Last week, Nina Hunnicutt was a professor about to move into a gorgeous new apartment with her long-term boyfriend. Now, she’s single, unemployed, and living with her parents. Even more surprising is the fact that Quentin Bell, her childhood neighbor (and okay, fine, crush), is also back in town—and wants to resume the treasure hunt that ended their friendship almost two decades ago.
Hoping the reward promised to whoever finds the rumored riches left behind by the town’s eccentric turn-of-the-century seltzer magnate will help her get her life back on track, Nina agrees. Granted, last time the search resulted in a broken heart and seventeen years of silence. But Nina’s older and wiser now. Surely things will be different?
Except, Quentin is also older and wiser…not to mention distractingly handsome. As they resume their hunt, Nina and Quentin begin to rediscover all the things they once loved best about each other. But unlike the treasure, the secrets that left them empty-handed the first time refuse to stay buried. If there’s any hope of finding what they’re looking for—and for a future together—Nina and Quentin will have to be brave enough to excavate their past as well.
Release Date: Jun 24, 2025
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $10.99
“Never in a million years would I have guessed that willingly taking part in an eccentric dead guy’s practical joke with someone who completely stomped on my heart when we were teenagers would seem like a smart way to spend my thirty third summer on the planet. But until I can find Ambitious Nina again, I’m in a sort of holding pattern. And this at least will get me out of the house and away from my mom’s well-meaning smothering.”
I enjoyed Sarah Adler’s newest release, Finders Keepers, but I will admit that I wasn’t nearly as enthralled as I was reading some of her other stories. I found Nina to be extremely arrogant and insufferable throughout the first part of the book. Yes, she lost her job and her boyfriend within a week, but let’s try to be a little positive. She’s so negative that it really brings the story down. Maybe this story is meant to be a reverse Grumpy/Sunshine trope, but I wasn’t feeling it. Quentin, on the other hand, has a little piece of my heart. He was charming and funny. Extremely likable. I know that he had a major crush on Nina as a teenager, but besides that, I don’t know why he kept dealing with her surly attitude. Eventually, once these two were mature enough to have a conversation about what went wrong in the past and their feelings for each other, it got better. It just took too long to happen.
I liked the treasure hunt aspect of this book and their search for clues. It kept the plot moving and brought these two characters together for most of the book, which helped their relationship develop. But I felt like the clues were too simplistic. There was so much build-up about this treasure, but when it was finally revealed at the end, it let me down.
I really love Adler’s writing, though, and definitely recommend this one if you’re a fan of authors like Mariana Zapata and Abby Jimenez.
~ Michelle
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