Seeds of luck usually wither. The rare one grows and blooms.

Piper Seidel has one thing going for her—a red carnation given to her by Tommy Burnett in the tenth grade. It might have dried over the years, but it’s still her good luck charm. Losing it sets her life in a downward spiral, forcing her to return to her hometown where she comes face to face with her high school crush.

The years have been kind to Tommy, who looks better than ever. Unfortunately, Piper is at her worst, continually embarrassing herself whenever he’s around. The only plus? Her long-time friend, Jack Rhodes, still lives in town. Since she last saw him, his legs have grown longer, his biceps thicker, and his shoulders broader. He was always the brother she never had, but now she can’t help noticing him in an unsisterly way. Jack is every bit as caring as he’s ever been—until her bad luck drives him away, maybe forever.

Piper needs a new good luck charm, and fast, before she loses her final chance at happiness.

I’d seen several excerpts of this story during the author’s blog tour, and when I found myself with a free hour, I dove into this novella.

Poor Piper. Her Christmas vacation begins early when she loses her job and decides to go ahead and make the trip to her father’s house. Her day doesn’t get any better when she runs into her high school crush at the grocery store – and then learns she wasn’t exactly looking her best at the time. Things take a turn for the better when her long-time friend Jack shows up and takes her to drown her sorrows in beer and pizza.

I chuckled over situations Piper finds herself in and then wanted to bop her over the head to make her come to her senses and see what was right in front of her. Of course she has to learn the hard way that sometimes things we build up in our mind can have very different realities. This is a heart-warming, sweet romance (and I love that it’s set during Christmas) with fully-fleshed characters that can easily be read in an hour. I recommend grabbing a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate and settling in with this feel-good tale.