick to come over and help when the power goes down or to fix the shower. And the more time he spends there, the more Lou likes having him there.

The weeks go by, as guests come and go. Lou and Henry get closer, sharing more of themselves as the holidays grow close. But both of them have family secrets that hold them back and cause them to put up barriers. Is the quiet healing power of the house be enough to keep Lou and Henry together, or will their pasts end up keeping them apart?

The Heartbreak Hotel is a sweet, engaging story of renewal and healing as the broken-hearted find themselves coming together in Colorado to end one chapter of their lives and start another. It’s a slow-burn love story that is as low-key as it is charming. These characters are vulnerable but smart, the story is colorful and comforting.

I thought this gentle story was lovely, with all the healing stories coming together like a warm blanket. The backdrop of the Rocky Mountains added texture as a foundation for these characters, and the slow build of the love story is as soothing as Lou’s favorite honey lavender ice cream. Readers craving a quiet love story that focuses on a slow unfolding of guarded people will find what they’ve been looking for in The Heartbreak Hotel. I found that here, and I feel comforted and warmed by this love.

Egalleys for The Heartbreak Hotel were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.