REVIEW: Paper Hearts by Courtney Walsh

In Paper Hearts by Courtney Walsh, Abigail Pressman is reveling in the dreams of finally expanding her business, The Book Nook, by buying the rest of the building she’s currently leasing. That is, until Dr. Jacob Willoughby moves into Loves Park and buys the building out from under her. The handsome doctor seems polite enough but his business associate makes it clear of their plans to force Abigail from the building completely. With some help from the town’s residents and the Valentine Volunteers, she forms a plan to save the business she inherited from her father. But as she gets to know Jacob better, Abigail begins to rethink both the future of her store and her stance against love.

‘That was the goal. Save her store. Get her life back. And try to figure out what love meant for her anyway.’

Jacob moved to Loves Park to make a fresh start for himself and his six year old daughter Junie. They tried to leave behind the grief over his wife back in Denver, but he can’t get away from his thoughts or his lack of faith. Jacob thought starting up a medical practice in the small town would keep him busy and focusing on healing people again. But the situation with his new tenant Abigail has him torn. He can’t help but sympathize with her wanting to keep her business open in the building, but his associate Kelly is telling him there’s no other way but to force Abigail out. Learning more about her and the town’s obsession with the story behind paper hearts arriving in town every year should scare Jacob away. Only, he can no longer imagine leaving Abigail and the quirky town behind.

‘Why was it that he seemed able to save everyone else from harm, but when it came to his own family, he was always, always helpless? Why had God allowed even more pain? Why couldn’t they heal in peace?’

Paper Hearts is a Christian Fiction novel that had me wrapped up in the characters, their struggles, and the charm of a small town that celebrates love every single day of the year.

“But the very best love stories are the ones that are flawed and full of forgiveness and pain and joy and challenges and happiness. All these things make up a love story, Abigail.”

Author Courtney Walsh did a great job incorporating a lot of emotional elements into this small town romance. I thought it was comical, and realistic, that the townspeople were always in each other’s business, giving advice and ready to comment on the latest happenings. But, in the same token, they were also always ready to lend a hand and stick up for one of their own. That was quite evident while Abigail and Jacob were on opposing sides about the building and the future of her store. People took a stand and supported Abigail in her efforts to improve her business, and later on to do the right thing for herself, which I could definitely appreciate.

Poor Abigail, though, had no chance of avoiding the matchmaking ladies of the Valentine Volunteers thanks to her meddlesome mother and the fact that she was nearly thirty and single. I really empathized with her stance on love. Abigail hadn’t had the best role models where her parent’s marriage broke up when she was young, and she was no stranger to heartbreak herself over the years. I liked that as the story about the paper hearts unfolded, it was one of the factors that helped change her mind. They were such a romantic gesture that how could it not inspire others to be more romantic themselves?

And Jacob. *sigh* His story was so heart-wrenching and tragic. The guilt and grief that he carried around while trying to start over with his beloved daughter Junie was so difficult to watch sometimes. His journey through this book wasn’t easy and there was a lot of soul-searching for him to do, but I was so happy that Abigail could help him to begin the healing process. Their relationship was a slow burn, for sure, but it felt like every scene and every situation they went through, both together and apart, ultimately helped them become ready for a possible future together.

If you’re a fan of romances set in quaint small towns and characters who have a lot to learn emotionally along the way, I think you’ll enjoy Paper Hearts immensely.

Book Info:

Publication: February 1st 2015 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Abigail Pressman would never have guessed that love notes penned on paper hearts by an anonymous couple could restore her belief in love. As a business owner in a quaint town at the base of the Rockies, she’s poured everything into dreams of expansion . . . and resisting the matchmaking efforts of the Valentine Volunteers, who gather in her store to continue Loves Park’s tradition of stamping mail with the city’s romantic postmark.When Abigail is unwillingly drafted into the Volunteers, she encounters the paper hearts, a distraction that couldn’t come at a worse time. A hard-to-read doctor has become Abigail’s new landlord, and he’s threatening to end her lease to expand his practice.As she fights a growing attraction to this handsome man crushing her dreams, Abigail is inspired to string the hearts in her store, sparking a citywide infatuation with the artsy trend. But when a new batch of hearts reaches the Volunteers, it appears something tragic has happened to the couple. Will uncovering their story confirm Abigail’s doubts about love, or could it rescue her dreams . . . and her heart?