
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Themes:
Divorce
Return to Hometown
Second Chance
Slow Burn
Heat Level:
Sweet (kissing, holding hands, etc., but no other on-the-page physical intimacy)
Archetypes:
Florist
Small Business Owner
Geographic Location:
United States: New England / Northeast
Setting:
Shop / Gallery
Small Town / Rural
Sexual / Gender Identity:
Bi or Pansexual
Dear Ripley
By Jacqueline Ramsden
Eight years, one divorce, and a second chance to make it right
Alicia Burton hasn’t set foot in Jackson Point since her divorce. But when her pregnant best friend is going home, Alicia ends up heading back to the place she swore she’d never return.
Ripley Stone is happy running her flower shop in Jackson Point. After eight years alone, the last thing she’s expecting is the news that Alicia Burton is coming home—or the rush of feelings that come with it.
When small-town life throws them back together, Alicia and Ripley can’t face each other—but end up communicating in letters instead. As angry notes become honest confessions, the pair has to face what went wrong, and whether, after all this time, either of them has really moved on.
Dear Ripley is a small-town, return-to-hometown slow burn, featuring mutual pining, meddling friends, and a couple attempting to figure out how to communicate in the face of their own emotions and their history. Content warnings for divorce, a side character’s emotionally abusive past relationship (including cheating and stalking), pregnancy after multiple miscarriages, and mention of homophobic policies/difficulties adopting for queer couples.