Sweet Small-Town Romance

Everyone in Madawaska Falls thinks Sophie Ouellet and Marc-André Leblanc belong together.

Everyone except Sophie and Marc-André.

They’ve been best friends for years—sharing peppermint tea, family crises, and the comfortable certainty that neither will ever ask for more. Sophie has already rebuilt her life after one marriage. Marc-André has spent years believing that loving his late wife means keeping his heart exactly where she left it. Friendship is safe. Predictable.

Then a last-minute cancellation lands them on the same team for Madawaska Falls’ Fall Foliage Weekend rally.

Suddenly, they’re racing through town, completing ridiculous couple challenges, and trying to convince an overly invested crowd that Team Twelve is not secretly in love. But the more they play along, the harder it becomes to ignore how natural the pretending feels—or how much neither of them wants the weekend to end.

Sophie refuses to lose herself in another relationship. Marc-André isn’t sure moving forward means he’s ready to let go. And risking the friendship that has carried them through their hardest years might be the most terrifying challenge of all.

But when your best friend already feels like home, how long can you keep pretending you don’t want more?

Best Friends to More • Later in life • Forced proximity • Small-town romance